The Koppel Project

The Koppel Project Hive supports more than 100 artist studios in Central London. Artists of various disciplines and different career stages work together in large communal studios. The shared space of the studios gives artists a sense of community and constant inspiration. During the summer, for the second consecutive year, some of the artists have undertaken a two week long residency, transferring their usual working space to the gallery at The Hive. A showcase featuring their works took place from the 6th to the 8th of September 2018 at The Koppel Project Hive.

Artist: Andrea Coltman

Repetition and transformation seem to be crucial in your artistic approach, can you tell us a bit more about your practice?

My practice focuses on the ideas of spaces and places of constant transition. The repetition refers to the cyclical nature of life. For instance, we often pass the same people without necessarily realising or making that connection. This relates directly to my artist statement:

“I don't know how to love a place...”

I have always felt displaced. Belonging nowhere I am a nomadic observer drawn to capturing snapshots of transitional locations through painting.

Absorbed with the notion of places and spaces of transition I consider the viewable environment and how that relates to Modernism,Geometry, Edges of Portraiture, Architecture, Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism. My work question places of constant transformation drawing on my own movements, and journeys that intersect with passageways. There are connections yet there is disconnect revealing a state of flux, the crossing of physical and metaphorical boundaries, discovering places of transformation whilst moving between material, physical and emotional states.

Pigments are applied, reimagined situations and objects are then interrupted and decontextualized by the addition of minimal bright colours combining figuration and abstraction. Using mixed media, I respond to the passer-by, the environment, linear forms, factual newspaper headlines, re-imagined captions as well as images from the tabloids. I edit, re-edit, duplicate, interpret and re-interpret the literal context. Repetition is thematic alluding to the cyclical nature of my daily life. Precision is implied, imperfections arise and unexpected narratives unravel with dystopian overtones.  

The fluorescent marks reference hi-visibilty; these can disrupt the viewer’s visual perception. They allude to the visibility of the subject, artist and viewer. They are all highly evident, drawn together through chance, yet often completely unaware of many aspects of their connections.

I reflect psychologically to the everyday overlooked instant or object. I am drawn to the ephemeral, the split second, a passage through a place or environment. I am a rootless wonderer, a 21st Century Flâneuse.

Some of your previous works have included bright orange stripes crossing the canvas, what is the impact of this action in the meaning of your artworks? 

As per my statement The fluorescent marks reference hi-visibilty; these can disrupt the viewer’s visual perception. They allude to the visibility of the subject, artist and viewer. They are all highly evident, drawn together through chance, yet often completely unaware of many aspects of their connections. The fluorescent lines reference connection and disconnection in space and place. The lines also tap into the idea that the best way to disappear in a crowd is to wear a hi vis colour!

What is the role of the exhibition space in relation to your artworks and audience?

The gallery space has given me a fantastic opportunity to create and experiment by extending the linear references in the painting externally so that they become part of the space. It has also allowed me the freedom to document the external area via video and create a site-specific installation.

What have you been working on during the summer residency at The Koppel Project Hive? 

I have generally been working on the two large paintings and videoing external movements. I have also been preparing some works for forthcoming exhibitions.

How do you find the experience of transferring your working space to the gallery? How does it relate to your new creations?

I have found working in the gallery space really exciting and beneficial both from working large scale. The interaction with my peers, the gallery managers and the public has been really helpful with feedback and many conversations I have had with so many.

The Koppel Project Hive supports more than 100 artist studios in Central London. Artists of various disciplines and different career stages work together in large communal studios. The shared space of the studios gives artists a sense of community and constant inspiration. During the summer, for the second consecutive year, some of the artists have undertaken a two week long residency, transferring their usual working space to the gallery at The Hive. A showcase featuring their works took place from the 6th to the 8th of September 2018 at The Koppel Project Hive. 

Artist: Joonhong Min

Urban life seems to play a crucial role in your artworks, can you tell us a bit more about your practice?

A city is the subject matter and the very place I proceed with my art. As a citizen who was born in a city, having lived in a city and destined to live in a city, my subject matter ranges from objects and sceneries ‘found’ in the urban society to personal memories accumulated within. I believe the gaze I cast upon the city is formalized through these diverse mediums and expands with those relocated back to the city.

You studied your BA in Fine Arts in Seul but then moved to London, how has this city influenced your work?

London, as it is already known, has a rich culture and arts facilities. Galleries, museums, and theatres that provide a variety of artistic experiences, ranging from classical art to contemporary art, with creative desires without limitations.

As a creator and as a viewer, such characteristic of the city has greatly helped me to examine and develop my work in various ways. At the same time, the appearance of the various people that I have found living in such an incredibly developed city, though I am an artist from Korea, did not feel much different.

People have always had uncertainty about the present and the future as they lived their lives hard, and it was a common attribute to them leaving the various ethnicities, religions and cultures in the city. This situation offered me a lot of empathy to proceed with my art and became a driving impetus for deeper reasoning.

What has inspired your artistic practice and how has it evolved during the years?

