Artist Marcus Jake tells Eliza Frost about Firepit’s latest exhibition
Mixed media artist and abstract painter Marcus Jake is the founder of Firepit Art Gallery and Studios, located right next to the Thames on the Greenwich Peninsula.
Jake relocated from Canada in April last year, when he was given the opportunity to set up and run an art collective by sponsor Knight Dragon. And now Firepit is set to celebrate its first birthday.
Jake tells the us more about the Wake Up and Smell The Roses exhibition, which is showing until 31 May 2024.
What can viewers expect from Wake Up and Smell The Roses?
Marcus Jake: Wake Up And Smell The Roses is our spring exhibition, as well as the one-year anniversary exhibition of Firepit.
We have used all our knowledge and experience from our first year, where we have grown into what we currently are, to create and curate what will be the best exhibition we have put on so far.
Not only are Firepit resident artists displaying their work, but we also have artists and makers from our neighbours in the Design District and exciting guest artists from further afield.
This exhibition is in our community space, where we have offered an opportunity to our community artists on the Peninsula to display their work, with 20 artists showing in total.
The exhibition is running for three months and we have a programme of events and workshops that relate to the exhibition throughout, too.
There’s also a gift shop with smaller items to buy, and we have a room that is dedicated to limited-edition prints.
What does the exhibition want to tell visitors?
One of our goals is to be able to offer artwork of extremely high quality for visitors to both enjoy and engage with and an opportunity to meet the artists and see where the work has been created.
Most artwork being displayed is for sale.
Firepit has been set up as a not-for-profit, so we don’t take a commission on sales but instead run on a donation-based scheme with our artists, giving them the power and control back.
What piece are you most excited about?
We have some incredible new artists displaying work with us for this exhibition. I’m probably most excited to see the work installed in the gallery of our new resident artist Nicola J Reid.
How does the location of Greenwich play a part in the exhibition?
Greenwich is a huge factor in our space. We have managed to create a community space that residents use and regularly come to workshops and events, alongside setting up a modern, contemporary art gallery.
Many of our artists work from here, and some of us also live in Greenwich.
We are really big on being a part of creating a community around us. The building we are in is an interior designer’s dream, it was originally fitted out for a very high-class restaurant and, with the changes we have made, it is the most incredible space to visit and hang out.
What makes you wake up and smell the roses?
Running Firepit and being an artist is a balance. Both are a lot of fun that come with their own sets of challenges.
I wake up in the morning, excited to get to work.
We all work in an open-plan space together, this is not the normal setup for artists. It has created a wonderful sense of community and belonging. We are all very grateful to be where we are, and are certainly making the most of it.
Wake Up and Smell The Roses is showing from 7 March to 31 May 2024, admission is free
Open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-5pm or by appointment
Firepit Art Gallery and Studios, 10 Cutter Lane, London SE10 0XX
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wake-up-smell-the-roses-art-exhibition-tickets-810178544837
Image credit: Kris Humphreys
