Matt’s Gallery is to host a 35th Birthday Party at its Copperfield Road studio and exhibition space in London. The fundraising supper on Thursday will raise funds to support the gallery’s longstanding commissioning programme.
Matt’s Gallery, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, began as a collaborative project out of director Robin Klassnik’s Martello Street studio in the late 1970s. Inspired by artist-led activity in Poland, particularly the Galeria Akumulatory 2 project space of Jaroslaw Kozlowski, in 1979 Klassnik announced that he would turn his studio into an exhibition space at two-monthly intervals, in order to show new work by guest artists. The first exhibition was an audio/object work by David Troostwyk.
Built on the dialogic relationship between curator and artist, with a focus on the artistic process, the Copperfield Road space was devised to accommodate both the making of new work and the gallery’s exhibition programme.
This focus has allowed the gallery to nurture a large number of artists, many of whom have gone on to international acclaim. In particular, Matt’s Gallery has commissioned early works by Imogen Stidworthy, Lindsay Seers, Graham Fagen, Willie Doherty, Nathanial Mellors and Mike Nelson (whose Matt’s Gallery commission, Coral Reef, is now in the Tate Collection).
With 150 commissions to date and a roster of artists ranging from the emerging through to established Turner Prize nominees, the intimate 35th anniversary party will see each of the 12 tables adorned with an artist-designed centrepiece and hosted by artists such as Susan Hiller, Mike Nelson, Richard Wilson and Suzanne Treister. Even the £170 tickets for the event are a limited edition by artist Alison Turnbull.
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