Fair Play Art Fair made a debut One Marylebone, a former church. The bar was at the altar. My kind of vibe.
The art was wonderfully diverse, the space well organised and the atmosphere buzzing. Over 3,000 visitors reportedly came through on opening day. I went on day two and it was crowded.
What I didn't see many of were red dots. Some of the prices struck me as ambitious, although I appreciate the economics of selling art. Perhaps the sales happened after I left, or over the weekend. Or perhaps a busy fair doesn't necessarily mean a buying crowd.
I had applied to exhibit, unsuccessfully. So I arrived with a slightly less than impartial eye, which probably deserves its own story.
But the most memorable part of the afternoon wasn't the art. It was an unexpected, thoroughly enjoyable conversation with someone I'd only met a few days earlier. It’s the conversation that made the afternoon.