Public Gallery, 89 – 91 Middlesex St, London E1 7DA
www.public.gallery Instagram: @public.gallery
What’s the largest commercial gallery in East London? As of this week, it is Public Gallery – which is open to the public, of course, but actually run privately by its three directors – Alex Harrison and Harry Dougall (the founders) and Nicole Estilo Kaiser. It was a substantial three storey space when opened in 2020, but has now doubled in size by taking on the premises next door. Both leases are from the City of London, which owns the brutalist late 60’s Middlesex Estate near Liverpool Street station. A textile business ran for forty years at 89 Middlesex Street prior to the owner’s recent retirement, and it sports many shelves for storing cloth. Rather than convert it, at least initially, to a white cube, the gallery is giving its artists the chance to interact with a less usual environment. The result of all that, and the current London-wide ‘Condo’ programme whereby galleries from other cities show in London, is that you can now see four separate exhibitions. The Breeder, from Athens, and Martins & Montero, from São Paulo / Brussels, are the guests.
Public is showing Greg Carideo’s wall-based architectural sculptures made from found T-shirts, lost shoe heels, and other discarded items; and eighteen artists are given the run of the new extension. That last mix evidences an ability to identifying upcoming artists: it includes Mandy El-Sayegh, Steph Huang and Harminder Judge, whose profile has risen markedly since Public first showed them; and recently prominent artists newly attracted, such as Justin Fitzpatrick and Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. Others whose appearances at Public I’ve rated highly include Victor Bengtsson, Adam Farah-Saad and Rafa? Zajko – I look forward to the expanded programme.
London’s gallery scene is varied, from small artist-run spaces to major institutions and everything in between. Each week, art writer and curator Paul Carey-Kent gives a personal view of a space worth visiting.
