Sir John Soane’s Museum has announced that artists Lacey Law and Kanto Ohara Maeda have been selected as its 2026 Jerwood Artists in Residence, continuing a programme that invites contemporary artists to work within one of London’s most historic creative spaces.
Supported by the Jerwood Foundation, the residency places artists inside Soane’s Drawing Office, the earliest surviving example of a working architectural office in Britain. Originally installed within Sir John Soane’s home at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in 1823, the atmospheric space remains at the heart of the museum more than 200 years later.
Law will undertake the Autumn residency, while Maeda will be the Summer resident. Over three months each, the artists will develop new work in response to the museum, its collections and Soane’s enduring legacy.
The residency programme was first launched in 2023 following the restoration of the Drawing Office and was renamed in 2025 to recognise the Jerwood Foundation’s three-year commitment to supporting the initiative.
Each year, two artists whose practices are rooted in drawing are invited to explore drawing as a conceptual, material or experimental process. The residency offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with the museum’s historic environment while creating new work informed by its unique atmosphere.
Norwich-based artist Lacey Law is known for her intricate tattooing, woodblock printing and devotion to traditional handcraft techniques. Her highly detailed works examine humanity’s enduring desire to decorate both domestic spaces and the body itself. Combining the visual language of tattooing with printmaking traditions, her compositions are characterised by fine linework, rich textures and striking contrasts.
London-based Kanto Ohara Maeda works across drawing, animation, architecture and installation. Born in Japan and raised in East Sussex, Maeda studied architecture in Edinburgh before completing an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art. His work frequently positions architecture as a central protagonist, creating poetic narratives around space, memory and everyday life. His recent film Poco a Poco, made using coffee grounds, explores themes of memory and transformation.
Maeda has previously received the Best New Media Award at the Architecture Film Festival London and the Working Drawing Award at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize.
Will Gompertz, Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming another two wonderfully talented artists this year. They have very different practices, but their work is united by a deep appreciation of Sir John Soane’s Museum. We look forward to seeing what new conversations, interpretations and possibilities will emerge through their work in Soane’s Drawing Office.”
He added:
“The generous support from Jerwood Foundation enables us to continue a sustained dialogue between contemporary practice and the collection, highlighting the continued relevance of the Museum to artists working today.”
Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee of Jerwood Foundation, said:
“Our ongoing partnership with Sir John Soane’s Museum underlines Jerwood’s commitment to supporting excellence in the arts in the UK. The Jerwood Artist in Residence Programme offers a unique opportunity to artists to enable them to develop their drawing practice within the exceptional and inspiring setting of Sir John Soane’s Museum and its historic Drawing Office.”
Law and Maeda follow the inaugural Jerwood Artists in Residence, Simon Farid and Mohammed Qasim Asfaq, who occupied the Drawing Office last year.
As the programme enters its third year, the residency continues to position Sir John Soane’s Museum as a place where contemporary artistic practice can engage directly with history, architecture and one of London’s most remarkable creative legacies.
