Beaconsfield (gallery)

Beaconsfield is an artist-run non-profit art gallery 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 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 Naomi Siderfin, David Crawforth and Angus Neill. Originally designed to “fill a niche between the institution, the commercial and the ‘alternative’”, and provide a streamlined resource for the development and presentation of contemporary art, often including innovative sound practise. 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 a consistently challenging 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 programme involves the commissioning of interdisciplinary visual art exhibitions along with artist residencies that are open to the public. It was awarded funding from Arts Council England between 2012 and 2015. As a non-profit and registered charity Beaconsfield is solely reliant on trusts, private individuals and foundation funding.

Among the artists commissioned and collaborating with Beaconsfield are Sonia Boyce, Franko B, Deborah Levy, Bruce Gilbert, Fiona Banner, Hayley Newman, Bob and Roberta Smith, Susan Collis, Tomomi Adachi, Tamsyn Challenger, Mark Fell

Exhibitions

Notable exhibitions include:

1994 - ‘The Lisson Gallery’ produced by Nosepaint/Beaconsfield; Matthew Arnatt, David Crawforth, David Mollin

1994 - Beaconsfield at Ministry of Sound presents Nosepaint with Bluff, David Crawforth, Robert Ellis, DJ Fuckwit, Bruce Gilchrist, David Gilchrist, Sue Hart, Ian Hinchliffe, Lindsay John, Niki Jewett, Loophole Cinema, Karen malarky, Angus Neill, Andrew Wilkey, Seven Sisters Group, Naomi Siderfin, Dr Rapakini with Eli, Eastern Sound System, Hugh Harris, Judge Jules, LMC, Graham Massey, Skip McDonald, Billy Nasty, Pure Silver, Talvin Singh, Doug Wimbish, Hariharan Zuveya

1995 - A Public Work of Art, Beaconsfield ArtWorks (BAW), sound sculpture (Royal Festival Hall). Accompanying Dialogues, BAW with Nicholas Logsdail, Greg Hilty and Ministry of Sound, Artifice CD-ROm article

1995 - Sonja Boyce, Kate Bush, Mikey Cuddihy, Siobhan Davies, Elsie Mitchell, Claire Palmier, Naomi Siderfin

1996 - Jo Stockham and Deborah Levy, BAW, Chris Ofili, Alistair Raphael, Jo Stockham, Anne Tallentire

1996 - Uli Aigner, Keith Arnatt, BAW, Debbie Booth, Wayne Lloyd and Laurence Harvey, Ronald Fraser Munro and Jeremy Blank, O(rphan) d(rift>), Polskadavians, PuT PuT, Patricia Scanlan, Trebor Scholtz, Julian Stallabrass, Strike, Verso 12 hour book launch

1996 - Kirsty Alexander and Paul Burwell, BAW, Anne Bean, John Carson, Sarah Cole, David Cunningham, Bruce Gilchrist and Nick Rogers, Matthias Jackisch, Michal Klega, Rona Lee, Alastair Maclennan, Guillaume Paris, Sonja Zelic

1996 - Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Andy Best and Merja Puustinen, Pia Lindman, Pekka Niskanen, Roi Vaara, first UK exhibition of contemporary Finnish art curated by Andy Best and Merja Puustinen, co-produced with MUU ry

1996 - David Crawforth, Hayley Newman and Pan Sonic with David Cunningham, Robert Ellis, Bruce Gilbert, David Gilchrist, Alison Goldfrapp, Tiina Huczkowski, Kaffe Matthews, PuT PuT, Sanctuary Ministries Music Team, Scanner, Susan Stenger, Jimi Tenor, Paul Thomas, Simon Fisher Turner

1997 - Fiona Banner, Ceponyte and Ozarinscas, Lucy Gunning, Evaldas Jansas, Linas Liandzbergis, David Mollin, Deimantas Narkevicius, Aturas Raila with Darius Ciuta, Scanner, Thomson & Craighead

1997 - Keith Coventry, Stuart Brisley, Robert Ellis, Tracey Emin, Bruce Gilchrist, Hayley Newman, Mark Wallinger

1997 - Tomoko Takahashi, Neill Quinton

1998 - Anna Best, Robert Beard, Keith Coventry, Tamsin Pender

1999 - O(rphan) d(rift>) and CCRu with Pat Cardigan, John Cussans, Kodwo Eshun, Nick Land. Sound produced by Kode9, Apache61 and Ocosi

