In our autumn exhibition, Nina Hamnett – ‘Everybody was Furious’, we offer a rare glimpse at the life and legacy of former Fitzrovia resident, artist Nina Hamnett. The show displays six rarely exhibited sketches by the ‘Queen of Bohemia’ (kindly loaned from the museum in her home town of Tenby) set under the chapel’s golden ceiling, a stone’s throw from her former homes and her local pub.
The Fitzrovia Chapel presents a rare glimpse into the life and work of writer and artist Nina Hamnett through an intimate exhibition of rarely seen sketches. ‘Nina Hamnett — ‘Everybody was Furious’ explores this often-overlooked Welsh artist who is central to the creative and cultural legacy of Fitzrovia as well as the wider art scene. Influenced by her own writings and Fitzrovian myth, this is a simple exhibition about the work of a complex woman. The exhibition includes a touching portrait of Nina’s niece, Rosemary Booth-Clibborn, aged 10, and a drawing which has never before been displayed in a public...
Stephen Friedman Gallery will present work by artist Jonathan Baldock at the Fitzrovia Chapel this October. The exhibition, part of Frieze London and Frieze Masters, is called ‘My Biggest Fear Is That Someone Will Crawl Into It’. It is a large, interactive sculpture which visitors can climb into and then listen to recordings by the artist’s mother. The show runs from 2 to 5 October at the chapel and is free to enter. Credits: Jonathan Baldock, ‘My Biggest Fear Is That Someone Will Crawl Into It’, 2017. Mixed media; fabric, wood, bed, light bulb, 2.5 x 2.1 x 1.6m (8...
In this article, we reflect on the fascinating life of the Middlesex Hospital’s chapel, moving from its days in the courtyard at the centre of the hospital though to its current iteration as a community arts space and events venue. The urban and social context of such a rare and unique place is key to understanding how best to put it to work for the community it serves – and we share how the history of the building and our experience as a part of the Fitzrovian community is hugely influenced by the creative and social opportunities in the area past and present....
As part of our Help Keep our Floor Fabulous campaign this year, we are asking for help to raise £5,000 to carry out urgent conservation work on our beautiful mosaic floor. Hundreds of people visit the chapel each month for our free open days and audio events, exhibitions, weddings, baby namings, memorials and guided tours. While this is a wonderful thing, unfortunately a whole panel of tiles has become loose as a result of visitor numbers and is in real danger of further damage. To keep the chapel open and accessible for generations to come, we desperately need to bring in specialist...
Debris, a photography and video exhibition shown as part of Open House London by Milan-based artist Paola Musico, focuses on found, lost and discarded objects in otherworldly beachscapes in the UK and Egypt. Imagining a place which gathers all the lost property in the world, the show draws on inspiration from literature, mythology and psychology.
We are recruiting for new casual team members (casual events hosts and duty managers) to support the chapel across our hires business. The Fitzrovia Chapel is a unique central London venue, a classical and yet unconventional architectural wonder with an innovative and quality cultural life. We provide a secular space within a listed building for civil wedding ceremonies, drinks receptions, live performances, art exhibitions and filming.
One thousand and seventy-eight photographs of the sky above the last known location of every former Nazi Germany concentration camp will go on display at the Fitzrovia Chapel in May. The Blue Skies Project by Belgian artist, Anton Kusters, will be accompanied by an audio work by Ruben Samama, tracking 13-years in real time from the date of the opening of the first concentration camp in Nazi Germany to the closing of the last. This is the first time that this immersive, multi-media installation has gone on display in the capital and will coincide with Photo London. The Blue...
At first glance, you might not consider that the Fitzrovia Chapel would be the first choice for a wildlife photographer to display his enormous, black and white, fine art prints. However, delve a little deeper by talking to Martin Sean (who has his first exhibition at the chapel in April) and a real synergy emerges. Out of the Grey opens at the chapel on 9 April. The chapel interview Chapel: Where did your relationship with the chapel begin? Martin: I was fortunate to be asked to take pictures of the chapel when it reopened after restoration. I loved the...
We’re looking for a Hires and Operations Manager to be responsible for all venue hire bookings and for generating income to support the upkeep of the building and our programme. The focus is primarily on hiring the chapel for weddings, private events and shoots and on managing those bookings. Importantly, you will also manage building maintenance and operations. You will manage the external hires and events from enquiry through contracts, to delivery, at which point you’ll hand over to the superb duty management crew you’ll have skilfully recruited! Our ideal candidate will be hands-on, efficient, proactive in solving problems,...
Elephants of Amboseli, a trio of vultures poised on a branch, and a diminutive desert chameleon tiptoeing across the Namib sands form part of a new photography exhibition at the Fitzrovia Chapel. The April exhibition, Out of the Grey, features exquisite large-scale, black and white fine art images by London-based wildlife photographer Martin Sean. In breathtaking group shots and intimate, emotional close-ups, the show features images from Africa, Asia and both Polar regions. Martin’s portfolio has embraced both underwater photography and a wide range of nature and wildlife photography as he explores every corner of the globe. The ornate, baroque...
A portrait of the artist Grayson Perry which was exhibited at the chapel earlier this year has just been awarded a top photography award. Birth by Richard Ansett has been given the Sony Word Photography Award in the portrait category. The image will now go forward to the final and an exhibition at Somerset House in April. Richard Ansett’s Birth was presented as a huge lightbox lighting the chapel from its position on the altar. It reworked the motif of mother and child, focusing on Perry’s alter ego, Claire. Richard calls it ‘a vulgar appropriation for the 21st Century.’
