The Work in Progress

Reclaim the Mural

  • Reclaim the Mural

Past Exhibition

Artist collective The Work in Progress (Benedict Drew, Emma Hart, Dai Jenkins, Dean Kenning and Corinna Till) present Reclaim the Mural as part of the Whitechapel Gallery’s commissioning programme of new art beyond the gallery.

Reclaim the Mural aims to understand mural making in London, the reasons why it has waned in recent decades, and its continuing potential as a critical form of art. The project sets out to produce a new mural, exploring the processes of finding a wall, consulting with the public and collaborating on a design. This approach confronts the difficulties of making an image collectively and the way subversive images can be tamed by inclusive selection processes. Central to the group’s concerns is the issue of housing. How can the mural as a public surface address this politically urgent area of contemporary life?

The exhibition includes collages charting visits to London murals and conversations with muralists, housing association managers and people encountered at the market stall which became project HQ over the summer.