1999 - Silent Movie, Chris Marker

1999 - Gisle Frøysland, Bruce Gilchrist, Michelle Griffiths, Mattias Harenstam, Geir Tore Holm, 4 x Kanari, Rona Lee, Tor Magnus Lundeby, Hayley Newman, Bob and Roberta Smith

1999 - New Contemporaries ‘99 co-hosted with Milch and South London Gallery

2000 - Franko B

2000 - Sheela Gowda, NS Harsha, Nasreem Mohomedi

2001 - Shozo Shimamoto

2003 - Susan Collis

2003 - Paul Newland and Audrey Riley

2004 - Laura Ford

2004 - Gu(:)n (Yu, SAm2, Yumi Hara aKa DJAnakonda, Tomomi Adachi, Michiyoshi Isozaki

2005 - Mark Dean, Peter Collis, Chiara Pirito, Chris Cornish, Susan Pui San Lok, Mattias Härenstram, João Seguro, Zineb Sedira, Semiconductor

2005 - Carl Michael von Hausswolff

2005 -  Eija-Liisa Ahtila, BAW, Anna Best, Susan Collis, Keith Coventry, Mikey Cuddihy, Shane Cullen, Robert Ellis, Bruce Gilbert, Carl Michael von Hausswolff and Thomas Nordanstad, John Isaacs, Hayley Newman, nobleandsilver, Bob and Roberta Smith, Kerry Stewart, Tomako Takahashi

2005 – Dave Ball and guests, David Cunningham/Karen Mirza and Brad Butler, Clippetyclop, Annie Davey, Judith Dean, Mark Dean, Dirty Snow, DJ Seed, Bruce Gilbert, Howard Jacques, Ken Ardley Playboys, Monkey Cloakroom, Jo Robertson, Stash, Alexander Wendt

2007 - Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson

2007 - Leafcutter John

2007 - Stuart Brisley, Ian Hinchliffe (incorporating Estate), Alastair Maclennan, Tatsumi Orimoto

2008 - Mark and John Bain, John Butcher, Michael Colligan, Rhodri Davies, Benedict Drew, Robin Hayward, Gustav Metzger, Lee Patterson, Sarah Washington

2008 - Melanie Clifford, Annie Davey, Paul B Davis, Hauschka, Howard Jacques, Lundahl and Seitl, Liz Murray, Andrew Parker, Serafina Steer, Tetine, Jessica Voorsanger, Weirdcore

2008 - Drew Daniel, Nitewreckers, People Like us, Le Couteau Jaune, DJ Tendraw, Howard Jacques, Mark Dean, Jay Lesser, Kaffe Matthews, Stephen Gosh, Stephen Thrower, Carter Tutti, in association with Lumin

2008 - Katherine Arianello and Naomi Siderfin, Dave Ball, BAW, Annie Davey, Minna Haukka, Susannah Hewlett, Howard Jacques, Hayley Newman and David Crawforth, Liz Murray, Bob and Roberta Smith, Andrew Poppy, Victor Mount, Leonardo Ulian, Nicolas Bourriaud, Kim Noble, Jessica Voorsanger (Late @ Tate), curated by Beaconsfield

2009 - Bob and Roberta Smith

2009 - Monica Ross

2009 - John Wynne

2009 - Monica Ross with Lou Birks, Stephen Dwoskin, Andrew Kötting, Sandra Lahire, Justin Edgar and Maxa Zoller

2010 -  Anthony Gross, Michael Curran, Lucy Gunning

2011 - Bruce Gilbert and BAW

2012 - Rachel Garfield and Stephen Dwoskin

2012 - Tamsyn Challenger

2012 - Monica Ross

2012 - Mike Harding and Jon Wozencroft, Touch 30

2014  - Station House Opera

2014 - Ellie Harrison

2016 - FOAM TALENT

2016 - Mulfinger and Budgett, Giorgio Sadotti

2017 - Keith Piper

2019 - Trevor Mathison, Gary Stewart - Dubmorphology

2022 - Monica Sjöö

2022 - Mark Fell

2023 - Nastaran Säde Rönkkö

Location

Beaconsfield gallery occupies two spaces in Newport st, Vauxhall, comprised of 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

• https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/may/06/top-10-arts-south-london
• https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-the-london-artist-run-galleries-you-need-to-know
• https://www.wallpaper.com/art/foam-talent-2017-london-photography-exhibition
• https://www.artforum.com/features/openings-tomoko-takahashi-2-201492/

External links

• Beaconsfield on Instagram
• Beaconsfield on Twitter
• Beaconsfield on Facebook