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Christie’s & the Royal Drawing School present a Louis Pohl Koseda’s solo exhibition

Louis Pohl Koseda, Capital at risk drawing the City of London Ink on Paper, 2.5 x 1.4 meters Courtesy of the Royal Drawing School

Christie’s and the Royal Drawing School present in a joint collaboration The Dawn of the Golden Age, a solo exhibition by the artist Louis Pohl Koseda, winner of the Christie’s Award.

Through a series of intricate works, Pohl explores London’s multifaceted social landscape—housing estates, homeless shelters, financial institutions, and creative spaces—rendered as a sequence of drawings. Each work juxtaposes the intangible, spiritual, and mythological with the visceral, often brutal realities of human life.

Drawing on his East London upbringing where he was raised as a Hare Krishna, and his background in architecture, Pohl’s fine line drawings depict the social and physical worlds of London as they interact, using abstract figures, mnemonic cityscapes and social phenomena to unpick the moral issues British society faces today. 

The series brings to life imagined figures and scenes, inspired by Hindu and Christian texts, alongside elements of his childhood in East London, culminating in a striking “Last Judgement”, where reality and the ineffable converge. Pohl’s sharp social commentary, autobiographical reflections, and vivid storytelling, presents a turbulent yet interconnected portrait of modern London.

Louis Pohl Koseda, Blue Monday, ink, 210 mm by 297 mm Courtesy of the Royal Drawing School

Louis Pohl Koseda, said:

“In this series, I’m using a fictional opera as a framework to show our complex society. But in a sense, this opera is real. Through the prism of the imagination, we get closer to truth. The pieces are drawn in a live dialogue with the world around us. By revealing how social systems are constructed, I am inviting the viewer to co-create them. Drawing is both action and research.”

Louis Pohl Koseda graduated from the Royal Drawing School’s postgraduate level course The Drawing Year in 2023, winning the Christie’s Award to support creative development and production, which has culminated in his first solo exhibition at Christie’s.

He studied Architecture at the University of Sheffield and founded the Foodhall Project Sheffield (2015) and the National Food Service (2018), spending seven years working alongside communities to develop social architecture and social art projects. He has exhibited internationally, including the Venice Biennale’s British Pavilion (2020), as well as winning numerous awards such as the RBA Rising Stars Award (2024), the RIBA-MacEwan award for Architecture for Social Good (2017), two civic trust awards (2015) and a World Architecture Festival Award in the category of ‘rethink and renew’ (2012).

“Through more than two decades of development of the Royal Drawing School we have seen an increased appreciation and understanding of the importance of drawing from life as a fundamental element of an artist’s practice. On the eve of our 25th anniversary this summer, we are delighted to be celebrating the achievements of Louis Pohl Koseda, winner of the Christie’s Award and alumnus of The Drawing Year, who has experienced the unique teaching experience of the School.”

Catherine Goodman, Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Drawing School
Louis Pohl Koseda, Supply shock The Oligopoly of Housing and the London rental market, Courtesy of the Royal Drawing School

“Investing in future talent is central to our business, and we are delighted to be staging this exhibition of the remarkable work of Louis Pohl Koseda. We are immensely proud to contribute to the Royal Drawing School’s mission of providing exceptional observational drawing education to all, regardless of background or circumstance. The free, year-long postgraduate-level programme is an inspiring offering within the UK’s vibrant art education landscape, and we hope this award further enhances the incredible opportunities it provides.”

Anthea Peers, President of Christie’s EMEA,

The award is sponsored by the Christie’s Fund for the Arts, launched in 2021 to broaden access to the art world and support artists.

The Dawn of the Golden Age: Louis Pohl Koseda, 10th February – 14th February, Christie’s, 8 King St

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