Art Night 2018 announces further programme details

Published on
June 1, 2018

This year’s edition of Art Night – London’s largest free contemporary arts festival – is co-curated by Hayward Gallery and takes place on the night of Saturday 7 July. The programme includes new artist commissions and premieres alongside one-off artist projects and events by both emerging and internationally renowned artists and curators invited to participate in the second iteration of Art Night Open.

For its third edition, Art Night 2018 will take place between 6.00pm and 6.00am in iconic and off-the-beaten-track venues, along a trail that runs between Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery and Battersea Power Station, through Vauxhall and Nine Elms. Art Night is generously supported by international auction house Phillips for the third year running.

Presented alongside 12 special artist projects curated by Hayward Gallery’s Director Ralph Rugoff and the Exhibitions team, the Art Night Open programme offers local galleries, organisations, independent artists and curators the opportunity to take part in the festival, responding to the 2018 curatorial themes and cultural trail.

Over 50 cultural institutions and local venues will be included in this year’s Art Night Open programme, activating the 2018 trail with contemporary art – ranging from immersive multimedia installations and interactive experiences to screenings, performances and experimental music. Continuing along the curatorial themes, of ‘home’ and ‘urban landscape’, as outlined by the Hayward Gallery’s Exhibitions team, Art Night Open projects will take place in both unusual and compelling venues and outdoor spaces throughout the trail.

Highlights of the Art Night Open programme include the UK premiere of Mexican artist Bosco Sodi’s (b. 1970, Mexico City) performative installation Muro (2018), a 2 meter high by 8 meter long wall consisting of 1600 clay bricks built by the artist in the riverside square of the National Theatre on the South Bank. Once installed, passers-by will be invited to dismantle the wall brick-by-brick throughout the night, taking part of the artwork home. Further down the trail, Future\Pace Art Group Random International will be unveiling a permanent outdoor commission titled Self and Other (for Albert Embankment) (2018) in the Albert Embankment Plaza at St James’ Merano Residences, which will be activated throughout the night by dance performances by Studio Wayne McGregor.

In a new collaboration to celebrate the festival’s third edition, Art Night and DRAF (David Roberts Art Foundation) present an evening of video screenings at Battersea Power Station’s Village Hall from 6.00 – 11.00pm. Art Night x DRAF includes works by artists Neïl Beloufa, Cyprien Gaillard, Lars Laumann, Nicolas Provost, David Shrigley and Frances Young. The event will be followed by a Club Night in collaboration with Lisson Gallery (open to 4am); featuring a special screening of Hans Berg and Nathalie Djurberg’s Waterfall Variations and music sets by artists Hans Berg and Haroon Mirza.

Featured spaces activated by Art Night Open will include: the British Film Institute (BFI); the National Theatre’s riverside square on the South Bank; London’s historic Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens; the member’s room of the Kia Oval Cricket Ground; the facade and rooftop of New Covent Garden Market; Battersea Power Station and its Village Hall, located in a former railway arch at Circus West Village; the King George V room at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall; the Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf; and Waterloo’s Leake Street Tunnel.

Local arts organisations including Beaconsfield Gallery; Gasworks; Morley College; Newport Street Gallery; Pump House Gallery; Studio RCA; and Sunday Painter will be participating in the festival with late-night exhibition openings, UK premieres and special live performances.

Further highlights of the Art Night Open programme include:

• Selected artists showreels will be screened throughout the night at the British Film Institute (BFI). Exploring the themes of ongoing struggles in the artistic pursuit, curator Louise Chignac will present works by Pierre Huyghe and Laure Prouvost amongst others, while Daata Editions’ Queertopia curated by Gemma Rolls-Bentley will review the existence of queer communities and their spaces
• Zabludowicz Collection will present a collaborative audio-visual performance by artists Peter Burr and Oliver Coates creating a new immersive environment at Aures London in Leake Street
• London-based artist Evan Ifekoya will present their first solo exhibition in London at Gasworks with a special performance for Art Night: a live collaborative sound work with Hannah Catherine Jones, envisaged as a time capsule for the postapocalyptic future
• Newport Street Gallery extends its opening hours until midnight, exhibiting work by Helen Beard, Sadie Laska and Boo Saville, and will host a special DJ set at the gallery’s in-house restaurant Pharmacy 2, with Boo Saville playing music selected by the exhibiting artists. The restaurant has a bespoke Art Night menu created by Mark Hix
• A new site-specific interactive performance by artist duo Sarah Cockings and Harriet Fleuriot will transform the reception area of Nine Elms Point, a development by Barratt London
• Larry Achiampong will present a new performance and installation at StudioRCA Riverlight, responding to the theme of ‘otherness’ – developing a landscape fused with references to science fiction, video games, and future narratives
• Anna Skladmann will exhibit a site-specific installation on the building front of the New Covent Garden Market raising questions on botanical classification systems; exploring notions of nature and society, cultivation and the machine using specimens sourced from the market
• As part of the programme curated for Art Night by Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park, Adam Christensen will showcase a new performance in response to Nicolas Deshayes’ site-specific sculptural installation, engaging with Deshayes’ use of bodily form and urban infrastructure
• Grad will launch ShadowMemory, a new digital art project inviting audiences to explore the surrounding urban areas through an app – with a diverse collection of digital narratives, created by artists including Timothy Maxymenko, Katia Reshetnikova and eeefff, unfolding as the user follows the routes on foot along the Art Night trail.

