Fresh Art Fair, Alexandra Palace
“Fresh Art Fair offered a chance to move between completed works, visible process and the wider professional networks that support artists.”
Fresh Art Fair entrance, Alexandra Palace.
Introduction
Walking into Fresh Art Fair at Alexandra Palace felt like entering a space where art was alive - not just something to look at, but something to experience, question and learn from.
The fair brought together a wide range of contemporary artists and galleries, creating an opportunity to engage directly with current artistic practice. It was a place where you could get to know artists, understand how their work is made and explore the ideas behind it.
What made the visit especially valuable was the visibility of process. Many works revealed layering, texture, mark-making and experimentation. This helps students recognise that art is not only about the final outcome, but about developing, refining and resolving ideas.
**Official fair link: **Fresh Art Fair Alexandra Palace
Why this matters for students
**• **AO1 - students encounter a wide range of contemporary artists, themes and visual languages in a live setting.
**• **AO2 - the fair reveals experimentation with layering, mixed media, embroidery, oxidised metal, photography and painterly mark-making.
**• **AO3 - sketching, photography and annotation from events like this help build first-hand visual research.
**• **AO4 - seeing professional outcomes helps students understand how ideas move from exploration into resolved final pieces.
- Christian Azolan - West London Society of Art
Christian Azolan photographed with work at Fresh Art Fair.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | Christian Azolan / West London Society of Art (WLSOA) |
| Websites | Gallery Website / Artist Website |
| Official Instagram link is available from the WLSOA website menu. / Artist | |
| Medium | Silkscreen, gilding, mixed media, print |
| Themes | Identity, nature, freedom, unity, movement |
**Why it matters: **Azolan’s work explores rhythm, migration, unity and resilience through repeated imagery, precious surfaces and a calm, reflective visual language.
**Assessment objective link: **AO1 and AO4 - strong for researching identity-based contemporary practice and considering how repetition and material value can communicate meaning.
- Manoela Grigorova at Mojo & Muse
A wall of intricate mixed-media works built through thread, beadwork and layered surface.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | Manoela Grigorova |
| Medium | Mixed media, embroidery, beadwork |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | Gallery Instagram |
**Why it matters: **Grigorova’s practice merges embroidery, colour and recycled materials to create tactile compositions that challenge assumptions about stitched art.
**Assessment objective link: **AO2 and AO3 - useful for material experimentation, texture studies and recording detail from close observation.
- P.T. Tiersky - Studio 84 West
Layered, elongated mixed-media works that emphasise surface, construction and painterly balance.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | P.T. Tiersky / Studio 84 West |
| Medium | Mixed media on canvas |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | No official Instagram link was visible on the Studio 84 West site during checking. |
**Why it matters: **Tiersky builds works through layering and textured construction, moving between two- and three-dimensional thinking.
**Assessment objective link: **AO2 - helpful for students exploring layering, mixed media, surface manipulation and process-led development.
- Carl Melegari - Fine Art Consultancy
A portrait that sits between figuration and abstraction, with the figure emerging through process.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | Carl Melegari / Fine Art Consultancy |
| Medium | Oil on canvas / mixed media |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | Gallery Instagram |
**Why it matters: **Melegari’s work foregrounds paint itself: scraping back, layering and allowing the surface to carry emotion as well as likeness.
**Assessment objective link: **AO2 and AO4 - useful for students studying painterly process, reduction, concealment and emotional atmosphere.
- Esther Miles - The Linda Blackstone Gallery
A circular, built surface made from many repeated elements, creating movement and optical rhythm.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | Esther Miles / The Linda Blackstone Gallery |
| Medium | Mixed media, layered construction |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | Gallery Instagram |
**Why it matters: **Miles constructs works from hundreds of small painted components, turning repetition and layering into a dynamic sculptural surface.
**Assessment objective link: **AO2 and AO3 - useful for understanding construction, repetition, relief and the effect of light across surface.
- James Sparshatt - Capital Culture Gallery
A black-and-white photograph that captures performance, atmosphere and lived experience.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | James Sparshatt / Capital Culture Gallery |
| Medium | Photography (black and white) |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | Gallery Instagram |
**Why it matters: **Sparshatt uses black and white to heighten gesture, light and feeling, allowing human expression to carry the narrative.
**Assessment objective link: **AO1 and AO3 - strong for photography students studying documentary approaches, timing, contrast and mood.
- Louisa Tebbutt - Ad Lib Gallery
A portrait built through oxidation, scratching back and layering, where material process shapes the image.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | Louisa Tebbutt / Ad Lib Gallery |
| Medium | Mixed media on oxidised steel, pigment, gold leaf |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | Gallery Instagram |
**Why it matters: **Tebbutt collaborates with natural processes, allowing corrosion, gold leaf and pigment to create portraits that feel both fragile and resilient.
**Assessment objective link: **AO2 and AO4 - valuable for students exploring material transformation, unpredictability and portraits with conceptual depth.
- Paul Wright - Paragon Contemporary Gallery
An expressive portrait where layered colour and gesture move between representation and abstraction.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist & Gallery | Paul Wright / Paragon Contemporary Gallery |
| Medium | Oil painting |
| Websites | Gallery Site |
| Socials | Gallery Instagram |
**Why it matters: **Wright’s paintings use strong technical skill and expressive brushwork to capture vitality rather than simple likeness.
**Assessment objective link: **AO1, AO2 and AO4 - useful for studying expressive portraiture, colour relationships and resolved final outcomes.
Featured gallery list for further research
The featured galleries below were included in this document. Each entry now includes the website and Instagram information where it could be confirmed.
| Gallery | Website | |
|---|---|---|
| West London Society of Art | https://wlsoa.org/ | Instagram linked from site |
| Mojo & Muse | https://mojoandmuse.co.uk/ | https://www.instagram.com/mojoandmuse/ |
| Studio 84 West | https://studio84west.com/ | Not clearly listed on site |
| Fine Art Consultancy | https://www.fineartconsultancy.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/fineartconsultancy/ |
| The Linda Blackstone Gallery | https://www.lindablackstone.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/lindablackstonegallery/ |
| Capital Culture Gallery | https://www.capitalculturegallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/capitalculturegallery/ |
| Ad Lib Gallery | https://adlib.online/ | https://www.instagram.com/adlibgallery/ |
| Paragon Contemporary Gallery | https://www.paragongallery.co.uk/ | https://www.instagram.com/paragongallery/ |
Closing reflection
Fresh Art Fair offered more than a chance to view completed works. It revealed how artists build ideas through process, material choice, repetition, observation and risk-taking. For students, that visibility matters: it turns finished artworks into something traceable, discussable and achievable.
Full gallery list for further research
This section adds the full gallery website and Instagram list
**Official exhibitor page: **https://www.freshartfair.net/exhibitor/alexandra-palace-2026/