ON FOOT: An Exhibition Curated by Jonathan Anderson
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, with Brexit, I think there’s been a bit of fatigue around the idea of what the city can be... Coming out of the haze of crisis, over the past year I’ve realized how much London has given me, and how much I love the city.” JONATHAN ANDERSON
On Foot, curated by Jonathan Anderson, brings contemporary artists into dialogue with iconic works of modern British art. Anderson’s own fashion designs for JW Anderson and LOEWE inhabit the spaces as viewers and bystanders to the works. Pieces from recent seasons have been chosen for the way in which they transform the body and give it sculptural potential. The exhibition unfolds like a walk through London, embracing the stark contrasts and unlikely juxtapositions that even a short journey through the city offers up.
From the salubrious streets of Mayfair where the gallery is located, to the provocatively storied alleys of Soho where the JW Anderson store has its home, the exhibition’s galleries act like a pause at one of the social spaces or experiences the journey has to offer. Celebrating all aspects of the city from the pub to the park, the gallery’s corridors and staircases have become pavements and traffic-clogged streets with skaters lingering, while ceramics and sculptures represent crowded scenes. JW Anderson’s pigeons have taken over a storeroom and a garden square bench allows visitors to take in the surprising abundance of flora and fauna the city has to offer. Rounding off the journey by ducking into a pub, a diverse cast of characters each tells a story of the city they live in.
For the exhibition Anthea Hamilton has collaborated with JW Anderson to produce a limited-edition version of the iconic pigeon clutch which is available to buy at both Offer Waterman and the JW Anderson Soho store.
Exhibiting Artists: Igshaan Adams, Sybil Andrews, Pol Anglada, Frank Auerbach, Joe Brainard, Hans Coper, Shawanda Corbett, Claude Flight, Sara Flynn, Lucian Freud, Anthea Hamilton, Richard Hawkins, Barbara Hepworth, Akiko Hirai, David Hockney, Eliot Hodgkin, Leon Kossoff, Stanislava Kovalcikova, Florian Krewer, Doron Langberg, Jennifer Lee, L. S. Lowry, Henry Moore, Cedric Morris, Dame Magdalene Odundo, Jem Perucchini, Cyril Edward Power, Walter Sickert, William Turnbull, Christopher Wood and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye with work by Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson and LOEWE.
On Foot will be free and open to the public at 17 St George Street from 18 September until 28 October 2023.
Exhibition Hours:
Tuesday – Friday, 10am - 6pm
Saturdays, 10am - 5pm
Watch a film of the show: NOWNESS
