Best Galleries in West London
West London's art scene varies from super wealthy Knightsbridge and Chelsea to hip Kentish Town, offering a diverse selection of fine, modern and experimental art. Although West London houses some of the more established galleries such as The Serpentine, Tate Britain and The Saatchi Gallery, there are also many hidden gems tucked away. Here are ten of the best:
Louise T. Blouin Institute
A stunning regenerated coach-house whose main gallery hall is open and light with high ceilings, the Louise T Blouin Institute, just near Latimer Road, also harbours more intimate spaces that offer a cosy home for dramatic installations and subtle paintings alike. Here art is presented with a philosophy: the formidably successful (and extraordinarily photogenic) founder wishes to encourage 'a better understanding of culture beyond borders through international co-operation, exchange and dialogue', and as a consequence, exhibitions are generally expanded by a packed programme of interesting lectures and educational work.
Subway Gallery
Situated in the subway by Edgware Road tube, this is a novel, if gimmicky, idea to bring art to London's harassed commuters. Still, a submerged art capsule knocks the socks off some limp sandwich bar or rip-off coffee shop. It's not a huge space, but it is big on ideas and its unique environment has an intriguing interactive element. Past shows have imitated torn bill posters and the paraphernalia of public surveillance, but the best part is that it is one of the few galleries to open past six (they close at seven to be precise – gasp!) so you can just pop in on the way home from work.
Hackelbury
Hackelbury has a range of iconic pictures you just want to step into and live in. With work from luminaries like William Klein and Henri Cartier-Bresson through to more modern photographers, Hackelbury is like a stylized time capsule. It is intriguing to be able to follow the development of photography from documentary realism to surrealist exposures and colourful experimentalism. Hypnotic manna for your eyes, and guaranteed to make you pine for a world where men wore hats and stars were mythological, soft-focused beings rather than desperate, fame-whoring wannabes.
Flaxon Ptootch
Flaxon Ptootch is a quaint and curious gallery/hair salon in Kentish Town that displays colourful and quirky pieces in higgledy-piggledy fashion, somewhat like an eccentric art student's living room or a beloved junk shop. Flaxton Ptootch presents a charmingly self-effacing attitude (they even describe their private views as 'wanky'): it's all part of the charm, along with a lack of social mores and a 'let your hair down and party' ethic.
Sartorial Contemporary Art
There is a great deal to be said for this gallery which has caused something of a media frenzy surrounding its allegiance to controversial artists such as Jasper Joffe and Harry Pye, and interest from a certain Charles Saatchi – the Pied Piper of media intrigue. It is a venue where anything goes; music, art, film, performance, and it's all unapologetically hip. However, my favourite aspect has to be that they have their own theme tune, a charming little ditty which you can watch here.
ZeSt
'Glass?' I hear you say. 'But glass is only interesting when it is filled with alcoholic beverages.' Naturally this is true, but it turns out that glass can also be used for kick-ass avant-garde pieces which appear to defy the laws of physics. A whole variety of gems in the form of jewellery, fishbowls, vases and stuff, but like you've never seen them before: this is a surprisingly fascinating gallery, the perfect combination of the functional and the aesthetic.
Plus One Gallery
If, like me, photorealism scares the bejesus out of you (I mostly blame Ron Mueck's giant babies) then Plus One Gallery will be a delightfully unnerving experience. This is a modest space, increased exponentially by the cognitive dissonance of the photo-realist scenes which appear to continue back into the walls. The sheer technical skill of some of these pieces is astounding.
The Frontline Club
Just a couple of minutes from Paddington Station, the Frontline Club was set up in 2003 by the surviving members of Frontline News TV as a place for media types to eat, drink and think. As the club states, 'the clubroom is somewhere for members to share a glass of wine rather than a grizzled anecdote'. Although this clubroom is for members and their guests only, the art and photography exhibitions are open to the general riff-raff and are well worth a look. The photography in particular is usually subtle and focused, a long way from the pornography of warfare one sees elsewhere.
SaLon
SaLon is a gallery in Westbourne Grove with a young and funky vibe, featuring the work of up and coming artists, championed by enthusiastic curator Samir Ceric. The pieces are colourful, playful and politically savvy and the gallery's ethic is refreshingly anti-elitist and optimistic, looking largely to push future talent in the right direction. Ceric organises an extensive program of lectures and classes to prepare his young artists for the wider, scary world outside university. It's only a shame that their request for a music licence fell through: this would be an extremely fun and good-looking venue.
Spring Projects
Another cool gallery in Kentish Town, Spring Projects made its name with an exhibition of Mat Collishaw's Deliverance, an extremely creepy installation covering the gallery walls with images of war-stricken families and disaster scenes in an eerie green and black glow. There are times when a gallery space can feel claustrophobic and Deliverance was one of those rare moments. The gallery's general tendency however is towards a kind of media/advertising/art/fashion melange. In a good way.
Keen for more? See more about:
