Unit London
Unit London is a contemporary art gallery based at 3 Hanover Square in Mayfair, London, with a secondary location, The Stables, in Covent Garden. It was founded by two young artists, Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt, in 2013.[2] The gallery specializes in contemporary art.
Established | 2013 |
---|---|
Location | Hanover Square, Mayfair, London |
Type | Contemporary art gallery |
Director | Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt [1] |
Website | https://unitlondon.com/ |
History and development
Established in 2013 by Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt as a startup gallery in a 300 square foot pop-up space in Chiswick,[3] the gallery quickly gained a reputation through the use of social media, which distinguished it from the marketing strategies of other art galleries. The gallery uses social media to connect with millennials[4] by promoting artists and their brands on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and through the use of videos and web content. Unit London has attracted interest from art lovers, artists, art collectors, and important figures from all creative industries, such as Jude Law, Bob Geldof, and Jean Paul Gautier, who have rallied around the cause and expressed their support for the approach by following, liking, commenting, and sharing the gallery’s posts.[5] Unit London has over 130,000+ followers across all social media platforms.[6]
In 2015, Unit London relocated to a 4,000 square foot gallery in Soho, London,[7] in keeping with the principle that "Unit London is a gallery, a collective, and a community, which believes in the promotion and showcasing of truly gifted artists, regardless of their profile, reputation, or background. It is upon this fundamental principle that the gallery was founded and its key message has resounded with collectors worldwide."[8] Unit London has been named as one of the Top 5 Young Contemporary Galleries in London.[9] The gallery subsequently moved location in March 2018 to Langley Street in Covent Garden.
In June 2018, the gallery opened a new 6000 square foot space in Mayfair, which is currently its flagship location.[10] Now its main site, the venue hosts an innovative and dynamic exhibition programme showcasing the gallery’s leading artists, as well as a series of cutting-edge cultural events. The Stables, located in Covent Garden, serves as an accessible exhibition and event space which focuses on vibrant group exhibitions, artist development, and a variety of brand-led events.
Previous exhibitions
2021
- David Henry Nobody Jr – Solo online exhibition (Platform)
- A Small Spark vs a Great Forest – Solo exhibition by Jason Seife (Hanover Square)
- the likes of others – Solo exhibition by Jeremy Olson (Hanover Square)
2020
- Nicolas Holiber – Solo online exhibition (Platform)
- IRL – Group exhibition (Hanover Square)
- Elsa Rouy – Solo online exhibition (Platform)
- Where Art Happened: From Klint to Party – Solo exhibition by Damian Elwes (Hanover Square)
- Ziping Wang – Solo online exhibition (Platform)
- The Medium Is The Message – Group exhibition (Hanover Square)
- Joshua Hagler – Solo online exhibition (Platform)
- Super Disco Disco Breakin' – Solo exhibition by Liz Markus (The Stables)
- Big Mood – Solo exhibition by Mauro C. Martinez (Hanover Square)
- Mirror Mirror – Solo exhibition by Emily Marie Miller (Hanover Square)
- Purple Lands – Solo exhibition by Rex Southwick (Hanover Square)
- Alter Ego – Group exhibition (Hanover Square)
- Natural Order – Solo exhibition by Michael Staniak (Hanover Square)
- Drawn Together – Group online exhibition (Hanover Square)
- For Your Eyes Only – Solo exhibition by Oh de Laval (Hanover Square)
- Nothing New Under The Sun – Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett (Hanover Square)
- Transcend – Solo exhibition by Tom French (The Stables)
- FAME – Solo exhibition by Teiji Hayama (Hanover Square)
- Relic – Solo exhibition by Jake Wood-Evans (Hanover Square)
2019
- Beyond Borders – Group exhibition (Hanover Square)
- Nothing New Under The Sun – Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett (Hanover Square)
- Kinesthesia – Solo exhibition by Dylan Gebbia-Richards (Hanover Square)
- Rewild – Solo exhibition by Mr Jago (Hanover Square)
