City Racing

Coordinates: 51°28′58″N 0°6′50″W / 51.48278°N 0.11389°W / 51.48278; -0.11389

City Racing
Established 1988
Founders Matt Hale, Paul Noble, John Burgess, Keith Coventry, Peter Owen
Extinction 1998
Type artist-run space
Focus contemporary art, pop art,
Location
Key people
 Matt Hale, Paul Noble, John Burgess, Keith Coventry, Peter Owen, Sarah Lucas, Fiona Banner, Lucy Gunning, Ceal Floyer, Gillian Wearing

City Racing was an artist-run space in Kennington, South London which was active between 1988 and 1998. It was a cooperative by five artists Matt Hale, Paul Noble, John Burgess, Keith Coventry and Peter Owen. They set up the gallery in a former betting shop near The Oval Cricket Ground, hence the derivation of the gallery name.[1] City Racing became an important and renowned exhibition space; its openings provided a networking opportunity for many artists.

History

A show was organised by Keith Coventry and Peter Owen as a way to show their work without having to court commercial West End galleries, which could be difficult and intimidating to approach without a reputation. Matt Hale became involved in the second show, which was the derelict betting shop which Coventry was using as his studio. Matt Hale said "We tried to make it as white-cube like as possible, as gallery-like as possible. "[2]

Artists who had early exhibitions at City Racing include Sarah Lucas, Fiona Banner, Lucy Gunning, Ceal Floyer and Gillian Wearing. In 1993 the space received some funding from the London Arts Board.

Influence

In its later years, City Racing was accepted to some extent by the art establishment, and was viewed by some as a route for artists to other more commercial and established galleries. It was featured in Time Out and City Limits as part of a new alternative art scene happening in London. This led to a benefit for the gallery organised by Karsten Schubert. David Burrows wrote that "in one sense, City Racing refused to be marginalised from the mainstream and had conventional career aspirations. "[2]

A retrospective book was published by Black Dog, called City Racing, The Life and Times of an artist Run Gallery. In 2001 the Institute of Contemporary Arts presented a retrospective of work exhibited at City Racing, entitled City Racing 1988-98: a Partial Account. [3]

See also

Further reading

External links

References

  1. ↑ Lack, Jessica (12 November 2008). "Artist of the week 15: Paul Noble". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  2. 1 2 Burrows, David (Spring 1998). "Career Opportunities, the ones that never knock". Variant (5). Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Cumming, Laura (28 January 2001). "An odds-on favourite". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
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