Although each work bears different form, at the core of my works sits an individual both isolating oneself and been isolated by one’s surroundings due to the fierce competition in the contemporary society. The act of drawing repeatedly is for the feeling of achievement with which I suspend chronic anxiety temporarily. By collecting what has been left out of its usage, I embrace what has fallen behind the competition; be that objects, sentiments, or individuals. I release the agitation from the daily routine in the city by the format of art.

I have been able to organize this overall description of my work by exposing my work through various opportunities during the past year. For the past year, I have hosted a solo exhibition at the Space gallery in Hackney and the stone space gallery in Leytonstone. In addition, many of the people I met in London's big and small exhibitions shared many of their thoughts, and this gave me a new experience as a city artist living in the present situation and planning the next.

What have you been working on during the summer residency at The Koppel Project Hive?

During the summer residency, what I focused on was to go back to the starting point of the work and analyze the basic elements that make up my visual outputs. To this end, I continued to draw the underlying drawing of my work and tried to dismantle the attributes of the formative elements.

I also filmed the various urban spaces around the studio and proceeded with the design of the installation work that I would like to proceed to next. The next work, combined with the screen and installations, will be built into the basics made in this residency, and it will be a place to try new combination of my work that has been carried out separately before.

How do you find the experience of transferring your working space to the gallery? How does it relate to your new creations?

Since my work has a site-specific feature, it plays a decisive role in appreciating where works are installed. The gallery, which was the residence, was the best place to experiment with these characteristics. The wide space, lighting, and texts of the gallery were the optimal conditions for experimenting with the installation size, shape, and layout of the work, so I was able to make a concrete plan for the next steps for the installation.

The Koppel Project Hive supports more than 100 artist studios in Central London. Artists of various disciplines and different career stages work together in large communal studios. The shared space of the studios gives artists a sense of community and constant inspiration. During the summer, for the second consecutive year, some of the artists have undertaken a two week long residency, transferring their usual working space to the gallery at The Hive. A showcase featuring their works will take place from the 6th to the 8th of September 2018 at The Koppel Project Hive. 

Artist: Alexander Stavrou

Your artworks depict a very personal approach to painting, can you tell us a bit more about your artistic practice?

Within my practice I have often considered paint to be a chaotic substance by nature with the potential to become ordered. Uncertainty has always appeared to me to be inherent within this innate disorder. In light of this, a painting fluctuates between those states of order and disorder depending on the intervention of its maker which in this case is myself. When making a painting, it feels as if delving into the unknown where some works reach their endpoint after the accumulation of different marks, questions, considerations, thoughts, urges which are all information or data of a continuous sort which get wrapped up, obscured and revealed.

The shape of the canvas as well as the way of exhibiting your paintings seem to be crucial for the construction of your pieces, would you say that your paintings become sculptures within the exhibition space?

Possibly. I see them as objects as well as surfaces, paintings and pictures. Perhaps they can never exclusively be any one thing. I am always exploring the relationship between paint and the surface it’s painted on as well as considering both in relation to the traditional support in the history of painting. Within my practice, the art making of each of the paintings has usually commenced when building the support. Experimentally influenced decisions occur from this point, creating the physical context in which the painting will exist - there will inevitably be a relationship; tension or unity between these two elements of the artwork. In current work, I find myself exploring the relationship between paintings, projected animations and the space which they inhabit. I think it becomes an opportunity to gain a new perspective and experience from such experiments.

What has inspired your artistic practice and how has it evolved during the years?

I think that the things I make have all come from the same place and core questions for a while and they play themselves out in each piece that gets made. I have always been fascinated by natural process and the make up of reality and find myself often coming back to similar cosmic subjects. Recently, I’ve become more aware that the works deal with questioning and experimentation to gain a sense of experience, understanding and the subjects of understanding. I can see that recent works question subjects around stellar formation for example to formal elements of the history of painting - all seem to negotiate a threshold of some sort. This exploration is perhaps more of an urge than an inspiration as such, but it is one of the fundamental elements of the way I work.

What have you been working on during the summer residency at The Koppel Project Hive?

It’s been a great opportunity to experiment with the relationship between recent paintings and projected animations which have been made during my time here. I’ve been assembling various combinations of paintings with animations to explore the relationship of the painted mass with a comparatively massless image in the form of projected light. Playing in this way has lead to new insights into my work which have in turn lead to more paintings. In showing these works together, I’ve been exploring how compromising what can be considered an entity’s usual habitat can lead to mixed situations which provide an alternative state in which something can be experienced. Each work appears to be its own world as well as forming part of a wider context. Both existences can occur at once, they're not exclusive.

How do you find the experience of transferring your working space to the gallery? How does it relate to your new creations?

It’s been very useful in gaining an alternative perspective on my work. I wouldn’t have been able to install my paintings and projections in such a way without this space and lighting conditions. This time has enabled me to challenge previous notions I had on making and experiencing work. The studio is often a place of safety compared to the gallery space which is open to the Other. To work in conditions where there is more external uncertainty can be a healthy experience in working flexibly. It has helped focus my thoughts and intentions on the works alone. Working in the gallery space has allowed the core of this recent work to advance against a more neutral backdrop in comparison to the studio. Both places of work have their merits. New paintings have already been provoked by the recent experiences I’ve had with my work during the residency.

