There's been an air of excitement surrounding London's newest contemporary art hub, the Koppel Project, since its launch in March. It's already onto its second venture – a new location in Holborn called The Hive.
While the original spot houses the UK's only Phaidon bookstore along with a communal artist's study room, The Hive contains 40 dedicated studios, spanning an enviable 3,500 sq m – something of a rarity for the space-strangled city of London. More exciting still is the equally expansive two-storey gallery, which will host a one-month exhibition every two months.
The first residency to occupy this progressive, expansive space is aptly named 'Zone d'Utopia Temporaire'. Curated by Alice Bonnot, the exhibition looks into shared ways of working towards a 'utopian' goal. If it sounds abstract, that's because it's meant to be. Dubbed a 'social and creative experiment' by the organisers, nine interdisciplinary young artists, two theorists and an art-historian were invited to use the residency in whatever way they wished, together or alone, responding to the word 'utopia'.
Influenced by each other's diverse practices – which range from sculpture to cinema – the resulting 'Temporary Utopian Zone' houses a forseeably eclectic array. Highlights include a foam four-piece suite from fine artist Thomas Langley, which nestles next to a series of quaint, wire-cotton embroidered wall-hangings from Julia Drieski, together forming a fantastical, futuristic living room.
This zone is a bold calling-card for The Hive, suggesting the curators are ambitious, forward-thinking and keen to promote emerging talent. Next up, an intriguing collaborative exhibition from the Koppel Project's creative director Gabriella Sonabend – 'From Myth to Earth' – which launches on 8 September. 'Since the Project opened in March,' she explains, 'we've been overwhelmed by the positive responses to both of our spaces and our cultural programme. It's so exciting to watch the project flourish and expand.'
Holborn’s The Hive contains 40 dedicated studios, spanning an enviable 3,500 sq m – something of a rarity in London. Pictured: making of The Fall, by Julia Dreiski, 2016
More exciting still is the two-storey gallery, which will host a one-month exhibition every two months. Pictured: installation view, making of ’Zone d’Utopie Temporaire’
Dubbed a ’social and creative experiment’ by organisers, nine interdisciplinary young artists, two theorists and an art-historian were invited to use the space in whatever way they wished, together or alone, responding to the word ’utopia’
A foam four-piece suite from Thomas Langley forms a futuristic living room. Pictured: installation view, featuring Thomas Langley’s Ways and Means four-piece suite and Forever Young by fleuryfontaine
Another highlight is Julia Drieski’s series of quaint, hand-embroidered wall-hangings. Pictured: Series of 5, by Julia Drieski, 2016
The Koppel Project’s creative director Gabriella Sonabend says, ’We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive responses to both of our spaces and our cultural programme. It’s so exciting to watch the project flourish and expand.’ Pictured: the co-working hub at The Koppel Project’s Baker Street location
INFORMATION
’Zone d’Utopie Temporaire’ is on view until 30 August. For more information, visit the Koppel Project website
Photography courtesy Zone d’Utopie Temporaire (Z.U.T) at the Koppel Project Hive
-
La Vie en Rose: can the Jaguar Type 00 reset the narrative surrounding the brand’s reinvention?This is the Jaguar Type 00, the first physical manifestation of the reborn brand’s new commitment to ‘Exuberant Modernism’. We take it for a semiotic spin
-
The RIBA House of the Year 2024 winner is a delightful work-in-progressThe winner of the RIBA House of the Year 2024 is Six Columns in South London - the home of architect and 31/44 studio co-founder William Burges
-
Bold maximalism engulfs The Lafayette Hotel and Club in San DiegoThe Lafayette Hotel and Club, designed by Post Company, brings together a rich tapestry of patterns, themes and colours
-
Love, melancholy and domesticity: Anna Calleja is a painter to watchAnna Calleja explores everyday themes in her exhibition, ‘One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night’, at Sim Smith, London
-
Ndayé Kouagou speaks the language of the chaotic social media influencer in LondonNdayé Kouagou celebrates meandering incoherence with an exhibition, ‘A Message for Everybody’, at Gathering in London
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA snowy Swiss Alpine sleepover, a design book fest in Milan, and a night with Steve Coogan in London – our editors' out-of-hours adventures this week
-
Discover psychedelic landscapes and mind-bending art at London’s Tate Modern'Electric Dreams' at the Tate encompasses the period from the 1950s to the beginning of the internet era
-
From activism and capitalism to club culture and subculture, a new exhibition offers a snapshot of 1980s BritainThe turbulence of a colourful decade, as seen through the lens of a diverse community of photographers, collectives and publications, is on show at Tate Britain until May 2025
-
Meet Kenia Almaraz Murillo, the artist rethinking weavingKenia Almaraz Murillo draws on the new and the traditional in her exhibition 'Andean Cosmovision' at London's Waddington Custot
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
Doc'n Roll Film Festival makes its loud return to the UKThe 11th edition of the Doc'n Roll Film Festival celebrates music, culture and cinema from around the world
