We can’t let this pass without a quick word, Hackney’s much loved New Art Projects gallery is, sadly for those of us still hanging on here in this once art-rich part of East London, on the move and off to pastured new (and not long after Roman Road’s migration from Bethnal Green to West London as well as a number of others closing or moving on). Fred Mann has announced he is taking his New Art Projects space off to the Royal Docks, so technically I guess still East London but hey, way out on a limb way over there in Dockland, and yes he, is  kind of stretching it a touch to say the gallery is accessible from Stratford and the Olympic Park. We hope the adventure goes well, there’s been some excellent, dare we say vital shows in that Hackney basement of his over the last eight years (has it really been that long?), we will miss it. Here’s how the gallery broke the news on social media a couple of days ago…     

 “Stop Press! Fred Mann and New Art Projects are delighted to announce our relocation to an exciting new gallery premises in the up-and-coming area of The Royal Docks E16.

The new gallery comprises over 2,000 square feet of exhibition space spread over two floors, as well as private client viewing rooms and ancillary storage. Each space is lit by a wall of glass and both floors have four-meter ceilings, the space will be completely wheel chair accessible.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the artists, critics, collectors and museums who have supported our exhibition program at Sheep Lane during the last eight years and we look forward to welcoming you in our new premises from January 2023 to join us for a new series of exhibitions and publications.

The Gallery will be just a few steps from London’s new City Hall and a short walk from the EXCEL Centre and 12 minutes from London’s City Airport. The gallery is also easily accessible from Stratford, the new home for the BBC, The V&A East, and of course the Olympic Park. The new Gallery is served by two direct train links: the Jubilee Line to Canning Town (four minutes’ walk) and the new Elizabeth Line to Custom House (seven minutes’ walk) as well as DLR services to Custom House, Victoria Dock and Canning Town”.

No news on what’s Fred and his team will do first in their new space yet, good to see that Wheelchair users can now get to see the shows, those steps down to the Hackney basement did add to the drama but not everyone could use them and get down there.  I was going to write a piece about the demise of East London art and how, a couple of days ago. on the first (no capital F, it long since ceased to be an actual thing)  Thursday of November in 2022, there was so little going on when it past years it had been by far the busiest East London art night of the year with so many galleries, pop up shows, artist-led events and exciting art things in all kinds of alternative spaces. You can count the credible working galleries and available alternative East End art spaces without needing too many hands or indeed paint-stained fingers now. Today isn’t the day for that article though, today it is about the Hackney space that was New Art Projects and a celebration of some of the things that happened in the space while we await the next moves over there in in the savageries (or the wastelands?) of Dockland.   

Not everything was brilliant at the Hackney version of New Art Projects, not everything worked, but more often than not it was, more often then not the shows in those four rooms really did work, you never quite knew what you were going to get but you know that it was probably going to be good and that it was worth just going. There’s no reason why we can;t expect that record of quality to continue over in the Royal Docks, we expect the next chapter to be as rewarding as the one that has just closed has been. Our policy here, on the whole, is to only cover the art shows we feel positive about, we did cover most of the shows that happened in that big bright basement (there is a feeling that someone needs to keep a record of these things). Here, by way of celebration and in no particular order, are some of the highlights from the eight years of big white basement space.  

ORGAN THING: Joseph Wilson’s ‘Fragments Between Us’ at New Art Projects – film, fear, defiance, installation, blurred boundaries, don’t miss it! – Joseph Wilson’s ‘Fragments Between Us’, New Art Projects, East London, August 2022  – I haven’t quite worked out what was happening at New Art Projects last week? That opening down in the basement was stupidly hot in many more ways that just the obvious one during this damn heatwave and I must confess by the… read on

ORGAN THING: Andrew and Eden Kötting at Hackney’s New Art Projects, phishing against the tide? Is it really that simple? That brilliant? Far more complex? The Wondrous Realities – Andrew and Eden Kötting – Excuse me, can you help me please? I’m terribly worried at New Art Projects, hackney, London, June2022 –  It isn’t quite a sense of innocence or, well, no, not quite a sense of anything that I want to try and (hopelessly) put a finger on. What are we seeing here? Whatever it… read on

