Paved Court is a cobbled alley lined by Georgian shops and townhouses off Richmond Green. The oldest of the buildings at no. 1 has hosted exhibitions by local and international artists, makers and designers since being converted into a contemporary art space in 2017.
Local artist and curator Hanna ten Doornkaat is a regular at One Paved Court and has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions at the gallery. She was invited to take over the gallery for a 3-month residency with White Noise Projects, a curatorial venture she co-founded with a group of like-minded artists. Driven by a desire to present art in unconventional exhibition spaces, the group has organised shows in shipping containers and crypts as well as independent galleries.
Following a series of solo and duo presentations across the two gallery floors throughout the summer, the residency comes to an end with a bang. For Spectrum, White Noise Projects have teamed up with Matthew Burrows to expand the circle of generosity that drives the Artist Support Pledge (ASP) he set up during the 2020 pandemic and that earned him an MBE. The principle is simple, artists offer works for up to £220 and pledge to reinvest in another artist’s work once they make £1,100 in sales.
ASP will soon launch its own platform with additional benefits for artists that so far have only been available to galleries, in the meantime #artistsupportpledge continues to thrive on Instagram. It is by this hashtag that ten Doornkaat sourced the majority of participants in Spectrum to join the eleven who have participated in the gallery takeover since May.
The result is a colourful medley of abstracts and landscapes, works on paper and textiles, prints, ceramics and more. Artists from across the country submitted up to three works each, travelling to the PV from all corners of London, the home counties and as far afield as Edinburgh. The evening provided an opportunity to buy and sell work – you can trust artists to know an art bargain when they see one! – as well as to catch up with existing connections and make new ones.
Works are displayed not just on walls and shelves but attached to metal grids and repurposed bed frames, hanging on clothes racks, some stacked in a vintage trunk and others in a shopping trolley. The message is clear and labels don’t reveal details of the work or the artist who created it but simply its cost. This direct approach and affordable price tags give the exhibition a fun and democratic feel. Well established artists are mixed in with emerging talent and some who never before exhibited their work.
The diverse spectrum of talents is not limited to a wide range of media and disciplines, artists double up as gallerists and collectors, teachers and advisors. Some will make use of the generous discounts offered to Spectrum members who enrol to a refresher class at the Contemporary Art Academy, while others consider delivering a course at the online school co-founded by Zavier Ellis whose own prints are part of the show. The PV evening turned into a skills exchange and ideas factory – a kind of magic that happens when people get together in a physical space.
Working reclusively until very recently, Nino Paulito was invited by Ten Doornkaat when she spotted him take out his embroidery hoop on a local bus. Adapting skills passed through generations of women in his family, his work is inspired by the stories and wisdom shared by strangers in similar encounters.
The colourful tapestry he created for Spectrum found a buyer on the first day. As works are taken off the wall as soon as they are sold the artist didn’t even get to see his own work on display. Hoping to create another piece before the show closes, Nino Paulito brings his nomadic studio to the gallery on Friday the 13th, inviting passers-by to join him in stitching a collaborative piece.
Only halfway through the initial 6-day run, more than 30 works of art have found new homes. With 60 artists this has been the most populous exhibition at One Paved Court and the Private View crowds match those lining up outside the Ted Lasso merchandise pop-up opposite every day.
Creativity and generosity are infectious and the gallery owners added a week to the run, taking SPECTRUM up to Sunday 22nd September. Hurry, while stocks last!
Participating Artists Adrian Flower, Adrian Gardner, Amélie Crépy, Andy Black, Anna Bingham, Annamarie Dzendrowskyj, Brooke Leigh, Buffy Kimm, Caroline Banks & Caroline Calascione
SPECTRUM, 10th-22nd September 2024 (extended from 15 September) One Paved Court
