Collect Fair celebrates 20 years of craft and design

2024 marks 20 years of the Collect fair as the leading authority on collectable contemporary craft and design, presented by the UK’s Crafts Council and taking place at London’s Somerset House from 1 to 3 March 2024 (previews on 28 and 29 February).

Launched in 2004 as the first international fair dedicated to contemporary craft and design, Collect is committed to, and continues to raise the profile of, exceptional contemporary craft to the collectors’ market.

At a time when contemporary craft has never been more sought after, Collect continues to offer an unparalleled opportunity to acquire new, museum-quality work from living artists internationally, all made within the last five years, with many pieces commissioned especially for the fair.

Close to 40 specialist galleries from across the globe, representing over 400 artist makers, have been selected by an expert advisory panel for this milestone edition.

The range of disciplines and materials featured at Collect includes glass, ceramics, lacquer, furniture, art jewellery, metalwork, textile and fibre, wood and paper, plus pieces embracing more unusual materials, such as resin, mica, corn-starch and plastics, along with reused, repurposed and recycled materials.

Alongside the international galleries, Collect Open, the fair’s platform for experimental proposals and installations by individual artists and collectives, will present 14 exciting new projects by artists hailing from Canada, Portugal and across the UK, including Northern Ireland. Collect Open participants are selected by a separate expert advisory panel and are invited to produce work that challenges material, social, political or personal perceptions.

“Reaching this milestone edition reinforces not only Collect’s pivotal position as the authority for contemporary craft and design but also strengthens London as a leading cultural destination for the craft and design sector. The fair has continuously pushed boundaries to bring the best in class of new artworks to the market allowing collectors to buy with confidence. The diverse range of galleries for this edition, representing the most exciting international artists making work today, provide yet again exceptional rich content to explore,” commented Isobel Dennis, Collect Fair Director.

The Collect 2024 talks programme will bring together leading experts and voices to celebrate craft, explore contemporary issues and inspire audiences. View the full programme.

Among the participants celebrating glass art and lighting, Vessel Gallery will be presenting: Steven Edwards, a first-time exhibitor to Collect, represented internationally and in the Chatsworth collection; Olivia Walker, who will be creating a triptych for Collect which is her biggest wall installation to date; a new series by Enemark & Thompson, plus new glass sculptures of shipwrecks  from James Devereux.

Bullseye Projects, from the US, will debut collaborative work by Joshua Kerley and new artist Guy Marshall-Brown using combining Kerley’s innovative pate de verre works with Marshall-Brown’s expertise in 3D printing and rapid prototyping.

Collect Open will feature glass and metals by Browning Lewis (Karen Browning and Jon Lewis), as well as glass work by Sophie Southgate, who recently completed her MA in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art with the support of a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Britford Bridge Trust Scholarship.

Collect event details

Thursday 29 February 2024
Private View Day 11.00-18.00 (invitation holders and tickets available to purchase) – £60.00
Private View Evening 18.00-21.00 (invitation holders and tickets available to purchase) – £38.00

Friday 1 – Sunday 3 March 2024 – open to the public
Open 11.00-18.00
General Admission: £27.00; Concession: £21.00

Tickets available at https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/collect-fair

Location: Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA

Main image (left to right): ‘Inversion’ (2023), glass, nylon hardware by Scott Benefield (represented by Design-Nation, UK); ‘Stuck Up’ (2023), silver plate, copper, pewter, ceramic, wax, graphite and steel by David Clarke (represented by BR Gallery, China) and ‘Light It Up’ (2023), earthenware, glaze, lustre, by Mathieu Frossard (represented by Galerie REVEL, France).