Artist Interviews 2021

The Other Art Fair  
By Laura Siebold and Julia Annabel Siedenburg



Exclusive Feature of The Other Art Fair - Los Angeles edition

“The Other Art Fair” - owned by Saatchi Art and founded by British entrepreneur Ryan Stainier changed the way art can be experienced and acquired. Instead of the confined spaces of a gallery space, independent artists at The Other Art Fair are invited to present and sell their art in person in a public artspace. The Other Art Fair

“Was born from the common love to make art accessible for art lovers and to allow lesser-known artists to gain public recognition. “ - The Other Art Fair Website

While the physical editions take place around the world, in places like Dallas, Los Angeles, New York,Toronto, London, Melbourne, and Sydney, The Other Art Fair now also offers a virtual version of its successful fairs to be experienced from the comfort of the art lover’s home.

The ultimate goal for each artist to sell art to an appreciative audience is strengthened by lively interactions with the visitors of the art fair.

We first experienced the summer edition of The Other Art Fair at The Row in Downtown Los Angeles in June of 2021. Through a lucky coincidence, we gained access to the event and its different spaces with very diverse art on display. Every artist had their own cubicle inside the different spaces. Due to the open structure of those cubicles, engagement with the visitors became easy.

One of the first artists we talked to at the fair, who was featured as part of the June edition, was Kevin H. Komadina, whose impressively realistic paintings captured our attention right upon entering the first exhibition space. Our interaction at the fair prompted the interview in this issue.


Evening Shift by K.H. Komadina, exhibited in the June edition of The Other Art Fair

As we continued our path through the hallways and different buildings, set up as color-coded districts, we met many more interesting artists and discovered both experiential as well as classic art, sculptures, paintings, and photography. The sheer number of artists that had put in their submission to be featured at the art fair was impressive.


Diverse art on display at the June edition of The Other Art Fair


District Sign at The Other Art Fair at The ROW, DTLA

During our 2 hour stay at the fair, we barely managed to take a glimpse of every featured artist. After this positive experienced of the June edition of The Other Art Fair, we were excited to find out what the September edition of the fair at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport would be like.

The main difference we recognized from the beginning was the limitation to one huge exhibition space versus multiple spaces in different buildings. Keeping the concept of the cubicle for artists intact, the space seemed to be more manageable to see every artist this time. However, we were proved wrong, as we became aware of the length of the hallways that covered the whole length of the Barker Hangar. Each wall featured roughly 15-20 artists with cubicles both to the left and to the right of the hallways.



Photo credit: Ryan Bethke for The Other Art Fair



We had already signed up a bunch of artists for interviews for this issue that night, when we encountered Michael C. Hsiung at his artist booth, sketching doodles of wizards, cacti, mushrooms, and crystals for excited visitors. The person requesting the doodle was able to choose a theme, yet Michael personalized each sketch with his unique blend of objects and colors.

Besides the familiar sight of photography, paintings, and sculptures, we also happened upon a little local artistic plant shop from latinx with plants, that sold succulents in small lovingly colored pots and cups, inspired by Mexican culture.

Another surprising find was Cody TheCreative, sitting at his table surrounded by his pennies and paintings. Being involved in multiple projects and experimenting with different media, he gained wide recognition for his miniature paintings on pennies. With such care and dedication to the craft, he did not stop creating at The Other Art Fair and offered a live glimpse into his creative work.



Penny Art by Cody TheCreative & Artist Portrait Cody TheCreative

Ralph Lazar was one of the few artists with a cubicle double the size of the usual ones. His painted boards, canvases, illustrated books, and crafted little wooden monsters earned him a place in this issue and in the middle of the September edition art fair space.


Ralph Lazar

At the September fair, we reconnected with artists like Kevin H. Komadina, and local artists Lisa Paskel-Rees, and Ernie Steiner, who are all featured in this issue.


Artist Lisa Paskel-Rees in her artist booth


With Local Artist Ernie Steiner at The Other Art Fair, Barker Hangar Santa Monica

While the Bombay Sapphire cocktails must have certainly kept the crowd happy, many visitors seemed to be returnees from former The Other Art Fair editions. Some visitors gave the impression of dedicated art collectors, others seemed to just want to have a fun night out and maybe find a new piece for their living room.

The hours passed by so quickly, that yet again we found ourselves rushing to at least pass by each artist cubicle once. In the end, we were very politely kicked out of the Hangar, as the opening night came to an end and the artists had to make their preparations for the weekend crowd.

Overall we had a blast and would recommend the fair to every art enthusiast. The next Los Angeles edition will be happening in spring 2022. Whoever does not feel comfortable visiting the fair in person yet, can benefit from the virtual editions of The Other Art Fair in the meantime. Dates for virtual and physical fairs are announced regularly on the website.


Art Squat Outing at The Other Art Fair, September 2021