On Wednesday 26th July, Ishkar held an evening dedicated to discussing the importance of craftsmanship and its role in the modern world. The event which took place at The Koppel Project reunited some key figures from the industry: Sebastian Conran, one of the UK’s leading product designers, Sebastian Cox, a British furniture designer-maker, Nasser Mansouri, an Afghan woodworking artisan and Grant Gibson, the Editor of Crafts Magazine.

For a bit of insight, ISHKAR as a business provides an ethical marketplace where people can purchase artisanal objects directly from craftsmen who live in countries affected by war.

The discussion started by looking into atmosphere, a carpenters workshop is an amazing thing, no matter where you are in the world, once the doors are shut there is a sense of calm. The atmosphere feels the same, from Nasser Mansouri’s workshop in Afghanistan to Sebastian Cox’s in London the smells, sounds and physical practice of carpentry are the same. So what makes the two carpenters experiences and work so different? Environment and culture.

Nasser shared with us his experience of working as a craftsmen in Afghanistan, a country portrayed to be so wrapped up in turmoil by the media. He spoke about the reality of the short comings of his working environment, ‘always having to do everything on your own’ from finding a material supplier to having week long electricity shortages. The atmosphere doesn’t change but the environment makes work challenging.

He’s keeping ancient techniques alive in a society struggling from a huge generation gap. The older generation too old to engage with the physical demands of their practice to a younger generation who lack the proper training and education. A lot has been forgotten, young people are not aware of the wealth in Afghan craft. Craft is part of their culture and identity. Thats what makes what Nasser is doing so important, becuase with every piece of work that he creates the stories live on.

So what makes a hand blown glass so different to one bought in IKEA? Sebastian Conran recently finished a collaborative project with 10 different companies in Japan.The Gifu Collection is the result of an on-going collaboration between Sebastian Conran’s London design studio and ten specialist artisan makers based within the beautiful natural surroundings of Gifu, Japan. Sebastian shared with us a Japanese belief that helped me understand the importance of each individuals craft.

‘The Japanese say that the soul of a craftsman is in the work he creates’ the result of the physical craft of making products is a reminder. The arches that hold ISHKAR’s product display, holds the essence and ethos of Sebastian Cox’s carpentry studio. The real importance I can see in craft is the maker, their work holds culture, history and personal creativity, all of which are important to keep alive for future generations.

The convocation traveled onto the importance of craft, especially in countries affected by war. Craft and skill provides hope, when these skills are supported by companies like ISHKAR, individuals gain independence and pride from their craft. The products that ISHKAR sell hold age old tradition, and stand as a physical, positive reminders of what is going on outside our busy day to day lives in London. Products that enter into our lives have an amazing ability to help educate through integration. Purchase a product, use it and be reminded.

ISHKAR shines an important light upon countries like Afghanistan and Syria, its easy to get swept up in the overly negative portrayal given off by the media. It’s never been more important to celebrate craftsmen that have the ability to inform, surprise and inspire through their work. By Abbie Adams

The Koppel Project is home to Phaidon’s only UK bookstore, playing host to the publisher’s newest titles.

Amongst these books is an important topic which we love to keep up to date: fashion and design! We appreciate the work that goes into the fashion industry and support this through beautiful books. We have a range of titles from the mighty ‘Grace: The American Vogue Years’ to the smaller pocket format, but no less important, ‘Military Style Invades Fashion’ or ‘Fresh Fruits’ exuberant Japan street style.

We do our best to showcase a wide variety of designers. For example, this month we have a window display celebrating fashion set designers in honour of London Fashion Week. This includes ‘Patterns’, ‘Fantastic Man’, and ‘London Uprising’. All published by Phaidon.

We have displayed many fashion books in the past (although not for long as they are snapped up quickly), such as ‘Yves Saint Laurent Accessories’ and ‘Betak: Fashion Show Revolution’ or the exciting ‘A.P.C Transmission’.

Opening Times: Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm | Saturdays from 9am-6pm

For more information please contact [email protected]

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The Koppel Project Hive supports 70 artist studios in Central London. Artist of various disciplines and different career stages work together in large communal studios. The shared space of the studios gives artists a sense of community and constant inspiration. Twice a year, the studios are open to the public, allowing artists to reveal their work space, exhibit and talk about their works in progress.

Artist: Fiona G Roberts

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Fiona G. Roberts. I’m a painter working in ink, acrylic, oil and mixed media. I recently received an MA in painting from Wimbledon College of Art where I was the recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s scholarship. Whilst studying for my MA my work was selected for the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize exhibition, the National Open Art exhibition and We All Draw an international drawing symposium held at Oxo Tower, London. Since graduating my work has been selected for The Ingram Collection Young Contemporary Talent exhibition, for Painting [Now] exhibition, a survey of contemporary practice at Studio One Gallery, London and for the Jerwood Drawing Prize. I have also exhibited in the Discerning Eye exhibition and been part of the Summer residency programme at the Koppel Project Hive Gallery. I am about to start another artist residency shortly at Canary Wharf.

