Artists to Watch | 2020

There is no doubt that 2019 was Tim Fishlock's year. The artist had a hugely successful second solo show with Hang-Up, where he presented his strongest yet body of work which explored new media such as large scale sculpture and installation. The exhibition also showcased new editions by the artist, published by us, most of which sold-out on the night. A few months later two of those editions were entered into auction at Bonham's where they both comfortably sold for well above their estimates. In the past couple of years, Fishlock's work has found a home in prestigious collections both in the UK and internationally, including most recently Artemizia Gallery in the United States. Fishlock is now working on his latest series 'Normal Bias' which was previewed at our Launch Exhibition. We can't wait to see more from Tim Fishlock in 2020...

Marc Quinn is considered one of the leading artists of his generation. His work explores recurring themes of art and science; the human body, emotion and the perception of beauty. In 2019, he had major solo shows at CAFA Art Museum in Beijing and at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas. The artist is also set to unveil a major new project at the New York Public Library in 2021. His work was also part of our Launch Exhibition and you can certainly expect to see more of Marc Quinn at Hang-Up in the new year.

The Connor Brothers continued to prove they are a force to be reckoned with in 2019. The artist duo had their first solo show in the United States at New York's Chase Contemporary as well as their first Museum show at Sofia's Oborishte Gallery. The artists also became official ambassadors for CALM at the start of the year, which allowed them to continue their important work around mental health, male suicide and masculinity. Most notably, on September 19th the artists auctioned off 12 unique prints, representing the 12 men who take their own lives every day in the UK, and a limited edition print at Bonham's, London. All the editions sold, raising a staggering £80,000 to aid CALM and their life-saving work. At the end of the year the artists released three limited editions at Hang-Up's Launch Show which sold out instantly on the opening night. Let's see what 2020 holds for The Connor Brothers...

Katherine Bernhardt, christened “the female bad-boy of contemporary art,” has been making a splash in the art world in recent years. In 2019, one of her canvases joined the prestigious collection of the Smithsonian Museum. The artist exhibited at Frieze where her work stood out and was also honoured at the 25th annual edition of ARTWALK NY. She is definitely one to keep an eye on in the coming year.

An artist who's star is continuing to rise in the art world, KAWS, should certainly be on your radar in 2020. In April of 2019 the artist shattered his previous auction records when his painting 'The KAWS Album' reached an impressive £11.3 million (15 times its estimate!) at Sotheby's auction of the private collection of fashion entrepreneur Nigo in Hong Kong. During 2019 KAWS also had many solo exhibitions around the globe including London, Hong-Kong, Qatar and Detroit. KAWS is also known to be an avid art collector who is invested in supporting other artists. In December it was announced the artist was elected to join the board of the American Folk Art Museum.

After joining the Hang-Up family in 2018, Nina Saunders, best known for her sculptural works, released her first limited editions with us to great reception. 2019 saw the very successful installation and event for the release of her limited edition 'Tea with Andy' which instantly sold out on the preview night. Saunders was also part of the the 9th edition of London's 'Sculpture in the City' in the Summer and also showcased an incredible new sculptural piece at our Launch Show. Keep an eye out for our next release with the artist coming soon...

Delphine Lebourgeois is also one to keep an eye on in 2020. The London-based artist exhibited at Brooklyn Art Fair twice in the last year and participated in various exhibitions in the UK, including our Launch Show. Her beautiful illustrations were included in the virtual world of the latest edition of the classic video game franchise 'Need for Speed Heat' as street art pieces. Lebourgeois was also commissioned by Soho House to create artwork for their first House opening in Paris in 2020. The artist is currently expanding her practice by working almost exclusively on large-scale originals, we can't wait to see.

Dave White was busy throughout the year, studying the character and behavioural differences in young and old primates. Hang-Up had the honour of exhibiting the first piece of the series, 'Old Chimp I', which White described as a milestone in where his work is headed. The artist was also in Tokyo over the Summer to unveil his collaboration and pop-up show with Atmos. In 2020, he will be launching a brand new collection of paintings, details of which have been kept quiet, but we know to expect big things from the artist.

The elusive artist was very much active in the last year, making appearances around the UK and internationally, stirring up the art world as only he can. In February, the British Museum acquired one of the artist’s 'Di-Faced Tenners' which he once famously dropped onto a crowd at Notting Hill Carnival. Another notable achievement for the artist came when his 'Devolved Parliament' painting realised more than four times its high estimate and made global headlines, selling for £9.9 million. This was a new auction record for Banksy, proving his continued popularity in the market. The artist also made headlines when it was revealed he designed the stab-proof union jack vest worn by Stormzy for his iconic performance at Glastonbury. Banksy also opened his first shop this year, Gross Domestic Product, crashed the Venice Biennale, exhibited at the RA's Summer Exhibition and supported Extinction Rebellion in London. We are certainly keen to see what the artist may have in store for us in the New Year...

Thank you for reading the last blog of 2019 - and from all of us here at Hang-Up we wish you the happiest of holidays and a very Happy New Year!

Love,

The Hang-Up Team