Chisenhale Gallery

11/03/2025

Following a thorough international search, Chisenhale Gallery is pleased to announce that Edward Gillman has been appointed as Director.

Edward joins from Auto Italia, a non-profit visual arts institution dedicated to researching, producing and exhibiting work on the intersections of q***r studies and social change. He had worked at Auto Italia for 11 years, five of these as Director, and two as Co-Director.

On joining Chisenhale, Edward has said:

‘It’s a true privilege to step into the role of Director at Chisenhale Gallery, an institution with an extraordinary legacy shaped by generations of visionary artists and directors. As the gallery approaches its 45th anniversary, I am looking forward to carrying forward its founding spirit of experimental making and diverse critical thinking, and deepening the special relationships it holds locally and globally with a committed community of artists, supporters, partners and audiences.’

Edward will drive forward Chisenhale Gallery’s innovation, overseeing the institution’s Social Practice projects, as well as its acclaimed Commissions Programme, which in 2025 comprises three new exhibitions by artists Claudia Pagès Rabal, Dan Guthrie, and Grant Mooney.

Image: Portrait of Edward Gillman. Photo by Ottilie Landmark.

10/03/2025

Claudia Pagès Rabal, ‘Five Defence Towers’
28 February – 11 May 2025

Claudia Pagès Rabal’s practice intertwines words, bodies, music, and movement. ‘Five Defence Towers’ marks Pagès’ first institutional solo exhibition in London and the premiere of a major new moving image commission.

Continuing her exploration along the Silk Road, Pagès’ new commission locates five defence towers built throughout Catalonia’s former borderlands.

‘Five Defence Towers’
is on view at Chisenhale Gallery until 11 May 2025.

Entry is free and open to all from Wednesday to Sunday, 12–6pm.

Images: Claudia Pagès Rabal, ‘Five Defence Towers’, 2025. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London, 2025. Produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London, and commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery and mumok, Vienna. Photos: Andy Keate.

28/02/2025

Chisenhale Gallery bids farewell to Zoé Whitley, who will be stepping down as the gallery’s Director from today, following five years of dedicated leadership.

A personal message from Zoé:

'As I prepare to step away from my role as Director at Chisenhale Gallery, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve shared over the past five years.

This organisation has meant so much to me. I’ve been privileged to build meaningful relationships with so many of you. The creativity and passion that drive this space have been a constant source of inspiration.

While I’m excited for what’s next, I’m equally excited to see where Chisenhale Gallery will go. The future is bright, and I’ll be cheering this momentous organisation on as it continues to evolve and create.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of such a special journey. I look forward to staying in touch and seeing all that they will achieve in the years to come.'

Image: Zóe Whitley, 2024. Photo: Daryll Borja.

25/02/2025

Chisenhale Gallery congratulates alumni and former trustee Lubaina Himid on being selected to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2026! 🎉

Her Chisenhale solo exhibition, 'The Ballad of the Wing', took place in 1989.

"Lubaina Himid constantly redefines painting—its surface, its audience, even its rhythm and cadence. From her training in theatre design to her tireless support of fellow artists and curators, she makes contemporary art consistently witty and purposeful.

"Having paved the way for so many, she never fails to experiment formally and aesthetically with text, found objects and patterning while remaining socially relevant. Her works, simultaneously beautiful and political, also pay homage to those who have battled for recognition, reminding us that painting belongs to us all." – Zoé Whitley, Director, Chisenhale Gallery

1. Lubaina Himid. Photo by Adama Jalloh.
2. Lubaina Himid, 'The Ballad of the Wing', 1989. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London, 1989. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London.

13/02/2025

📣 Opening soon at Chisenhale Gallery is Claudia Pagès Rabal's new commission, ‘Five Defence Towers’.

Claudia Pagès Rabal’s practice intertwines words, bodies, music, and movement. ‘Five Defence Towers’ marks Pagès’ first institutional solo exhibition in London and the premiere of a major new moving image commission.

Continuing her exploration along the Silk Road, Pagès’ new commission locates five defence towers built throughout Catalonia’s former borderlands. During the 9th and 10th centuries European forces established the Hispanic March, a military buffer zone that delineated the border between their own territories and Al-Andalus – the Arabic name for the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula from 711–1492. These historic frontiers of legal, economic, political, and cultural power struggle are the starting point for Pagès’ new moving image work, which spans scripted dialogue, choreographed dance, light, and sound.

Join us for the Public Opening:

📅 Thursday 27 February, 6.30–8.30pm
📍 Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road, London, E3 5QZ
🎟️ Free entry, all are welcome

'Five Defence Towers' is produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London and within the Call of ”la Caixa” Foundation Support for Creation’24. Production. Commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery, London and mumok, Vienna, developed in collaboration with Tractora Koop, Bilbao.

With the support of Hangar, Center for Artistic Production and Research & MACBA Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona.

Lead Supporter: The Foundation Foundation.

Headline Supporter: Maria Sukkar.

With additional support from Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and the Chisenhale Gallery Commissions Fund.

With special thanks to our Events Drinks Sponsor: Estrella Damm.

A new associated publication will be published by Chisenhale Gallery, London and mumok, Vienna.

Chisenhale Gallery’s Schools’ Programme 2025 is made possible through the generosity of Goodman Gallery.