As an artist, what do you think your role is in our society?

I think artists can have many roles and different artists want to do different things and I firmly believe that there is room in the world for every type of art and artist. Personally I want my art to be meaningful. It could be meaningful emotionally or politically or preferably both. It should say something that makes the viewer think, perhaps about things they’ve never thought of before. It should make them question things and perhaps challenge or change their opinions. I don’t for a second think that this is an easy thing to achieve and I realise that art can be read on many levels and that some people will only ever want to appreciate it on an aesthetic level. Nonetheless I want to make art that at least tries to make sense of the world, that questions society and challenges ideas.

At the moment I’m particularly interested in neoliberal, market centric capitalism and how it affects society, in particular certain groups, such as young people and women. I’m also interested in feminism and how art can highlight and respond to the way women are discriminated against and treated unfairly. My research in this area uncovered astounding unfairness towards women in the art world (see Reilly, M. “Taking the Measure of Sexism: Facts, Figures and Fixes.” Art News, 26 May 2015). In response to my research findings I recently completed over twenty sketches of female painters which I then made into a book. The work is titled ‘FAO Georg Baselitz’ (Baselitz is a successful, elderly, white, male artist who repeatedly claims that ‘women can’t paint’). This particular work has just been shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize.

How important is social media for you as an artist?

I’m not sure what the answer is to that. I think a lot of artists think they need to be on there, constantly plugging away and getting themselves known and there’s probably some value in that, though I think it may be overestimated. I definitely use it for that too but I’m wary. I’m never really comfortable with revealing personal details about myself because I’m an introvert I suppose. I think it can be really useful in keeping up with what’s going on, the exhibitions and events, and for getting to know other artists, communicating with them and keeping in touch.

A lot of people complain about the nastiness on social media but that’s not the main problem. Of course a few people are horrible, but you can just choose not to engage with them. The biggest problem by far is that, on the whole, people are so incredibly interesting. I can hardly bear to think of the hours, days, weeks even, I’ve spent on social media reading articles and following links to even more interesting blogs and articles and research papers or whatever. Whether any of it has benefitted me as an artist is unclear but I’m definitely more informed.

If you’re not in your studio space working working, what are you most likely to be found doing?

Worrying about things.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Don’t worry about things.

What do you like about the London art scene and are there any difficulties that you personally have to navigate through as an artist?

I love the London art scene and I’m privileged to be part of it but, make no mistake, the art scene is in trouble, because beyond the very, very few established artists at the top, the vast majority of artists simply can’t afford to live or work here. Galleries struggle to survive and most artist studios are unaffordable. Basically, right wing policies are killing the art scene.

If it carries on like this, I suppose eventually London will just consist of empty luxury flats and rich old people in their gated developments worrying that if Jeremy Corbyn is elected, then a poor person might be able to afford a wide screen TV or something horrific like that. If they do venture out, they will probably break a hip tripping over one of the many beggars and homeless people, though they certainly won’t be able to use the NHS because that will be gone. There won’t be any state schools either, or nurses or teachers, because they can’t afford to live in the gated developments or luxury flats any more than artists can.

No one is suggesting that emerging artists should be paid handsomely while they develop their skills, which may of course take years, but basically if they can’t afford to eat or put a roof over their heads then they simply won’t be here, and they won’t be creating art. A strong state that can cope with precarious employment and the vicissitudes of life isn’t just important for education and the NHS but for culture too. Still, you get what you vote for I suppose. If you would rather pay less tax so that you can keep all your money for yourself then poor people, and that includes the vast majority of artists, won’t be able to live here. Obviously London will be a dead and depressing cultural desert. But at least you will be able to watch your wide screen TV without worrying that someone on benefits can watch one too.

The Koppel Project Hive supports 70 artist studios in Central London. Artist of various disciplines and different career stages work together in large communal studios. The shared space of the studios gives artists a sense of community and constant inspiration. Twice a year, the studios are open to the public, allowing artists to reveal their work space, exhibit and talk about their works in progress.

Artist: Anna Klimentchenko

Two, Anna Klimentchenko, 2015, mixed media on cloth, approx. 270 X 150 cm. Photo courtesy of The Slade School of Fine Art. 

What are you working on at the moment? 

I am currently working on a painting which will be exhibited in a show at the end of June. It is inspired by my discovery of Jean-Francois Millet during my recent trip to Paris, and is a response to one of his works. The exhibition space where I will be showing my new painting has unique architecture, which I will keep in mind as well while working on it.

Where are your current inspirations?

I am usually inspired by old postcards, photographs and other childhood memorabilia objects. I tend to look at them for prolonged periods of time studying them. Ultimately, my paintings are about what it feels like to remember.

Describe your studio in 5 words.

