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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Beaconsfield (gallery)
Beaconsfield is an artist-run non-profit art space situated in South London’s gallery district, Vauxhall, England. Spread over two large spaces encompassing a railway arch tunnel and the former Lambeth ragged school, the organisation run a yearly programme of exhibitions. The central focus of the gallery is to “provide a critical space for creative enquiry”, additionally acting as a testbed and primary research vehicle informing theories of curatorial practice and the practice of making art.

History

The project was founded in 1994 by David Crawforth, Angus Neill and Naomi Siderfin. Originally designed to “fill a niche between the institution, the commercial and the ‘alternative’”, and provide a resource for the development and presentation of contemporary art. The Beaconsfield project was named for audiences to experience high quality (‘beacon’), challenging, new art works in a wide range (‘field’) of contemporary visual art media.

In 1995 Beaconsfield leased the derelict former Lambeth Ragged School site in Newport Street, Vauxhall and the trio set about refurbishing the building to art centre standards. In September of that year they opened Plein Air to the public; an exhibition-residency with German artist and stonemason Matthias Jackisch performing in the company of a 19th century oil painting by Felix Ziem.

In 1997 Neill left the trio to open Felder Fine Art. Since then the creative partnership of Siderfin and Crawforth has delivered the artistic programme. Crawforth and Siderfin were listed in the Artlyst Power 100 List in 2012 and 2013.

Prior to establishing Beaconsfield, Siderfin and Crawforth started Nosepaint, an organization that presented interdisciplinary art events involving artists, writers, film makers and musicians between 1991 and 1994.  Since 1994 they've collaborated together, and with occasional others, on art projects under the moniker Beaconsfield Art Works or BAW.

Commissions Programme

The Beaconsfield project involves the commissioning of interdisciplinary visual art exhibitions supported by artist residencies that are open to the public. It has been awarded public funding from Arts Council England from 1996. As a non-profit and registered charity Beaconsfield is reliant on trusts, private individuals and foundation funding.

Past commissions and collaborations have included: Sonia Boyce, Franko B, Deborah Levy, Bruce Gilbert, Fiona Banner, Hayley Newman, Bob and Roberta Smith, Susan Collis, Tomomi Adachi, Tamsyn Challenger, Mark Fell, Tracey Emin, Mark Wallinger, Keith Piper

Exhibitions

Notable exhibitions include:

Location

Beaconsfield Gallery occupies two spaces in Newport st, Vauxhall: a former Lambeth Ragged School and a large scale railway tunnel situated behind the main building.

The street-facing Victorian building housed one of the Ragged Schools established between 1849 and 1851 by Henry Beaufoy. It was dedicated to the free education of destitute children and named after the appearance of the poverty-ridden in attendance.

Network Rail and its predecessors have owned the site since 1903, when most of the school was taken down for the expansion of the railway.

References

  1. ^ "History - Beaconsfield". Beaconsfield -. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  2. ^ Jones, Brittany Rosemary (1 September 2022). "Monica Sjöö: The time is NOW and it is overdue!". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  3. ^ Bloomfield, Ruth (8 October 2015). "How London's Kennington Triangle is being reborn as a culture hub". The Spaces. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  4. ^ Fox, Dan (3 March 2003). "Noble & Silver". Frieze. No. 73. ISSN 0962-0672. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  5. ^ Buck, Louisa (1 June 1998). "OPENINGS: TOMOKO TAKAHASHI". Artforum. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ Purseglove, Laura (6 October 2016). "8 Artist-Run Galleries Breaking New Ground in London". Artsy. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. ^ "10 of the best arts venues in south London". The Guardian. 5 May 2011. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Model behaviour: the surreal human sculptures of Manon Wertenbroek – in pictures". the Guardian. 20 April 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 April 2024.

51°29′31″N 0°07′07″W / 51.4920°N 0.1187°W / 51.4920; -0.1187

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