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FRESH EYES From pop-up to picture gallery, AKA Fine Art is paving the way for artistic excellence in Cambridge
26 Aug
fter accumulating over 40 years of experience between them, spanning restoration and conservation of paintings to
framing and design, Ali Porter and Kevin Youngman have long worked to consolidate Cambridge’s place on the map when it comes to fine art. BREAKING THE MOULD It was in 2021 that Ali (spearheading Conserve Paintings for 24 years and counting) and Kevin (a Wildwood Gallery partner since 2002) first joined forces. Launching the AKA Fine Art pop-up in that year, the innovative duo decided to donate a share of their profits from each sale to charity Arts and Minds – inspired by the late painter Peter Denmark. The gallery owners set out to carefully toe the line between showcasing lesser-known local artists alongside established greats. Details of the launch were aired on Cambridge 105 Radio and, listening in, developer Ronald Pile caught the whiff of potential for a fully fledged gallery. Along with overflowing armfuls of art, the pair are ready to move into a purpose-built space proposed by Ronald this August. TAKING WING A launch party on 26 August at 6pm will mark the beginning of AKA Fine Art’s residence at 54a Cherry Hinton Road, with Cambridge 105 DJ Alex Elbro cutting the ribbon. Culture lovers and collectors are expected to flock to enjoy fizz, nibbles and three rooms bursting with creativity. AKA’s opening exhibition, Catch 22 Artists , sets sail the next day, with a flurry of big names and budding talent from 27 August to 15 October. Become engrossed by Jeff Lowe’s striking abstract sculptures and absorb the impressive detail in East Anglian watercolourist Lillias August’s work. The vivid hues of Charlotte Cornish’s prints will be displayed alongside the unapologetically
eye-catching paintings of Cambridge street artist Mr Penfold. Pre-eminent creators will also find a home in the new gallery space, like the legendary Connor Brothers, bold and brilliant Ben Eine, late avant-garde visionary Paule Vézelay, pioneering painter of abstracts John Hoyland and German- French dadaist devotee Hans Arp. Other gems include Corinna Button, a London- based artist whose work melds painting and photography to shed new light on perception – plus Eugenie Vronskaya, whose ethereal creations hark back to abstract luminary Wassily Kandinsky. Full details of those on show will be available on the AKA Fine Art website. Merely the beginning for the gallery, the AKA collection is certain to grow. Looking to the future, Ali says: “We have built up a good rapport with a number of established artists, and look forward to
EVOCATIVE Francesca’s Aria by Jeff Lowe (left) is among the AKA Fine Art collection
curating their work in exhibitions over the next few years. We also wish to extend our enthusiasm towards new artists aiming to raise their profiles.” For a chance to soak up the talent, RSVP to the launch event at akafineart.co.uk
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