The 2025–26 Asymmetry Curatorial Research Fellow is hosted by Chisenhale Gallery.

05/02/2025

🌐 Now online: 38+ years of commission projects at Chisenhale Gallery!

Our extensive archive is accessible on our website, offering a deep dive into our history of bold and influential commissions.

Here are some highlights from the 20th century at Chisenhale:

Rosie Leventon's ‘Wake’, 1988, represented a momentary uncovering of the metaphorical river that flows unseen through life, examining themes of death, rebirth and the journeys from one state to another – the journey from oblivion to rebirth.

In Darrell Viner's 'Semaphore', 1990, windmill-like structures are made of fearsomely solid timber, violently swinging within an inch of the gallery floor. The work is an emblem of energy, pent up and aggressive dynamos, confined to the pool of light in the centre of the gallery, a boundary which is well respected by the audience.

Yoko Terauchi’s 'Air Castle', 1990, is a solid graphite drawing applied directly to the walls, floor and ceiling over a vast segment of the gallery, reflecting light with a grey sheen. The work suggests the intersection of floating spherical forms with the planes of the gallery space, thus altering the viewer’s perception of what lies beyond the space, and beyond perception.

Gillian Wearing’s '10–16', 1996, consists of seven short films back projected onto a screen 18 feet wide. The films show adult actors lip-synching to a soundtrack taken from interviews that Wearing recorded with children between the age of 10 and 16.

Visit the Chisenhale online archive: https://chisenhale.org.uk/archive/

Images:
Rosie Leventon, ‘Wake’, 1988. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London.
Darrell Viner, ‘Semaphore’, 1990. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London.
Yoko Terauchi, ‘Air Castle’, 1994. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London.
Gillian Wearing, ‘10–16’, 1997. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London.

03/02/2025

✨ Thank you to everyone who visited 'License to Live' by Bruno Zhu over the last eight weeks!

We are truly grateful to all those who made the effort to visit the gallery and experience the commission, or who joined one of our talks or events.

This month, we’re excited to launch Claudia Pagès Rabal's exhibition, opening on 28 February. Stay tuned for more details!

Bruno Zhu's 'License to Live' is commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. Licensed by CAM-Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon.

Major Supporter: Cherry Xu.

Lead Supporter: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

With additional support from the Chisenhale Gallery Commissions Fund and Mondriaan Fund.

With special thanks to our Events Drinks Sponsor: Estrella Damm.

With the generous support of: Mondriaan Fund, Mercedes Vilardell, Frank Bowling and Rachel Scott.

Volume I of Bruno Zhu’s new reader Fiction Non Fiction is co-published by Chisenhale Gallery, London and Mousse Publishing, Milan.

With the generous support of Frank Bowling and Rachel Scott.

Chisenhale Gallery’s Schools’ Programme 2024 is made possible through the generosity of Goodman Gallery and Freelands Foundation.

The 2023–24 Asymmetry Curatorial Research Fellow is hosted by Chisenhale Gallery.

Images: Ali Hussein Mohamed

27/01/2025

🗓️ It's the final week to visit Bruno Zhu's exhibition 'License to Live' at Chisenhale Gallery!

‘License to Live’ marks Zhu’s first institutional UK solo exhibition which centres a written licence agreement as his response to the invitation to develop a new commission. Authored by Zhu, the agreement details a step-by-step guide to exhibition design that traverses colour, display, ornamentation, and orientation.

Find out more here: https://chisenhale.org.uk/project/bruno-zhu/

Image: Bruno Zhu, License to Live, 2024. Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London, 2024. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. Photo: Andy Keate.

24/01/2025

📖 Join Asymmetry Curatorial Research Fellow Rachel Be-Yun Wang for the launch of her digital publication on the pedagogy and practice of documentation for commission.

'Underpinning the research is an attempt to understand how we produce and enact artistic labour with historicity and posterity in mind. As inherited systems of organisation, archival documentation reveals priorities of the held record, which are sometimes at odds with the practical and often unwieldy realities of ongoing production.' – Rachel Be-Yun Wang

The first chapter of this publication will be released on the day of the event, with a few words from Chisenhale Gallery, Asymmetry Art Foundation, and a reading from Rachel. Following the reading, join us for a celebratory drink to end the season.

📅 Tuesday 11 February, 7–8pm
📍 Chisenhale Gallery, 64 Chisenhale Road, London, E3 5QZ
🎟️ Free entry, book here: https://chisenhale.org.uk/whats-on/research-20241211-1900/

Please follow the link above for more access information.

Image: Rachel Be-Yun Wang, research image, 2024. Courtesy of Chisenhale Gallery.

23/01/2025

Take a deeper dive into Bruno Zhu's 'License to Live' with a new Walkthrough Video, narrated by the artist.

‘For the visitor, the experience starts with a choice between two doors, but what if it prompts you to leave the gallery instead? Remember that the entrance is also the exit. So don’t stay here. Get out, and go live your life!’ – Bruno Zhu

‘License to Live’ is on view at Chisenhale Gallery until Sunday 2 February.

Entry is free and open to all from Wednesday to Sunday, 12–6pm.

Video by Arturo Bandinelli.

Watch a new video tour of Bruno Zhu’s show ‘License to Live’. The exhibition continues at Chisenhale Gallery until 2 February 2025. To read an…