Art Friend's Housewarming exhibition to open in London

On 1st February, art exhibition Housewarming opens in East London. A derelict townhouse house in Stoke Newington will be transformed into an art gallery showcasing work by some of London’s best alternative artists, including Adam Bartlett, Charlotte Farmer, Craig Keenan, Dave Buonaguidi, Dawn Beckles and Hannah Gilson.

The art won’t just be hung on the walls, but will be over the walls themselves, as 3 artists, will cover their rooms with their paintings, for a full immersive experience.

Housewarming is the latest project by Art Friend, following on from their previous accessible exhibition REJECTS. The show featured a range of artists’ work that had been rejected by the Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition.

In this show, Art Friend has scaled up the free art show model, taking over an entire unused house in East London. In this space it creates an accessible and fun experience that continues the organisation’s work of smashing through the art world’s white gallery walls.

All of the featured art is for sale, and a proceed of the sales will go to leading UK homelessness charity Crisis.

Shona Bland, founder of Art Friend, says: ‘I founded Art Friend so that people who wouldn’t normally step foot inside a gallery can see that art is for everyone. Housewarming is our most ambitious project yet, and brings two things to life again – an abandoned house, and the art that traditionally sits on white gallery walls.’

The art is as eclectic as the range of artists themselves, featuring a display of the best contemporary art on the market, with work across a range of different mediums. The pieces on display range from large-scale murals to mixed media collages, experimental photography to oil paintings and drawings, screen prints to cutting edge abstracts.

Opening night and launch party
The launch party will kick off the exhibition in style on Thursday 1st February from 6pm to 9pm, sponsored by Pressure Drop Brewing and East London Liquor Company – based just down the road, we like to keep things local! We will bring the house to life – not just through art, but through music. Enjoy soulful disco, cocktails and beer, as Adam Bartlett paints one of the rooms in the house in his jungle style while you watch. Dress fancy, whatever that means to you and prepare to be swooned by one of London’s top performance artists Martin O’Brien – the host with the most!

February 1st 6-9pm
February 2nd 5.30 - 7pm
February 3rd 4.30 - 6.30pm
February 4th 12:00PM - 2:30PM
February 5th 5:30PM - 7:00PM
February 6th 11:00AM - 1:30PM
February 7th 5:30PM - 7:00PM
February 8th 11:00AM - 1:30PM
February 9th 6:00PM - 8:30PM
February 10th 11:00AM - 1:30PM
February 11th 11:00AM - 1:30PM
February 12th 5:30PM - 7:00PM
February 13th 11:00AM - 1:30PM
February 14th 5:30PM - 7:00PM
February 15th 11:00AM - 1:30PM