The Living Studio
12 January 2022 – 8 May 2022
Galleries 5 & 6, Free entry
#TheLivingStudio
Two spaces at the heart of Whitechapel Gallery are transformed into a living studio filled with inspirational materials, found objects and prompts for activity. Running parallel to A Century of the Artist’s Studio: 1920-2020, the display invites visitors to create their own works of art, drawing on the creative energy of contemporary artists’ studios.
The Living Studio offers a collection of objects from artist studios, research materials including books and magazines that offer a world of ideas and images and a treasure trove of found materials that beg to be collaged or assembled into surreal sculptures. The objects on display have been specially selected by artists exhibiting in The London Open 2022, and by Portugal Prints, a supported community studio that works with artists living with mental health difficulties.
In their various guises, studios have held enormous cultural significance around the world, from providing a refuge or laboratory, to offering a platform for public display and education. These spaces are now increasingly under threat, with rising rent prices, urban development projects and diminishing resources in schools and colleges. The Living Studio highlights the crucial importance of spaces dedicated to creative play and exploration, and offers an inspirational escape for artists of all ages.
Liam Hayes, Aldgate Connect BID Chairman, said: “Culture and creativity are a huge part of what makes Aldgate such a vibrant and welcoming place to be, and initiatives like The Living Studio will ensure that even more local people can connect with cultural activity and develop their skills. Creative spaces will play an important role in encouraging people back into the area, and we’re delighted to be working with the Whitechapel Gallery to provide an inclusive studio that will engage and excite visitors.”
Objects on display and artistic materials made available for use have been provided by Jonathan Baldock, Helen Benigson, Rory Cahill, Sonya Dyer, Lilah Fowler, Beth Fox, Iain Hales, Asuf Ishaq, Liam Jolly, Dawoon Kim, Anna Chrystal Stephens, Michelle Williams Gamaker, Rafał Zajko and by Portugal Prints, part of Mind in Brent, Wandsworth and Westminster.
Notes to Editors
– The Living Studio runs from 12 January – 8 May 2022
– The exhibition is curated by Kirsty Lowry, Curator: Schools & Teachers, and Dr Richard Martin, Daskalopoulos Director of Education & Public Programmes, Whitechapel Gallery.
– The exhibition is supported by Aldgate Connect BID.
About Whitechapel Gallery
For over a century the Whitechapel Gallery has premiered world-class artists from modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Frida Kahlo and Hannah Höch to contemporaries such as Zarina Bhimji, Sophie Calle, William Kentridge, Eduardo Paolozzi and Michael Rakowitz. Its historic campus houses exhibitions, artist commissions, collection displays, historic archives, education resources, inspiring art courses, talks and film screenings, the Townsend dining room and the Koenig Bookshop. It is a touchstone for contemporary art internationally, plays a central role in London’s cultural landscape and is pivotal to the continued growth of the world’s most vibrant contemporary art quarter.
Visitor Information
Gallery Admission: Free
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 6pm; First Thursdays, 11am – 9pm Whitechapel Gallery, 77 – 82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
T + 44 (0) 20 7522 7888 | E info@whitechapelgallery.org | W whitechapelgallery.org
Press Information
For more information, interviews and images, contact:
Megan Miller | +44 (0)20 7522 3315 | meganmiller@whitechapelgallery.org
Madeline Adeane at Rees & Co | madeline@reesandco.com
Colette Downing
Communications Manager
E colettedowning@whitechapelgallery.org
T +44 (0)207 539 3315
For all other communications enquiries please contact:
E press@whitechapelgallery.org
T +44 (0)20 7522 7888
