The free gallery has hosted top names in all forms of arts and out reach projects – so here is what they have in store for this milestone year.
What is your story until working at NOW Gallery?
Kaia Charles: We had varied backgrounds in the arts and culture sphere; I studied interior design at Surrey Institute of Art and Design and have commissioned projects that explore urbanism, digital and cross-cultural visual culture.
Before joining Greenwich Peninsula’s cultural team in 2014, I worked at the V&A Museum in the contemporary and fashion and textiles departments.
Jemima Burrill: I went to art school at Chelsea and the Royal College to study sculpture before working at the Serpentine and running special projects for Architecture Week.
We both have a deep love of art and have a clear idea of how we want NOW Gallery to be: a public art space for all. Importantly we also wanted the gallery to have a wide creative remit that spans fashion, art, photography and design, ensuring we are attracting a wide range of visitors to the gallery.
What are you doing to celebrate NOW’s 10th anniversary?
Kaia: We have a packed programme and have added a fifth exhibition to our yearly calendar, which typically revolves around four main exhibitions – a collaboration with War Child called Secret 7”, which has seen the likes of Tacita Dean, Rachel Whiteread, Rankin and Sir Paul Smith design one-of-a-kind record sleeves.
We were also excited to welcome British-Chinese artist and illustrator Charlotte Mei to the gallery for our Future Space Commission, spotlighting up-and-coming artists until 2 June.
Our blockbuster summer exhibition will be courtesy of designer-architect duo John Booth and Mat Barnes, who will be installing a series of huge, brightly coloured chimneys into the space.
Then we have our annual photography exhibition Human Stories, which will showcase the work of Ines Elsa Delal’s important work documenting striking workers, and finally, we’ll be rounding off the year with our much-loved fashion commission.
This year we’re doing something different and working with London-based artist Celia Pym, who will be rolling out an ambitious school-wide project with Surrey Square Primary School in Walworth to mend thousands of socks.
How do you continue to provide accessible art? And why does this remain important?
Kaia: We feel that art should be inclusive, bold and brave. It is important to support the talent of established practitioners as well as emerging artists.
It’s vital to the identity of the evolving Greenwich Peninsula neighbourhood within which the gallery is situated.
You’ve spotlighted fashion talent such as Charles Jeffrey and Molly Goddard in the past – how does it feel to be involved in such huge careers?
Jemima: It’s great that Charles Jeffrey will have an exhibition at Somerset House this year. He was teetering on the edge of becoming the hottest fashion designer and his exhibition at NOW Gallery pushed him into the spotlight in a way we couldn’t have imagined.
We are so proud of him and will forever be thrilled that he came and made a Loverboy space in the gallery.
It was also a big influence on us having Molly in the gallery. The sewing on her beautiful dresses has led to a very successful crocheting evening for Matty Bovan and we will be having a sock darning exhibition with the innovative Celia Pym.
It is always a treat to see Molly’s shows and how the form in her dresses remains similar to the oversized seven she created for us and how she is constantly evolving her ultra-feminine look.
What is your favourite thing about the gallery?
Kaia: I love the pace of our exhibitions as well as our commitment to shift and evolve. We do not limit ambition and there’s a sense that if you dream it, we’ll work to bring an artist’s vision to life.
Jemima: The fact that NOW Gallery is free, and anyone can come and see exceptional design, fashion and art at the very cutting edge of what creatives are thinking about and working on.
Finally, what does the next 10 years hold?
Jemima: Our ambition as always is to continue creating a gallery space that is showing unprecedented exhibitions with diverse creatives.
We celebrate photography, design, fashion and art in all its guises, ensuring that we attract an international and local audience.
As we move forward into the next 10 years, we hope to ensure that Greenwich Peninsula continues to grow as a destination and as a home with NOW Gallery at its core championing the arts and making them accessible.
Kaia: Also look out for our amazing summer exhibition – Up in Smoke by John Booth and CAN, launching on 21 June. The private view will be a celebration of their signature bold technicolour style. We are pulling out all the stops to invite everyone to celebrate 10 years of bringing art to Greenwich Peninsula!
The Gateway Pavilions, Peninsula Square, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0SQ