ORGAN THING: Charles Williams at New Art Projects. There’s a warmth here, a feeling of a painter loving what he’s doing, a painter lost, in the best possible way… – The Charles Williams exhibition just opened at Hackney’s New Art Projects, once again it feels dramatic descending those stairs into the big bright white-walled basement space, it always feels exciting going down there and getting a first glimpse of a new show. Charles Williams is an interesting painter, an exciting one, a slightly mysterious one,… read on

ORGAN THING: James Crowther’s I’ll Drive at New Art Projects, Hackney, a show that celebrates humanity, an artist always worth checking out… – James Crowther – I’ll Drive at New Art Projects, Hackney, East London – Yeah, I know, really should have written something about this show when it opened back in January, there is no real excuse, it was one of the stand out shows in what was a bit of a disappointing start to the art… read on

ORGAN THING: Franko B, Sadie Lee, two essential art shows at Hackney’s New Art Projects… – Yeah, I know, where has it all been? Does any of it matter? Does dancing around the architecture of art matter? This is to a what? The opening night was busy, that hum of a good opening night, those elbows and people standing in front of paintings talking, cheap wine or whatever happens to be… read on

ORGAN THING: Two new shows at Hackney’s New Art Projects, Karen Finley’s way with words, Jonny Green’s powerful portrait play… – “Share and share alike” shouted the very colourfully dressed woman on Sheep Lane, I’m not sure who she was shouting at or if she had a point, maybe that was the point? Off to take in some more of the art East London’s galleries have to offer on the second Thursday of September, off to… read on

ORGAN THING: Adam Hennessey, Kate Belton, two very fine art shows at New Art Projects, Hackney, London… – There are two shows on at New Art Projects at the moment, once again the two sit together rather well, they compliment without ever infringing on each other. Of course the layout of the Hackney gallery lends itself well to more than one show and yes, it would be so easy to put two artists… read on

ORGAN THING: The day the world turned dayglo, Hattie Malcomson’s brightness, a painterly statement of intent next to Alex Hudson’s European “traditions” at East London’s New Art Projects… – Getting back in the saddle again both in terms of going to galleries and getting around to writing about going to galleries is taking a little time, back in those carefree days before Covid an art gallery was at least a three days a week habit, a matter of must have more art. Cold turkey… read on

ORGAN THING: Zachari Logan, Fergus Hare and Fredrik Andersson at New Art Projects, Hackney – glorious paintings, trophies that are far more than just playful, do catch it all if the lockdown lets you… – Zachari Logan / Fergus Hare / Fredrik Andersson at New Art Projects, Hackney, East London – October / Novermber 2020 A couple of weeks ago the Zachari Logan exhibition looked a little lost, a touch forlorn, it actually felt a little sad to be in there in a mask in an empty gallery trying to… read on

ORGAN THING: Zachari Logan’s powerfully exquisite Wildman, Tales from the Bone Garden at New Art Projects, East London, an exhibition to see if you can… – Zachari Logan – Tales from the Bone Garden at New Art Projects, East London – It is almost a relief to mask up and actually step inside an East London gallery these days, since we all shut down in March thee have been so few opportunities or indeed shows enticing enough to make us want… read on

ORGAN THING: Transformations, Sue Tilley, Dylan Meade and Fredrik Andersson at New Art Projects, Hackney, more of a beautiful thing than “controversial” thing… – Transformations Sue Tilley, Dylan Meade, Fredrik Andersson.at New Art Projects, Hackney, East London (July 2019) – So what to make of this one?, What to make of everything right now? Going to as many London shows as ever but where has the spark gone? Is it just me? Not seeing so many shows that really… read on

ORGAN THING: The beauty of twilight horizon, Fergus Hare’s new work at New Art Projects, Freya Douglas-Morris at Lychee One… – Cats aside, on we go, nothing much to report from the art shows explored on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday then, what did Thursday have to offer? Well Freya Douglas-Morris had a show opening at the rather understated Lychee One gallery that quietly nestles over in the fast changing hinterlands between London Fields and Mare… read on

