The Bold Face of Peckham
Deep in South East London, high above the busy streets in the forgotten space of Peckham’s multi-storey car park is the blockbuster summer exhibition Bold Tendencies III. Curated by the Hannah Barry Gallery and various South London collectives, Bold Tendencies III is a temporary sculpture park that floats above the vibrant chaos of SE15.
Now in its third year, Bold Tendencies offers an increasingly ambitious exhibition. Along with monumental sculptures that sweep across the rooftop of this dramatic venue, this year sees the addition of Frank’s Cafe and Campari Bar, a sturdy wooden canopy draped structure designed by recent architecture graduates Lettice Drake and Paloma Gormley - daughter of Anthony.
The opening night pulled in an impressive crowd. 'Twas a balmy night in June and roughly 1,000 of the young and beautiful converged on the 10th floor of this multi-storey and since then Bold Tendencies III has been attended by a steady stream of fans and critics alike, there to take in the art, enjoy the Campari and sample the stunning views of London.
Providing you with a show of work that, due to sheer size and scale would have difficulty fitting into a traditional gallery space, the exhibition takes full advantage of the seemingly limitless rooftop area. Exhibiting young artists include James Balmforth, Myles Painter, Molly Smyth and Theo Turpin, most of whom are recent graduates from local art establishment Camberwell College. The car park is a barren space encased by the urban sprawl, and was curated with the concern of navigating the urban landscape. The elements and an endless sky offer a backdrop to the abstract sculptures that range from the political to the human to the simply architectural. It is monumental sculpture linked with a city skyline, site-specific art intended to work with its surroundings.
Occupying the lower level of the car park are projects presented by art collectives, New Model Army, The Sunday Painter, Field, and LuckyPDF, each taking a different approach to the challenge of filling the dank barren space. The Sunday Painter built a white cube in which to exhibit their paintings, whilst LuckyPDF installed a light box, which at nightfall became a solitary glowing beam of light in the dark echoing vastness of the lower levels.
Peckham’s artistic community is breeding on strong foundations: the South-London Gallery, Area 10, Sassoon Gallery and of course the Hannah Barry gallery which opened its doors in 2008. Notwithstanding these there are the many independently formed art collectives such as LuckyPDF and Off Modern. Coupled with the steady influx of art graduates from the surrounding art colleges that include Camberwell and Goldsmiths, Peckham is rapidly becoming a hotbed for the creative community, a place of cheap rents and raw canvas just begging to be built on.
Whilst the gentrification of the East surges forward, Peckham remains largely ignored. Long a place with a reputation that has thrived on a diet of seedy crime, derelict housing and urban decay, a trip south of the river to Peckham has never been seen as worth the effort. However, with its burgeoning art community South London runs hot on the heels of Hoxton, challenging the East End and its domination as the hub of London’s art scene.
Hopefully Bold Tendencies III and other such events in South East London will slowly serve to bring public opinion in line with the realities of Peckham - one of South London's thriving, creative and vibrant communities- in turn helping to eradicate the kind of permissive attitudes and out-dated stereotypes that smack of class prejudice and are unfortunately still too often applied to this region.
Bold Tendencies III is an exhibition that stands tall in the Peckham skyline, a champion of roof stealing urban creativity. With Peckham at its feet and London stretching out before it, Bold Tendencies III serves as a reminder that a small group of talented and driven people can make bold and ambitious ideas a reality. And, if you ask me, it's worth the 60-second journey in the piss stained lift to get there. Of course if that doesn’t appeal, there’s always the stairs.
Bold Tendencies III and Frank’s Cafe and Campari Bar called last orders September 30.
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