Buy art at your hairdresser’s or are they merely decorative pieces? I found myself in East London, Shoreditch the buzzing art district of the Eastend. I was attending an art event I read about and I was excited to go. However to my disappointment, it was a big letdown, a subject for another blog post. Wondering what to do next, I headed in the direction of Brick Lane from Bethnal Green road. As I was walking along, these eye catching art pieces caught my attention through the window of Beau London, a Hair Salon.

Without hesitation, I pushed the door open and entered the premises. I stopped in the middle of the room and did a 360 degree in slow motion and these amazing art works around the room met my gaze.

I proceeded to ask the receptionist, if the artworks were for sale or decorative pieces for the salon. I was told they were indeed for sale and were being exhibited by an artist called Anna Laurini.

Seeing my interest in the art, the staff excitedly ushered me downstairs where there were even more artistic delights by Anna.

Anna ‘s work is inspired by the abstract expressionism movement. Throughout the years she has developed a unique style using a mix of acrylic paint, collage and other media. Her genuine positivism is clearly presented in her choice of colors and shapes as she tries to transmit her emotions in her work.

In Anna’ work, I found a multi faceted talented artist with varied styles and medium, ranging from street art, urban art and  her abstract work is not just limited to visual references in the world, but also shows her variation in these subtle textured abstract paintings with a focus on colour.

As I was taking in the sparkling paint, the glitter, bold colours and distinctive signature pout in Anna’s work, my mind turned to art in unusual spaces and how artists are turning to unconventional spaces to exhibit their work with the aim to bring them a step closer to the public without any intermediary. Some event organisers and even galleries are also leaving their conventional spaces to exhibit in unusual settings. A typical example of this is the revolutionary ArtRooms exhibition, which I attended and reviewed in my blog post Innovative Hotel ARTRooms exhibition – A new way to show Art . The ArtRooms converted 76 rooms on the entire first floor of the Melia White Hotel into an odyssey of fabulousness, showcasing paintings, drawings installations and sculptures.

What does this alternative approach to exhibiting art mean to artists, collectors, consumers, galleries and venues? I intend to briefly explore these questions and perspectives.

Galleries

In conversation with Gallery owner Art Style Gallery in Orpington. She talked about how she organised an Art House event in Beckham, where an entire house was turned into an exhibition space with 17 artists participating. Members of the public were invited and attended, they enjoyed and bought Art. She is of the view that as well as having a gallery, art event organisers and exhibitors need to consider moving away from their traditional environments and embrace other ways of showcasing art.
This alternative approach is echoed in the art exhibition organized by Private Choice  in Paris, during the FIAC week, which I visited. The Private Choice founder and project director Nadia Candet curated an apartment in a historic Parisian house into an exhibition space where majority of the artworks, design pieces, furniture where for sale.

Kensington Galleries , another art gallery promotes art in locations other than conventional galleries and held a number of road show exhibitions. The first was a one day event at a DIY Store at the Kensington Homebase. The aim of the exhibition was to confront the issue of the meaning of art in unconventional places and the impact on the space it exhibited.

It is interesting to see some galleries evolving and positively embracing other exhibiting space. This makes art and culture more accessible and introduces it to a new audience, who might not consider visiting an art gallery.

Artist

To get an artist’s perspective, I asked Anna, why she decided to exhibit her work in an unusual setting like a hairdressers. She informed me that she exhibited in studios in the past and now uses unconventional spaces like restaurants, Café, hairdressers and gigs in the Shoreditch area because these venues are more accessible, to both her and the public. She also mentioned that exhibiting art this way, fits in with her spontaneous approach to art and she has sold a descent amount of work through these channels. Galleries can be a bit difficult to get into and are more formal. She believes in bringing her artworks closer to members of the public.

This is all good, but in my opinion, there is the risk that exhibiting in some of these unconventional places, might lead to the art works to be thought of as purely decorative pieces and not considered for their narrative, thought provoking or philosophical intent. Exhibiting art in these environments also raises the question on the impact this may have on artist’s career and the perceived value of the artist’s work. This is of course dependent on what the artist goal is for creating art.

Alternative Venues

Some Hair Salons, like Beau London, where I discovered Anna’s work, do not just style hair, they offer an exhibition and event space and can also provide catering if required. To me this is a win, win situation for these unconventional venues. They get free decorative pieces for their walls, by changing the art works from different or the same artist. This will make their environment look fresher, rather than having tired looking paintings on their walls for eternity. Renting out their walls as exhibition space, can also be an additional income stream, where they may either charge a fee for showcasing the artworks and/or take a commission on the sale.

I feel exhibiting in some of these alternative settings like Café, Bars, Hairdressers is a bold matter of fact strategy. The artist must be confident that the work speaks for itself, working on the premise that you either like it or don’t, take it or leave it, which I believe is the case with Anna’s work.

In most cases in these alternative environments, there will be no artist or gallery representative present to explain techniques, forms or styles used in the art work. The hairdresser will most likely not leave their client to talk about texture, medium and themes used in the artwork to a prospective art buyer.

Personally, when I buy art, I like to know a bit more about the artist their inspiration and creative process. Although there have been scenarios where this was not necessary as I simply fell in love with the work. However, I must say, as soon as I started showing interest in the art at the hair dressers, the staff put me in contact with Anna over the phone where we discussed her amazing works. Anna’s bold and vibrant expressionist style has been influenced by her life experiences and worldwide travels which has greatly impacted the charismatic expansive nature of her work.

As well as exhibiting in conventional locations, I am also in favour of exhibiting in alternative venues. It’s about finding a strategy that works. These alternative locations may be suitable for new artists, at the start of their careers or established artist who find this method appropriate. These alternative outlets provide artists with the freedom to enhance their reach, not having to be dependent and scrutinized by galleries  and gatekeepers before they can put their works out there for members of the public to decide if they like it or not, which is a good thing.

I like to be surprised and see things out of the norm and this includes art in unconventional locations is one of them. It brighten’s up my day and I will like to see more of it. Art should not be limited to museums and galleries; they should be made easily accessible. Making art available in these unusual settings provides people with the opportunity to get closer to art and culture, without feeling intimidated by art historians or gallery owners or representatives in conventional art environments.

What do you think about exhibiting in these alternative locations? Will you buy art at your hair dressers, café, restaurant, and library? Where next will you like to see art exhibited? As an artist will you consider exhibiting in these alternative locations?

Please share and comment.

For a blow dry and an eyeful of Anna’s stunning art, visit Beau London.

Anna Laurini studied at Central Saint Martins in London and at the Art Student League in New York City. Her work has been sold in New York, Australia, Italy and U.K. Anna’s has done commissioned work in New York City for the “Saint Marks ” music stores and several private houses and loft in Manhattan. In the last ten years Anna has been living and working between London, New York and Milan.

To see more of Anna’s work. Please visit:

http://www.saatchiart.com/annalaurini

https://www.facebook.com/pages/anna-laurini/45169637820

http://annalaurini.tumblr.com/

http://instagram.com/annalauriniblue/