Random thoughts, random thoughts, random thoughts, random thoughts, random thoughts

Photo courtesy of @aklimentchenko, Instagram.

How does your studio space affect your work?

I think I try to influence the studio space, try to keep it airy and uncluttered, so that the space becomes a blank canvas to be wrapped up in.  

What was the last inspiration that really made an impression on you?

Hockney at Tate Britain.  Amazing. I went twice already and plan on going back again.

Anna is currently one of the artists participating in our summer residency program at The Koppel Project Hive. She will be working in the gallery until the end of June, while the residency program will take place until the 11th of August. The residency is a chance for the public to witness the artists at work, and talk to them about their processes. The gallery is open Monday to Friday, from 10am to 6pm. 

The Koppel Project Hive supports 70 artist studios in Central London. Artist of various disciplines and different career stages work together in large communal studios. The shared space of the studios gives artists a sense of community and constant inspiration. Twice a year, the studios are open to the public, allowing artists to reveal their work space, exhibit and talk about their work in progress. 

Artist: Michael Crossan  

© 2017 University of the Arts London. All Rights Reserved.

Tell us a little bit about your practice. What are you working on at the moment?

I am a multi-media artist whose work includes printmaking, painting, sculpture and installations. My recent work deals with the imaginative processes by which we edit and frame our experience, and our relationship to the power structures that influence and shape the way we think, act and experience the world. I am particularly interested in the collapsing boundaries between public and private life, the implications of our growing preference for virtual interactions and experiences, and the forms of modern-day propaganda and manipulation that shape how we perceive ourselves and our world. This focus has led me into an intensified engagement with printmaking, drawing on its associations both as propaganda and as a strategy for social and political engagement - particularly hands-on traditional methods like screen-printing, lino and wood cut, collograph and etching - and experimenting with scale, technique, and materials. I like the accessibility and layering potential of printmaking, and the way it can reproduce the formal qualities of many other processes such as drawing, painting, watercolour, collage and photography.

 How does your studio space affect your work?

Being at the studio settles me into an art frame of mind, and I find it easier to concentrate while there. I’m very process-based, and my instinctive way of working is to have more than one piece on the go at any time, using elements of old works in the new, creating versions and variations in different mediums, picking up threads of meaning between works. My studio gives me the space I need to work in this way. Also, it’s great to have a space where I can step back, have a look, and leave the work for a time, then go back to it later with a fresh eye. Finally, it’s very helpful to be around other artists for feedback and inspiration.

 What are your current inspirations?

All the methods of printmaking, and artists from Jasper Johns to Bosch to William Blake who have used printmaking in innovative ways. I’m inspired by the mixed media works of Anselm Keifer, the way they encompass history, nature and the cycles of time, and by the large-scale figurative paintings of Leon Golub. Recently, I have been researching propaganda posters and artwork connected to revolutionary or resistance movements through time. Process and materials and inspire me as well, including everyday throw away materials.

 What was the last exhibition that really made an impression on you?

The American Dream: Pop to Present.  

This exhibition, which is running at the British Museum from 9th March - 17 June, is a well-curated collection of American prints spanning over sixty years. The works really capture the climate of our times, addressing deep divisions in society from the 60s to the present day.

The exhibition really impressed me visually and on a personal level. Highly recommend; a really great inspirational show.

Describe your studio in 5 words:

Spacious, Bright, Atmospheric, Messy, Strange.

Day #13 Nadine Shaban: VACUUM Saturday 21 January 3pm - 6pm

Throughout the exhibition '16 Artists 16 Days', each participating studio Hive artist occupies the entire gallery space for one day to actively engage and participate with the public.

Vacuum is a project between visual artist Nadine Shaban and physical theatre performer Petra Casale. On the afternoon of 21st January they will be showcasing the first works from this collaboration at The Koppel Project Hive Gallery.

On show at the gallery will be the studio artist’s exhibition alongside an extension of Nadine’s sculptural work comprising of movement and models. This work explores the power of matter outside of ourselves, the exterior skin that we create and the body as void.

Please RSVP to [email protected] to attend the event.

The Hive studio artists Exhibition 2016 ‘16 Artists 16 Days’ The Koppel Project Hive (26 Holborn Viaduct EC1A 2AT)

Anna Klimentchenko / Col Self / Daniel Curtis / Darren Black / Katerina Barampouti / Kirsty McEwan / Mary Savva / Michael Crossan / Molly Rose Butt / Nadine Shaban / Nicole Price / Pauline Batista / Rikki Turner / Robert Strang / Rumi Josephs / Seana Gavin

The first studio artists exhibition at The Hive is on until the 26th of January. 

Each participating studio Hive artist occupies the entire gallery space for one day to actively engage and participate with the public. 

JANUARY EVENTS

Day #8 Seana Gavin: Seana Gavin and the Art of Collage Friday 6 January 4pm - 6.30pm

Seana Gavin is an Artist working in the medium of collage creating fantasy landscapes using found photographic imagery from old books and magazines. 

