As London’s studio rents continue to rise and opportunities become increasingly scarce, a new generation of artists is redefining what it means to build a creative practice. Rather than waiting for institutional support, they are finding their own spaces, repurposing overlooked materials and creating communities that exist outside traditional structures.
Opening this week at Hypha Gallery South Bank, Make Do / Make Space, curated by Nicholas Stavri for Hypha Curates, brings together 36 artists whose work reflects that spirit of ingenuity. Selected from more than 300 applicants through a combination of invitation and open call, the exhibition occupies the entirety of Hypha Studios’ new 800-square-metre Bankside gallery – the charity’s largest exhibition space to date.
The exhibition takes its title from the wartime phrase “make do and mend”, but here the idea is firmly rooted in the realities of contemporary artistic practice. Faced with disappearing studios, shrinking public funding and an increasingly difficult city in which to sustain a career, the artists on show embrace resourcefulness not simply as a necessity, but as a creative methodology.
Across sculpture and installation, everyday materials are transformed into ambitious new works. A rusted 1975 Ford Escort is reborn as a kinetic sculpture, salvaged building-site hoardings become sculptural installations carrying traces of London’s continual redevelopment, while discarded foam mattresses are reassembled into monumental architectural forms. Rather than disguising the histories of these materials, the artists allow them to remain visible, asking how circumstance shapes practice and how limitation can become invention.
What unites the exhibition is not a shared aesthetic but a shared attitude. These artists are making work with whatever space, materials and opportunities are available to them, reflecting a broader shift in how contemporary art is being produced in London. As traditional routes become harder to access, artist-led initiatives, temporary spaces and collaborative communities have become essential parts of the city’s cultural landscape. Make Do / Make Space captures that moment with honesty and optimism.
Curator Nicholas Stavri has brought together an intergenerational mix of emerging and established practices that respond to the city around them, creating an exhibition that is as much about people as it is about objects. The works explore resilience, adaptation and reinvention, while questioning how artists continue to make meaningful work in a rapidly changing urban environment.
The exhibition also marks an important moment for Hypha Curates and Hypha Studios, whose work transforming empty buildings into affordable creative spaces has supported more than 2,400 artists since 2021. This latest exhibition extends that mission, demonstrating how underused space can become a platform for ambitious contemporary art and new conversations around how culture is made and shared.
With works ranging from large-scale installations to intimate sculptural interventions, Make Do / Make Space offers a timely snapshot of a generation that has stopped waiting for permission. Instead, it asks a simple question that feels increasingly relevant: if the space doesn’t exist, why not make it?
Exhibiting artists: Damaris Athene, Mike Ballard, Tim Barnes, Nahuel “Naku” Berneri, Katy Binks, Frea Buckler, Molly Burrows, Julia Clarke, Ian Dawson, Naomi Ellis, Kelly Ewing, Liam Fallon, Matthew Foster, Abi Freckleton, Gabija Grušait?, Gemma Holzer, Jonathan Ind, Jon Kipps, Louis Pohl Koseda, Lana Locke, Emma Louise Moore, Rachel Mortlock, Faris Nakamura, Veronika Neukirch, Abigail Norris, Good Pitchers, Nathaniel Rackowe, Zara Ramsay, Anna Reading, Catriona Robertson, Sabrina Shah, Sofia Sköld, Alexis Zelda Stevens, Erika Trotzig, Kate Williams and Josh C. Wright.
Make Do / Make Space, 7th August – 11th September 2026, Hypha Gallery South Bank
Private view Thursday 6th August
About
Nicholas Stavri is a curator, producer, and artist mentor with a strong commitment to supporting emerging artists in the research, presentation, and interpretation of their work. As a creative consultant, he advises on studio management, career development, and sustainable artistic practice. He is the co-founder of Thorp Stavri, an Advisory Group Member for Hypha Studios, a member of the Convelio Fine Art Advisory Board, and a contributor to the Gallery Climate Coalition’s Shipping Subcommittee, where he co-authored the Sustainable Shipping Campaign. @nicholas_stavri
Hypha Curates is a new sales platform that runs alongside and supports Hypha Studios, a charity that matches creatives with empty spaces & regenerates the high street with cultural hubs& events for local communities. Since 2021, Hypha Studios has helped over 2,476 artists, creating a unique network of artists & creatives. @hyphacurates @hyphastudios
