Lydia Chan - Your Ship Has Landed - NOW gallery: The aim of this Commission was to create a space for visitors to come and perform in, interacting with a narrative that explored the bubbly fantastical qualities of science fiction in a time where science is so filled with doom and gloom. Lydia collaborated with digital artists Songyee Kim and Thibaut Evrard to create an AR experience, a portal between digital and physical. A self-defined maximalist, Lydia is a set designer and multidisciplinary artist who loves monsters, designer toys and cartoons.
Matty Bovan - RIBBONS - NOW gallery: Matty Bovan’s site-specific participatory installation, presented an immersive exploration of the York-based designer’s textile-rich work, which is always underpinned by raw craft. The celebrated designer was awarded NOW Gallery 2022 Fashion Commission, a remarkable opportunity to explore creativity beyond the garment and create their own world within the multi-faceted gallery expanse. “Ribbons is my most personal project to date, a world built in my truest vision. The films in particular have been a labour of love. Shooting, art directing and working on the soundtracks has allowed me to fully realise and give flesh and bones to what I had set out to achieve.” He continues: “I want people to be able to escape into the RIBBONS world, to be able to dream, and to want to create their own world, however abstract or literal they wish. My world is full of dreams and nightmares, much like real life, but i do overall believe this a positive world i have built.” Matty Bovan
Nadia Huggins - Human Stories - Circa No Future - NOW gallery: : The first UK solo exhibition by West Indian photographer Nadia Huggins. The fourth iteration of Human Stories navigates the boundaries between land and sea through a collection of filmic and photographic works captured on the island of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Huggins captures intimate scenes of a group of adolescent males, documenting a choreography of bodies underwater. The work traverses an irradiated border between deep submergence and spectral surfaces. Framed by dramatic coastal landscapes, the work reveals both a youthful camaraderie and spirit whilst exposing an undercurrent of vulnerability in her subjects.
Sara Shakeel - The Great Supper - NOW gallery: Pakistani visual artist Sara Shakeel presents a new sculptural work ‘The Great Supper’. Traces of an intimate family meal are concealed at the centre of the gallery, inviting the viewer in to be part of a conversation. The stage is constructed from unassuming objects which have been carefully placed together; a table, dining chairs and crockery, framing Shakeel’s meal. The scene is dramatized by a saturation of glass crystals, propelling us to view the staples of domestic life through an altered lens. Shakeel’s meticulous work expresses a subversive, witty dialogue through sculptural form and will explore and celebrate the gregariousness of the family table. Inanimate objects become the main players, an assemblage and modern day still life scene.
KINSKA - My Opera House - NOW gallery: Kinska made her imaginary world come true, mirroring what’s in her mind. An installation created predominantly from ceramics aimed to take you on a journey far away from Greenwich and into a world born from the surreal mind of the Argentinean born artist. Previously, Kinska had a ceramic hip replacement that added an additional storyline to her pre-existing world. Processing through this experience in the hospital with only sketchbooks to hand, whilst being bed bound, acted as a means of creative expression and catharsis. This is the first large scale exhibition of the artist that brings together around a thousand handmade ceramic pieces. The highlight of the exhibition is a wooden whimsical House based on her studio in Hackney under a rainy sky of hundreds ceramic tear drops. Kinska’s art is organic and instinctive. It is the result of introspection and personal insights into emotions and feelings.
KINSKA - Later - Collage Club London: As part of London Design Festival, NOW Gallery had a special late opening of Kinska’s My Opera House. Here guests created Kinska inspired masks, while Brazilian DJ Limao mixed up the music. Kinska’s love of puppetry and creating personas from simple designs was shared with all with Collage Club running the mask making workshops in the garden of Kinska’s Opera House.
Sink The Pink - Gay Pride 2019 - NOW gallery: Sink the Pink on the Pride Crossing enroute to DJ and dance for the crowds at Greenwich Peninsula. Founded in 2008, Sink The Pink began as a response to ‘too many bland and non-inclusive nights out’. Growing from humble beginnings in a working mens club in East London, Sink The Pink toured the world with their legendary parties, live performances and immersive productions. Sink The Pink was for over a decade the largest LGBTQ+ collective and club night in the UK. Continuously challenging the status quo around nightlife culture and celebrating freedom of self expression. Upon the end of Sink The Pink in 2022 they said, “We’ve shown. that our community can be seen and celebrated in mainstream spaces while staying true to what we believe in. We’ve proved that queerness holds enormous power and should be celebrated wherever possible”.
Studio Morrison - The Seafood Disco - NOW gallery - Greenwich Peninsula installation: Studio Morison have designed a long gently curving 60 seater picnic bench beside the Thames in the shape of a smile called the Seafood Disco. The work began in the studio with a bag of coconuts and the old Tommy Cooper joke, “I went to a seafood disco – and pulled a muscle”. This new public space also includes four Seafood Disco barbecues, creating a green space for people to gather, cook and eat together, whilst enjoying views of the river up past the Emirates Air Line and down to the Thames Barrier.
Shoyo by Bibi - SHANGA - NOW Gallery: NOW Gallery presented a pop up art installation by designer Bibi Ahmed as part of London Design Festival 2022. Ahmed wove intricate patterns and shapes with beads to create elaborate corsets, hats and accessories. The Shanga kiosk was inspired by the vivid Mpesa booths in Kenya and adorned with Ahmed’s beaded sculptural works. “The space is part of my childhood, culture and creativity and is a representation of the world that continues to inspire my art today. I started making clothes for dolls back when I was growing up in Kenya. As a child, I was aware of the many varieties of beads and sequins around me. I like to mix crystals with beads. I love bling! The vibrant kiosks, booths and beads have been around me for as long as I can remember, shaping my sense of colour, patterns and designs. I want to share these memories, whilst paying homage to my heritage and culture.” Bibi Ahmed
