The Square Mile's streets have been transformed by a stunning splash of colour – not from the city's iconic street performers or bustling market stalls, but from a vibrant new art gallery that's popped up in the heart of the financial district. Tucked away at No 1 Poultry, this temporary treasure trove is breathing fresh life into an otherwise vacant unit, offering free exhibitions to locals and visitors alike.
Aviva Investors and CO-RE have teamed up with charitable partner Hypha Studios for this innovative urban regeneration project, which showcases a growing trend of repurposing empty spaces for cultural and community gain. The unit's eventual rebirth as new offices may be just around the corner, but for now, it's serving as a creative hub where art meets activism.
Currently taking centre stage is 'Vibrantform', an electrifying exhibition curated by an intergenerational group of black male artists, which runs until 29 August. Expect to be wowed by a kaleidoscope of artistic mediums, from painting and sculpture to photography, soundscapes, and animations – all exploring themes of identity, belonging, memory, and everyday life through the lens of Black diasporic histories.
New exhibitions are set to rotate into the space approximately every seven weeks, keeping the programme fresh and dynamic. Kate Hart, CEO Eastern City, hailed the project as a "real, genuine space for connection, curiosity, and creativity" that will serve as a hub for the city's workforce and visitors over the next year.
Will Austin, Cultural Partnerships Manager at the Eastern City BID, echoed this sentiment, praising the power of collaborative partnerships in unlocking vacant spaces for meaningful cultural activation. The Hypha x Eastern City Studios project is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm (with a short break between 2:15pm and 3pm), offering anyone an accessible opportunity to engage with contemporary art in one of London's most iconic locations – pop along to 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EN.