The Other Art Fair – Not 30% — Oh Magazine

Editorial Team · 2026-06-01

## The Other Art Fair – Not 30% October 5, 2018 By Alice Snape Did you know that 60% of art graduates are women, yet in gallery representation, museum collections and exhibitions, the presence of women artists amounts to a maximum of 30%, often far less. To mark its 30th edition, The Other Art Fair is launching a second site dedicated to showcasing women artists, titled ‘Not 30%’. From October 4 – 7, the ‘Not 30%’ project will be in an adjacent warehouse showcasing hand-picked artists, art talks and performances. The aim is to increase the visibility of women artists and draw attention to the imbalance of female representation in the art world. We spoke to artists Amber Elise, Georgia coated, and Eleanor Watson who will be exhibiting their work at ‘Not 30%’: ### Amber Elise **Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work. What can people expect to see at the fair?** I’m a Fine Artist living and working in South East London. My work is concerned with the human condition and I’m drawn to concepts which address both the fragility and strength of what it means to be human. I typically work with oil paint but have just started experimenting with charcoal and I’m loving it. At ‘Not 30%’ I’ll be showing new bold female portraits in oil that aim to empower women and promote self-love. I’ll also be bringing some of my very first pieces in charcoal which I'm very excited about. **Have you experienced challenges as a woman artist in the art world?** The most prominent challenge for me has been working in isolation, it can be very difficult at times when I'm feeling insecure about my value and position within the art world. I think there should be more workshops and talks that specifically address these challenges and are aimed at supporting and empowering women, especially those at the beginning of their career. I'd particularly love to see more support given to women artists of colour who face unique challenges within the sector. ### Eleanor Watson **Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work. What can people expect to see at the fair?** I’m a figurative painter, recently graduated from the Royal College of Art, and I live and work in London. I’m interested in the relationship between humans and nature, depicting animals and figures in imaginary, vibrant natural environments. At the fair, I’m planning on showing new paintings from an ongoing series of work focusing on animals in gardens. Over the past few months, I’ve been researching domestic gardens, and considering how the way we arrange plants and flowers for aesthetic reasons reveals a great deal about our sense of control over nature, and our own inner lives. **Have you experienced challenges as a woman artist in the art world?** I feel lucky that I haven’t had to experience many of the struggles that some female artists have faced in the past. From conversations with other artists, though, I know that unfair treatment is still very much an issue, especially in terms of financial inequality. I think it’s easy for people to say that the art world has achieved gender equality, but we need to remember that there’s still a huge amount of work to be done. The “Not 30%” campaign is a fantastic way of reminding people about these gender imbalances in a positive way. ### Georgiacoated **Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work. What can people expect to see at the fair?** I’m an Illustrator and Designer who also loves to write. I use the name GeorgiaCoated professionally, but my actual name is Georgia. My practice aims to question the everyday, the beautiful, and the mundane with a playful twist. My works usually have a bright, colourful aesthetic, and I love taking the ‘ordinary’ and showing how unique and special it is in a world full of so much. I experiment with a lot of different mediums including ceramics, digital drawing, riso-printing, graphic design and photography. I’ll be exhibiting a brand new illustrative digital print at 'Not 30%', entitled *The Future Is Female*, it symbolises a new wave of feminism. It’s got a very strong political message and celebrates girl power in every way. **Have you experienced challenges as a woman artist in the art world?** Absolutely, which saddens me so much – I was really hoping that a problem like sexism would be dying out by now but it’s still very much existing! There have been so many times where I have been treated differently, had my ideas discredited, and been made to feel generally inferior to my male artist friends. It’s always been an underlying factor that has made me feel that my voice was too small or irrelevant. Now, I feel that a positive outlook and continuing to fight for equality helps me to overcome these small daily battles. My project for 'Not 30%' is a way of getting *my* female voice heard and inspiring other women to do the same. *The Other Art Fair will be held at The Old Truman Brewery, London, from 4-7 October 2018.*