Join on her on Friday 6th January from 4pm-6.30pm to find out more about her practice and approaches to collage. And then attempt to create your own paper artwork to take home with you. Please bring along any specific material you may like to include, and a pair of scissors and a pritt stick. Any donations of unwanted books/magazines are welcome.

Day #9 Robert Strang: Enclothed cognition for further understanding Saturday 7 January 1pm

In this performance piece Robert Strang will be exploring the premise of enclosed congnitioning and using this tool to further understand a single artwork. In this work Robert will adorn his Artistic Deity garms to look further than a surface level and explore the notion of time, future and moments on a single canvas (77cm x 53cm). This performance not only looks at the notion of time and moment, but also humorously plays with the concept of contemplation and dedication looking to the East, in the way so many lost souls do in an attempt to understand something unfathomable. Inevitably to get lost in a pleasure pursuit.

Day #10 Anna Klimentchenko: Nice memories Friday 13 January 11am - 7pm

On Friday the 13th Anna Klimentchenko will exhibit additional artworks and will be present in the gallery throughout the day to answer questions and tell you more about her work and her inspirations.

Day #11 Molly Butt: The Knot Saturday 14 January 11am - 7pm 

On Saturday the 14th Molly will be creating an installation that responds to her exhibited paintings. These paintings are part of an ongoing series that explores the relationship between 2D and 3D works, using repeated motifs and formations to create an abstracted sense of landscape. Using found materials and made objects she will play around with collaging these mixed mediums into a new set of works.

 [The Knot relates to the idea of the work being an open-ended exploration of composition and form, where each fragmentary piece is a building block for multiple variations. These in turn trigger new configurations that continually refer to but never return to the starting point]

Guests are invited to join her in the space throughout the day to see the work in progress. 

At 5pm there will be an informal discussion about sculpture and painting and the expanded field (bring something to drink, if you like).

Day #12 Nicole Price: Memory and the Family Album Wednesday 18 January 11am - 7pm

On Wednesday the 18th Nicole Price will hold an all day workshop using old family photographs. She will work with copies of photographs, collaging and amalgamating images to create disrupted scenes. She will paint from these collages, further distancing them from the photographic source material.

Nicole invites visitors to bring photocopies of family photographs, which can be incorporated into the work, and would encourage discussion of memories triggered by these photos and the family album. By using familiar and unfamiliar photographs the artist questions the private histories and public narratives associated with the photograph.

Day #13 Nadine Shaban: VACUUM

Saturday 21 January 3pm - 6pm

Vacuum is a project between visual artist Nadine Shaban and physical theatre performer Petra Casale. On the afternoon of 21st January they will be showcasing the first works from this collaboration at The Koppel Project Hive Gallery.

On show at the gallery will be the studio artist's exhibition alongside an extension of Nadine's sculptural work comprising of movement and models.

This work explores the power of matter outside of ourselves, the exterior skin that we create and the body as void.

The Hive studio artists Exhibition 2016 ‘16 Artists 16 Days’ The Koppel Project Hive (26 Holborn Viaduct EC1A 2AT)

Anna Klimentchenko / Col Self / Daniel Curtis / Darren Black / Katerina Barampouti / Kirsty McEwan / Mary Savva / Michael Crossan / Molly Rose Butt / Nadine Shaban / Nicole Price / Pauline Batista / Rikki Turner / Robert Strang / Rumi Josephs / Seana Gavin

The Koppel Project Hive is proud to present its first studio artists exhibition curated by Alice Bonnot.

For this first edition, 16 artists are exhibiting studio works in diverse media including paintings, sculptures, collages, installations and photographs. Each of them will occupy the entire gallery space for a day to introduce their practice to the public. Resulting from this international and multidisciplinary artists group, a wide range of public events such as workshops, artist talks, performances and other artistic experimentations will be organised.

DECEMBER EVENTS

Day #1 Mary Savva: Drawing Double  Friday 9 December 11am - 7pm

On Friday 9 December, Mary Savva will hold an all-day drawing workshop inviting visitors to make drawings in response to the artwork exhibited in the gallery, with the theme of "drawing double". At 6pm the artist will give a talk about her studio practice, followed by an open discussion.

Day #2 Col Self: Plant Ritual Saturday 10 December 11am - 7pm

On Saturday 10 December at 6pm, visitors to Col Self's "ritual" will be asked to enter into an open discussion where ideas around the consciousness of plants, networks and hallucination will be presented. The discussion will round up with a "health ritual" Matcha tea drinking ceremony with reflections on personal ideas of health to projected sportswear visions.

Day #3 Pauline Batista: Approaches to fluidity - from material to fantasy Tuesday 13 December 11 am - 7pm

Beatriz Acevedo // Pauline Batista // Michael Dignam // Annie Goliath // Josefina Labourt // Madeleine Stack

The event opens at 5pm with an informal discussion with artist Pauline Batista about the process behind the photographic works currently on display at The Hive from the series 'A Mysterious Arrangement of Merciless Logic for a Futile Purpose and Riparian'.

