artist new to me – I like the wit in this repurposing of a kitchen hob as a recording studio.
GPS Gallery, 36 Great Pulteney Street, London W1F 9NS gpsgallery.co.uk Instagram: @gpsgallerysoho
The GPS Gallery’s name refers not to the Global Positioning System but to its specific location within that system: Great Pulteney Street, in the heart of Soho. Set up last year, it is both a substantial two-floor space you can hire, and a gallery worth visiting for what is shown there – thanks to the involvement of Soho Housing Association’s Barbara Brownlee and her partner, Monika Bobinska, who run their own well-regarded gallery in Islington. Eric Butcher’s recent residence was exceptional, as per my review, and that was followed by the interesting group show ‘The Disco at the End of Universe’, cleverly titled to nod to Douglas Adams. I have to declare an interest, as I curated ‘Upcycle’ in the gallery earlier this year and am due to curate another show soon (‘Connecting Threads’, jointly with Christina Niederberger, in January).
Next up, moreover, is the inaugural Soho Open, for which I was one of five judges who chose 105 works by 97 artists – half of them new to me – from an entry of over 2,500. That, too, promises to be a lively exhibition, running 5th-23rd November, We judges will go on to reward our choice of up to three of the artists with the prize of a solo show in the gallery in 2026. The building, a Grade II listed property in a row of beautiful Georgian terraces, is owned by Soho Housing Association, so the cause is also good: the gallery share of sales will support the Association’s primary mission of providing affordable housing in central London.
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.
