Spoonfed selects our favourite Vyner Street Galleries.
Vyner Street might just be the single stretch of pavement where passers by are most likely to spot the most plaided posers per square foot, swigging pilfered Red Stripe on a Thursday evening, but it's also, quite possibly the street with the most contemporary art galleries in London. Pretension and checked clothing aside, not many streets can boast that now can they? Of course, amid the good ones there's some rubbish ones, a few which are hardly ever open, some transient blink-and-they're-gone places and several nondescripts. So, if you where planning a trip to Bethnal Green soon (and why wouldn't you be?) make sure you go armed with this list of our favourites, and you shouldn't stray too far wrong.
Vegas Gallery, 45 Vyner Street
Some of you might recognise this gallery from its Redchurch Street days. Since upping sticks and shuffling east to Bethnal Green, Vegas still retains that weird, wonderful and effortlessly cool vibe, with a experimental programme of some of the wackiest current creations by international artists. Endlessly fascinating, Vegas, the gallery for artists run by artists, is almost always brilliant.
Kate MacGarry, 7a Vyner Street
With more conceptual installations than you can shake a stick at, and so cutting edge, the edges have all been chiselled off, Kate MacGarry is definitely the place to go for that contemporary art fix, if you like that kind of thing. Expect an impressive array of artwork from established and emerging artists lurking behind the little teal door at 7a.
Wilkinson, 50-58 Vyner Street
Undeniably the show-off the street, the statement that is Wilkinson Gallery plonked itself down on its massive 50-58 Vyner plot in 2007 and has been a staple feature on the art scene ever since. The cavernous 560 sq m space inside houses two museum-sized gallery areas and a special projection room where one-off collaborations with international art organisations take place.
Nettie Horn, 25b Vyner Street
Nettie Horn promises contemporary with a capital C. The gallery programme deals in all things and all mediums which continually challenge staid conventionality. Nettie's certainly no wall flower so expect to see video, sculpture and installation heaped with those contentious social and cultural influences that we all love so much. Cue a bit of deeply contemplative head scratching time.
Fred, 45 Vyner Street
As the trademark dove (it looks like a dove at least) motif suggests, Fred emits an aura of calm in the chaotic world of experimental and contemporary art. Opened in 2005, gallery owner Fred Mann has perfected the running a gallery thing to a, um, fine art, and has since gone on to open a similar space in Leipzig and a record label. Not bad at all Fred, not too shabby at all.
If all this has got your creative juices flowing, then why not pay a visit to the equally good new kid on the block, Madder 139 to peruse the works of some of art's bright, young interesting things, go to IBID Projects for some rather amazing, eye popping paintings, or, if you're feeling extra adventurous, and don't get too distracted by the numerous temporary shows popping up on a weekly basis along the way, head round the corner to Viktor Wynd Fine Art for taxidermy and other seriously strange goings on.
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