Drawing on ideas of fluidity and transparency, which guide the artist own works, these themes will be explored through a series of artist films especially selected for this evening. Screening to start at 5.30pm and to be followed by an informal discussion with the artists.

One Hundred and Ninety Five, 201, Michael Dignam Dissolving Proxemics, 2016, Josefina Labourt The Waves, 2015, Madeleine Stack ¾, 2016, Beatriz Acevedo Darkness was here yesterday (after Conrad), 2015, Pauline Batista Memory 2: Water Storage, 2016, Annie Goliath

Day #4 Rikki Turner: Emptiness and Absence Wednesday 14 December 11am - 7pm

On Wednesday 14 December, Rikki Turner will recreate a studio style installation. Inviting visitors to engage with her works. From 6.30pm she will have a reading and open discussion of selected writing, especially focused on themes of emptiness, meditation and absence in relation to her practice.

Day #5 Katerina Barampouti: Lost & Found Thursday 15 December 11am - 7pm

On December 15 December, Katerina Barampouti will walk us through her artistic practice and the questions that challenge and inspire her.

The evening will start at 5:30pm with an informal brief presentation of her new installation titled 'Minotaur Birth' followed by a group discussion facilitated by the artist. There will also be slideshows and videos showcasing a selection of her past & recent works.

At 6:45pm Katerina will perform her spoken word piece titled 'Life Snap'. Duration: 22 mins.

At the end of the performance, there will be time for drinks and chat. Katerina invites your curiosity and openness to an unusual evening.

Day #6 Kirsty McEwan: Work in motion + zine making Saturday 17 December

Work In Motion 11am – 2.30pm

Kirsty will be making a stop motion film documenting the process of constructing a 6 meter long collage. She uses fragments of abstraction derived from photocopying and enhancing imagery from her collection of sketchbooks. The process is confrontational and physical. See the animation projected in the gallery after the 4 hour process.

Zine Making 3pm – 5pm

What are zines? Cheaply made collaged magazines, zines are easy to make and easy to disseminate with a history in sharing the messages of punk rock, riot grrl, and other folks with unheard voices. What will you do? Make your own DIY publication to take home. Kirsty will supply old magazines, paper and craft materials. You bring found images, words, things that catch your eye. Cut them up, play, and make your own zines. Open to all ages.

Day #7 Daniel Curtis: The role of making in sculpture Tuesday 20 December 11am - 7pm

What role does the found object play in art making in a world consumed by things? How does the act of making influence how objects are read? How does the current state of the gallery or studio effect our relationship to these objects?

Through open discussion Daniel Curtis will consider these questions and more, looking at what relevance they have to the act of making sculpture today. Curtis will then lead a making workshop where the audience are challenged to totally alter the meaning of an object just by deconstructing or rearranging it.

If you wish to attend the event, you are asked to bring one or more objects that you do not mind being destroyed or deconstructed. Curtis will also provide a selection of objects.

A group of Londoners from every corner of the globe got together at The Koppel Project on Friday evening, united by the opportunity to make and learn about the Colombian (and wider South American) speciality ‘arepas’. 

The workshop was led by Hernan Barros and Omar Castaneda of Food of War collective, who elevated the group from arepa initiates to arepa aficionados within the space of an evening.

Hernan Barros instructs, supervises, assists...

Arepas are a South American bread, with varying styles and recipes according to each country, region, and household. The most basic recipe in the Bogotá region are made with starchy white corn flour pressed into cakes about 1/4-inch thick, and served with butter, cheese, or hogao, a cooked mixture of onions and tomato.

Among the nationalities represented in attendance were English, Colombian, Peruvian, Israeli, Italian, American, Canadian...

The winner of The Great British Arepa Off is announced...

Throughout last week, The Koppel Project hosted a series of classes for a talented group of mini artists in the making. The sessions were lead by artist Alice von Maltzahn, who’s been keeping local kids busy at 93 Baker Street for the second time this year, after working with us on our summer workshops in association with Phaidon. 

Watch this space for more kids’ workshops and classes coming soon. And in the meantime, check out Alice’s own great work for grown ups...

Last night we played host to The Poetry Inquisition, a live poetry night with a difference: each of the five poets who read their their work were subjected to a good-natured but merciless Paxman-style grilling by a panel of interrogators. 

After 13 successful Inquisitions in S-E London - featuring grillings of Sarah Howe, Jack Underwood, Caleb Femi, AK Blakemore, amongst many others - The Poetry Inquisition visited The Koppel Project for the first time. Poets this time were Richard Scott, Jess Cotton, Andy Powell, Edward Doegar and Dallas Athent.

Jess Cotton reads.

On Tuesday night Gabriella Sonabend read 3 stories from the ‘From Myth To Earth’ anthology written for the current exhibition at The Koppel Project Hive. This was followed by an exhibition tour with collaborator and exhibiting artist Sol Bailey Barker. Read about their exhibition: http://thekoppelproject.com/from-myth-to-earth/

For those who were unable to join us for the reading our US collaborators Nomadic Press are sharing one of Gabriella’s stories per week on their home page. Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/user-153572198

Continuing our series of interviews with artists who have taken residence in our affordable studios at The Hive in Holborn, this week we visited Seana Gavin.

Hello Seana! Tell us a little about your practice. What are you working on at the moment?

I create fantasy hand cut collage landscapes using old photographic material from books and magazines that I source in secondhand bookshops. I prefer older grainy photos from the 1960’s-80’s for their painterly effect but often combine them with very contemporary imagery which gives them an interesting contrast and makes the created environments seem timeless. I’m inspired by science fiction, Hieronymus Bosch, the supernatural, psychedelia, dreams and other states of consciousness. I usually begin with an idea or a theme in mind but the rest is quite an intuitive and organic process.

Currently I am continuing with a theme I started working on from a recent three month residency I completed for Unilever, when I began focussing on creating landscapes in which the four elements - Fire, Earth, Air and Water - were dominant. I will be exhibiting this work in London later in the year.

How does your studio space affect your work?

In the past I have managed to work from home, as my materials are dry and not too messy. But once I got used to having a studio I discovered how great it is to have a space just devoted to making work. It means I can work on a larger scale and on multiple pieces at once. And it is also inspiring to be surrounded by other artists and creatives working in the same building.

In order to have clarity I need my space to be quite tidy and organised. As well as a large collection of books I have a lot of material filed into folders under subjects such as skies, plants, human parts, building; so I know where to look when I’m trying to find specific imagery. When I need a mental break I often look out over the incredible panoramic views I have, overlooking a giant construction site which is always visually stimulating - seeing its evolution helps to incite creation!

Describe your studio in five words.

Developing, white, bright, organic, calm.

What was the last exhibition that really made an impression on you?

If I am totally honest as much as I love going to art exhibitions I get more excited and inspired by museum displays. In October I visited The musée de quai Branly in Paris for the first time, which completely blew me away. It has the most incredibly well curated collection of historic objects, sculptures and artefacts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and The Americas. The collection seemed to be endless, I could have spent days admiring the aisles of wonder!

http://seanagavinart.tumblr.com/ 

Looking for work experience in a new rapidly growing project space and contemporary art gallery?

The Koppel Project Hive is an international and multidisciplinary project space and contemporary art gallery located on Holborn Viaduct. Building bridges across disciplines, the Hive is a place to question, confront and challenge ideas. It is a laboratory testing and supporting new forms of contemporary art creation at a local, national and international level.

The Hive comprises of a two-floor exhibition space presenting a one-month exhibition every two months, and forty artists’ studios.

You will start working at a very exciting and busy time and get to follow the entire process of running a contemporary art project space. 

Position 1

Job title: Gallery Assistant Reports to: Alice Bonnot, Project Space and Studio Manager Location: The Koppel Project Hive, 26 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2AT

Main duties: Provide support and assist in the delivery of exhibitions and events.

Administrative and production support

Database coordination: monitor accounts and schedules, process invoices

Contribute to the daily running of the Hive and artistic projects

Exhibition support

Undertake artistic research

Assist with signing contracts / letters of agreement with the artists or their representatives and external providers; write condition reports, transport and insurance paperwork

Assist during the curation, installation and de-installation of exhibitions

Communications support

Assist with writing promotional materials for exhibitions and related events such as press release, social media articles, content for the website etc.

Assist getting external press and publicity

Communicate with the local business neighbours, undertake market research

Tasks will evolve depending on the Manager roles.

Requirements

Knowledge of contemporary art

Strong administrative and organisational skills

Excellent IT skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Experience of social media

A flexible approach to work and the ability to learn quickly

Be able to talk about art and understand concept of projects

5 days internship Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 7pm Unpaid but expenses and travel covered Starting date: ASAP Send a cover letter and resume at [email protected]

Position 2

Job title: Studio Assistant and Gallery Front Desk Reports to: Alice Bonnot, Project Space and Studio Manager Location: The Koppel Project Hive, 26 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2AT

Studio administrative support

Promotion and marketing: advertise studio offers (online and offline), reply to studio enquiries and facilitate studio visits, supervise artists’ installation

Coordination: support the management of the studios by sending licences and invoices, keep information related to the artists up-to-date and deal with everyday issues

Front of desk

Supervise the gallery, deal with visitor enquiries and provide relevant, correct and helpful information

Guide the visitor throughout the on-going exhibition

Record visitor numbers and provide regular updates

Manage the database and mailing list

General support

Work will involve a bit of everything from installing and curating exhibitions, promoting shows, helping to organize events and much more.

Tasks will evolve depending on the Manager roles.

Requirements

Knowledge of contemporary art

Strong administrative and organisational skills

Excellent IT skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Be able to talk about art and understand concept of projects in order to become the ambassador of each exhibition

A flexible approach to work and the ability to learn quickly

5 days internship

Tuesday to Saturday 11am – 7pm Unpaid but expenses and travel covered Starting date: ASAP Send a cover letter and resume at [email protected]