The selection of Art Night Open projects was put together with the help of an appointed jury panel, which includes Hayward Gallery’s senior curator Dr. Cliff Lauson; Art Night 2017 artist Melanie Manchot; independent curator and writer Francesca Gavin; former Head of Culture for Nine Elms and Vauxhall Partnership Anne Mullins; and Chair of the Art Network at Simmons & Simmons Jonathan Sharples.

In addition, Art Night launches a dedicated Festival Hub this year at Battersea Power Station, which will offer visitors a range of participatory activities, installations and workshops in collaboration with selected local retailers and businesses. Participating retailers will include The CoffeeWorks Project, Moyses Stevens, No.29 Power Station West, and Battersea Brewery, as well as the first Art Night pop-up store where visitors can purchase limited edition artist merchandise.

Selected restaurants and bars along the route including Fiume, Mother and Vagabond at Battersea Power Station alongside award-winning restaurants Chino Latino and Jackson Boxer’s Brunswick House will partner with Art Night to present artistic collaborations and offer late-night food and drink menus.

Coinciding with UK Pride, Art Night invites visitors to experience Duckie in the heart of the local community at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, for their annual Gay Shame event; peeking into the queer future with performances from Amy Lamé, Readers Wifes and The Pink Suits.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, May 2018, said:

“It’s important that all Londoners have the opportunity to experience great art on their doorstep. Art Night is a fantastic way to explore the city after dark – giving Londoners and visitors to the city the chance to encounter art in new and unexpected places – and best of all, it’s free.”

Amy Lamé, Night Czar, May 2018, said:

“I can’t wait for London to come alive for Art Night. It’s an opportunity to get a fresh perspective on the city and discover new spaces through imaginative installations and compelling artwork. It’s the perfect way to explore the capital following the Pride in London celebrations and shows that London is a truly 24-hour city, with the most diverse nightlife anywhere in the world.”

Zarina Rossheart, Director of Art Night Open, Art Night, May 2018, said:

“Art Night Open represents a diverse cultural scene of London and beyond, with artists, curators and arts organisations contributing special projects in response to the celebratory spirit of the night-time festival. Furthermore, this year Art Night’s Open Call reached the far corners of the world, with applicants from Turkey, Morocco, China, Eastern Europe and the United States. We are very proud to be working with the selected participants to activate a wide range of venues from those in South Bank, through Vauxhall and Nine Elms, to Battersea. From an artist take-over of an entire building at Oxo Tower Wharf, through to an intimate interactive installation at Nine Elms Point, every project of Art Night Open is a unique site-specific experience.’

Dr. Cliff Lauson, Hayward Gallery Senior Curator, May 2018, said:

“Art Night Open complements the curated programme with a wide variety of artworks, events, and pop-ups in locations peppered across the neighbourhood. As Art Night has grown year on year, so has the desire for artists and local organisations to become involved, and the Open programme provides a great platform for participation in the one-night festival. This year’s programme offers an incredible diversity of activity from art installations to films and music to culinary offers – there is something for everyone.”

Ksenia Zemtsova and Philippine Nguyen, Founders, Art Night, May 2018, said:

“Art Night 2018 will continue to offer an artistic exploration of London, celebrating diversity, culture, heritage and architecture, through an engaging, free and multidisciplinary programme of events. We’re delighted to present the programme in South London for the first time this year and to continue to be a part of the city’s growing night-time culture.”

Further Art Night Open participating artists, curators and organisations include: Alterazioni Video, Andrew Brown; Andreas Johansson; Andreas Levisianos and Nikolas Ventourakis; Anne Sylvie Henchoz; Anneke Kampman; Ben Judd; Brocket London; Christopher Matthews; Colette Sadler and Mikko Gaestel; David Birkin; Dori Deng and Meta Drcar; Erica Scourti; Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center; Floating Spaces; Georgina Hill; Hanna Laura Kaljo; Jaime-Marie Davies and Frankie Shea; Jane Bustin; Jeff Cain; Joanna Rajkowska; Kate McCambridge and Louis Alderson-Bythell; Laura Malacart and Andrej Bako; l’étrangère; Lina Lapelytė; Lindy Nsingo; Louise Chignac; Lucia Pietroiusti; Lucky23; Marcel Darienzo, Elisabeth Del Prete, Johanna Hardt, Håkon Lillegraven and Cristina Vasilescu; Marianne Jõgi and Ülo Krigul; Mati Jhurry; Melissa Pellico; MUBI; Natasha Gertler; Olivia Hernaïz; Soohyun Choi and Ruth Waters; Özge Topçu; Paul Coombs and Gabriel Mulvey; Pervilion; Philppe Daerendinger; Puck Verkade; Rebecca Jagoe; Robertas Narkus, Milo Creese, Synaptic Island and Caterina Gobbi; Rotem Volk; Sarah Staton; Sebastian Kite; Serge Vuille; Sophie Seita; Studio Long; Subsidiary Projects; Tiphanie Blanc; Uta Kögelsberger; Victoria Westerman; Vasiliki Antonopoulou, ZIP Art group; Zoe Marden.

Art Night Open is supported by the London Borough of Lambeth with grants dedicated to special projects at local arts organisations and venues.