Playful, witty, rude, energetic and brilliantly ridiculous are apt terms to describe this year’s editions of The Art of Ping Pong, featuring paddles created by some truly exciting UK-based artists and illustrators. The show, curated once more by Algy Batten, features work by creative luminaries such as Alan Kitching, Ryan Gander, James Joyce and Thierry Noir, and will see a concurrent auction amass thousands of pounds for a worthy cause, the Alzheimer's Society.
Ranging from politically charged bats such as Jake and Dinos Chapman's profane text-based contribution – which addresses the furor surrounding Brexit – to the cheeky, eye-popping 3D work of Wilfrid Wood, this year’s collection has something for everyone. Throughout November, The Art of Ping Pong's website offers fans the opportunity to browse the stellar line-up and bid online for any piece from the collection. All of the paddles will be on display until tomorrow at Shoreditch's 71A Gallery.
The prospect of owning these art pieces is made all the more exciting by the cause the auction supports – the Alzheimer's Society is a UK charity leading the fight against dementia. And if you aren't lucky enough to win the bid for your favourite paddle, head to the show and get your hands on the limited-edition book, produced to accompany the exhibition.
British artist, designer and director Filfury's bat is made laser cut layers of plywood
James Joyce hand-painted his birch wood ply bat; and Damien Poulain's paddle
Nylon Sky's bat features a monochrome design with maple wood and inlaid Perspex
Ryan Gander dished up a rustic wooden paddle serving board, while Lakwena Maciver's paddle got straight to the point
Matt Blease rolled in with a skateboard-inspired bat, complete with wheels and grip tape
South London illustrator Jacob Everett's bat faces off against itself, while Wilfrid Wood's paddle, made from paper and pulp, portrays Ibrahaim Hamamoto. The Egyptian Paralympic table tennis champion uses his mouth to hold the bat after having lots both arms in a train accident when he was 10 years old
British born, New York-based Jon Burgerman's paddle celebrates the 'Doodle' art style he is known for; and Helsinki-based designer Lina Linko looks to the sea for her creation
Morag Myerscough's graphic, neon bat; and David Shillinglaw's bat nods to Pop art
INFORMATION
The auction runs until midnight on 31 November. ’The Art of Ping Pong’ is on view until 8 November at 71A Gallery. For more information, visit The Art of Ping Pong website
ADDRESS
71A Gallery
71 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4QS
-
Jaç Hi-Fi Café brings Japanese listening-bar culture to BarcelonaIsern Serra Studio unveils a sound-sculpted interior that brings Japanese listening traditions into Catalonia’s contemporary design landscape
-
Modernist and contemporary Brazilian furniture face off in this LA exhibition‘Lightness & Tension’ (5-19 September 2025) features the work of Joaquim Tenreiro and Lucas Simões, as curator and dealer Ulysses de Santi explores the trajectory of Brazilian furniture design
-
A refreshed Victorian home in London is soft, elegant and primed for hostingSobremesa house by architects Studio McW shows off its renovation and extension, designed for entertaining
-
Artists imbue the domestic with an unsettling unfamiliarity at Hauser & WirthThree artists – Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips – bring an uncanny subversion to the domestic environment in Hauser & Wirth’s London exhibition
-
Inside the fight to keep an iconic Barbara Hepworth sculpture in the UK‘Sculpture with Colour’ captures a pivotal moment in Hepworth’s career. When it was sold to an overseas buyer, UK institutions launched a campaign to keep it in the country
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThe Wallpaper* team immersed themselves in culture this week, attending theatre, music and art performances and exhibitions at some of London’s most esteemed establishments. Along the way, we may have discovered the city's best salad…
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been another week of Wallpaper* being first through the door – visiting, sampling and reporting back on the freshest in art, design, beauty and more. Highlights included a new rental development, skincare residency and Edinburgh hotel…
-
Get the picture? A new exhibition explores the beautiful simplicity of Japanese pictogramsThe simple, minimalist forms of a pictogram are uniquely Japanese, as new exhibition 'Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs' illustrates
-
From Snapchat dysmorphia to looksmaxing, have digital beauty standards made us lose sight of what's real, asks a new exhibitionAI, social media and the ease with which we can tweak our face mean we're heading towards a dystopian beauty future, argues 'Virtual Beauty' at Somerset House
-
Take a rare peek inside eighties London's most famous clubFrom George Michael to Boy George, photographer David Koppel captured a who's who of celerities at Eighties nightclub Limelight