- It's Her Factory – Solo exhibition by Helen Beard (Hanover Square)
- Chimera – Solo exhibition by Joshua Hagler (Hanover Square)
- Querencia – Solo exhibition by Rex Southwick (Hanover Square)
- New Paintings – Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett (Hanover Square)
- Come Together, Far Away – Solo exhibition by Sage Vaughn (Hanover Square)
- Earth – Solo exhibition by Zhuang Hong Yi (Hanover Square)
- Reverence – Solo exhibition by Johan Van Mullem (Hanover Square)
- Moments – Solo exhibition by Yann Houri (Hanover Square)
- Legacy & Disorder – Solo exhibition by Jake Wood Evans (Hanover Square)
- Shape Shifter – Solo exhibition by Peter Gronquist (Hanover Square)
- SIGNS – Solo exhibition by Massimo Agostinelli (Hanover Square)
2018
- The Garden - Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett (Hanover Square)
- 2 Looking 4 U – Exhibition presenting eight emerging artists (Hanover Square)
- Strata – Solo exhibition by Mr Jago (Hanover Square)
- Fathoms – Solo exhibition by Will Martyr (Hanover Square)
- A Portrait of a tree – Solo exhibition by Adrian Houston (Hanover Square)
- 21st Century Women – Group exhibition of British female artists (Hanover Square)
- Reincarnation – Solo exhibition by Jacky Tsai (Hanover Square)
- Hunt Paintings – Solo exhibition by Philip Colbert (Hanover Square)
2017
- Transitions - Solo exhibition by Jake Wood-Evans
- In God's We Trust - Solo exhibition by PichiAvo
- Wanderlust - Solo exhibition by Will Martyr
- PARALLAX - Solo exhibition by Tom French
- RAW II - Solo exhibition by Zhuang Hong Yi
- Avant Arte X Unit London. Artist: Jason Seif, Lionel Smit, Henrik Uldalen, Brian Willmont, Ryan Hewett, Ivan Alifan, Sandra Chevrier, Stephan Doitschinoff, Anthony Lister, and Massimo Agostinelli.[11]
2016
- De Anima - Solo exhibition by Johan van Mullem
- ORDER - Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett
- Subjection & Discipline - Solo exhibition by Jake Wood-Evans
- Satellite Exhibition - Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett
- Radical Presence exhibition. Curated by Kate Linfoot. Featuring over 30 works from the past two decades by 24 leading international artists, Radical Presence delivers a global perspective on how the digital age has profoundly altered the way we perceive and interact with our environment.[12]
2015
- RAW - Solo exhibition by Zhuang Hong Yi
- Untitled - Solo exhibition by Ryan Hewett
- Paintguide exhibition. Curated by Henrik Uldalen. Showing 60 international artists working primarily with the medium of paint, as featured on the Instagram account @Paintguide.[13]
- New Blood exhibition. Artists: Russell Young, Ivan Alifan, Richard Orlinski, Cécile Pleasance, Peter Gronquist, Mairi-Luise Tabbakh, Fenton Bailey, Oliver Sylvester, and Joe Webb.
- The Gold Experience - Solo exhibition by Marco Grassi
- NIL - Solo exhibition by Mr. Jago
2014
- ‘U’ #HelloU exhibition. Artists: Mr and Mrs Philip Cath, Mark Demsteader, Henrik Uldalen, Ivan Alifan, and Jake Wood-Evans.[14]
References
- Arts head: Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt, co-founders, The Unit London, Guardian, 16 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- Arts head: Joe Kennedy and Jonny Burt, co-founders, The Unit London, The Guardian.
- The Unit London: New Gallery For Chiswick, Londonist.
- "Meet the 28-year-olds who run their own art gallery in Covent Garden". Evening Standard. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
- Meet the 26-year-old entrepreneurs using Instagram to build an art empire from scratch. Business Insider.
- @theunitlondon, Instagram
- Meet the 26-year-old entrepreneurs using Instagram to build an art empire from scratch. Business Insider.
- About Us, Unit London
- Top 5 Young Contemporary Galleries in London, Art Versed
- "Our new home... | The gallery moves to our brand new permanent home in the heart of Mayfair". Unit London. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
- "London Exhibition Explores the Phenomenon of Art Popularized on Instagram". Artnet News. 11 January 2017.
- Unit London announces Radical Presence curatorial project from Kate Linfoot, Creative Digest.
- Paintguide exhibition, Artnet.
- U - The Unit London Gallery, The Huffington Post.