ORGAN THING: Francis Wilks and Zachari Logan at New Art Projects, Anne Lacheiner-Kuhn at Nelly Duff, Grace Morgan Pardo at Shipton Street, Florence Hutchings at Delphian Gallery, a little more than just another night of East London art? – There’s quite a few gallery openings around the side streets of East London tonight, enticing new art shows and galleries bursting into action for what some insist is the start of the new art season, never really got that new season notion, art doesn’t really stop does it? There’s shows and openings and fairs and… read on

ORGAN THING: Day two and a bit, the delightful excitement of Nicholas Crombach and Brian Paumier’s New Art Projects shows, giant fire-breathing spiders in Hackney Wick and… – Day two and a bit and on with the poking about in the art spaces of East London and some kind of notion of writing down the adventures of a whole week, well that was the idea, tales of giant hundred foot tall flame throwing spiders in Hackney Wick as another building comes down and… read on

ORGAN THING: Mat Humphrey’s painterly light, the sound of his paint and another opening at New Art Projects… – MAT HUMPHREY – It Comes in Waves at New Art Projects, Hackney, London E8, November 2017 –  The exhibition appears very sparse as you walk down those very white stairs, almost bare in this very white basement gallery space, that first powerful  impression as you descend – always a dramatic entry when a new show… Read on

ORGAN THING: The delight of Permindar Kaur’s horns and claws at New Art Projects… – Almost don’t won’t to post any photos of  Permindar Kaur‘s first major solo show in London since the inclusion of her work in ‘At Home with Art’ at the Tate in 2000.  To post the photos is to deprive you on the delight as you walk down the stairs and catch a first view of… read on

ORGAN THING: Smile, the art year has started, Adam Hennessey at New Art Projects… – Snow, rain and January cold versus art galleries and show openings, quite a few East London openings tonight, scattered far and wide once more and it is snowing out there but the year does finally feel like it might be threatening to start in terms of art and galleries – Charlie Smith’s Young Gods, Jose… read on

ORGAN THING: Those other portraits of Hedley Roberts, those Himbad demons and another Thursday night rushing around East London… – Another Thursday night, let’s get out there, on with the exploring of art and art spaces and eyes and mouths and paint and little monsters and meeting people and basements alive with that hum of an opening night, alive with paint and life and people and chatter and cheap wine and cheaper larger and people… read on

ORGAN THING: Zachari Logan’s rather splendid leaf-filled exhibition Wreath opens at New Art Projects…. – Zachari Logan’s solo show opened at Fred Mann’s New Art Projects gallery space in that very white basement over in Hackney, East London last night. Leaves, layers, wreaths, circles, beginnings, ends. Elaborate work, some beautiful pieces, the Canadian artist has delicate strength, a Victorian aesthetic, a classical feel, the romance of death, of life, of leaves… read on

ORGAN THING: Last night’s art show openings – Alex J Wood delights at New Art Projects, Danai Anesiadou excites at Wilkinson… – Second Thursday of 2016 and more East London art openings, no waiting around for things in car parks this year so it seems, we’re up and running already. Last week it was Reveal, this week there’s quite a few shows to choose from, we opt to head for for a couple of intriguing shows opening… read on

ORGAN: Laura Bruce’s Love and Other Machines opens at New Art Projects… – LAURA BRUCE, Love and Other Machines @ New Art Projects, London, E8 – Really like this space (rather like the running water feature) love the way the four rooms allow a show to breathe, and I do like descending those white stairs to be greeted by the latest offering to be found in this very…read on

ORGAN THING: English Magic, four painters, a glorious show and a far from dismal land… – Almost a relief to see a new art space opening in East London, especially one as promising as this basement space just by Broadway and a stones-throw from the now pretty much obliterated Vyner Street.  English Magic in the first show in Fred Mann’s New Art Project space just over the road from the Regent’s… read on

There’s probably more, shows that we’ve covered and now missed out in this quick round up, there’s been some excellent shows in that basement, we look forward to the next chapter – “We are on the move. We have a new gallery for you to visit soon, opening January 2023”. For more details watch this space…

NEW ART PROJECTS