Art, Space and Setting
How can the context in which art is displayed affect our understanding of it?
By
Adam Wells
April 22, 2022
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
Consciously or not, the way that works are displayed has become an increasing focus within the art world; following a period of enforced closure along with the proliferation of virtual exhibitions, galleries and artists across the world have been forced to rethink the ways in which their artworks are displayed to the public. Even before the pandemic however, the setting in which art is displayed has been carefully considered, with various, more unique gallery spaces playing with the perceived blurring between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, with perhaps one of the most high-profile examples in recent years being the conversion of the Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern in 2000. In a reversal of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain utilising the gallery space to legitimise the typically lowbrow as a piece of art, the very presence of art has been used to legitimise various locations as artistic spaces.
Nowhere is this comparison more apt than The Bower in London’s Brunswick Park; a collaborative project between Louisa Bailey and Joyce Cronin, the building was converted from a derelict toilet block in 2017, and now serves as a gallery, publication studio and cafe. Its founders emphasise the importance of The Bower as an alternative, non-commercial art space, a theme common across such converted gallery spaces. Banner Repeater, an experimental project space located in Hackney Downs overground station takes a similarly community-focused approach to art, utilising the public space as a means to make art accessible and allowing artists themselves to lead the gallery.
By locating these artistic spaces in public places with such heavy footfall, accessibility essentially becomes a by-product of the spaces themselves. However, in incorporating the gallery space into buildings which previously served other functions, the very presence of art makes viewers conscious of the incongruity, making the space itself a necessary element of the art. Following the closure necessitated by the pandemic, Banner Repeater has undergone a redesign, and will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, more traditional gallery spaces have also found unique ways of presenting their artworks; in the currently-running exhibition Hockney’s Eye, rather than dedicating specific gallery space to the show, Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and Heong Gallery have instead displayed David Hockney’s work alongside the galleries’ permanent displays, with drawings, paintings and digital artworks shown alongside such pieces by Claude Monet, John Constable and Andy Warhol. In displaying the works of such a prolific artist in such a way, the exhibition actively encourages viewers to consider Hockney’s influence and legacy within the context of art history.
With the current proliferation of ‘experience’-based exhibitions, the gallery space has become one of the major selling points; following the success of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience and Superblue London, a new immersive exhibition, focused on the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is set to open in the city later this year. Here, the gallery space itself enhances - and potentially even overshadows - the artwork. In Superblue’s Silent Fall exhibition, the art is in fact derived from the space, and the way in which it is utilised for visitors.
Perhaps the biggest evolution in gallery space over the last couple of years is the introduction of the virtual exhibition. Initially necessitated by the closure of galleries across the world, virtual exhibitions have become more and more commonplace, raising the question of whether the most accessible way to view art is in the digital world, outside of any physical space. However, despite the seemingly limitless potential of virtual exhibitions, it seems unlikely that the future of accessible art is entirely digital; with The Bower and Banner Repeater having such a community-focused approach, the demand for physical installations and exhibitions will surely remain.
Find all of these galleries and exhibitions, along with many more on the gowithYamo app!
