Earlier this month, Somerset House hosted the 19th edition of Collect. This international art fair promotes galleries and artists offering some of the most exemplary contemporary craft and design worldwide.

Owing to the Covid pandemic, Collect was presented as a virtual fair in 2021, and as a hybrid one the following year. Its digitisation through an ongoing partnership with online art platform Artsy.net has allowed the event to reach an even broader, international audience.

Made from a variety of materials and textiles, mesmerising objects are displayed at the fair by galleries selected by a panel of experts. Many of these are available for purchase and some, crafted for the fair itself, are truly one of a kind.

Since collectors have the opportunity to discover countless unique pieces as well as commission work from exhibited artists through the galleries representing them, a great part of the audience comprises art consultants, corporate buyers, interior designers and architects. This year, the works of three nominees for the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize were even made available to purchase. The award is given to artisans whose creations possess exceptional aesthetic value.

Indeed, curators, museums and other institutions use the event to source works for their own collections. In 2020, for instance, the V&A and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford bought 17 works between them.

With many of the galleries presenting curated submissions focused on cultural identity, heritage and migration, Collect 2023 has been satisfying the growing demand for sustainably made pieces and works by artists of diverse backgrounds indicated by The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. There is a notably strong representation of art from the African diaspora. And certain galleries based in eastern Asia have also been welcomed to the fair for the first time.

As Isobel Dennis, the fair’s director, said: ‘For the past 19 years, Collect has reinforced its pivotal position as the authority for contemporary craft and design. The increasingly diverse range of galleries and artistic voices featured at this year’s fair will make the show richer in content and discovery than ever before.’

Collect fair is operating with the hybrid model for a second time; purchases and commissions are available until 12 March on Artsy.net. Find out more at craftscouncil.org.uk/collect-art-fair