Studio Voltaire is a non-profit gallery and artist studios based in

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

, South London. The organisation focuses on contemporary arts, staging a celebrated public programme of exhibitions, performances, and live events. Studio Voltaire invests in the production of new work and often gives artists their first opportunity for a solo exhibition in London. The gallery space is housed in a Victorian former Methodist Chapel and artist commissions frequently take the form of site-specific installation, focusing on the unique architecture of the space. Studio Voltaire also provides affordable workspace to over 40 artists and hosts artist residencies with a variety of national and international partners. Since 2011 the ''Not Our Class ''programme has provided a series of participation and research projects for local audiences. In 2011 Studio Voltaire was awarded with regular funding from

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

as a National Portfolio Organisation. Joe Scotland is the Director of Studio Voltaire.

National exhibitions and events

1994

*Studio Voltaire established in Voltaire Road, Clapham, by a small artist collective.

1999

*Studio Voltaire moved to its current location in a former Methodist Chapel at Nelson’s Row, Clapham

2005

*Studio Voltaire produced its first Print Portfolio including editions by acclaimed artists

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller (born 30 March 1966) is an English people, English conceptual, video and installation artist. Much of Deller's work is Collaboration, collaborative; it has a strong political aspect, in the subjects dealt with and also the Idealiz ...

Mark Titchner Mark Titchner (born 1973) is an English artist, and 2006 nominee for the Turner Prize. He lives and works in London. Focusing on an exploration of words and language, in recent years much of his production has been based in the public realm bot ...

and

Spartacus Chetwynd Monster Chetwynd (born Alalia Chetwynd, 1973, best known as Spartacus Chetwynd and Marvin Gaye Chetwynd) is a British artist known for reworkings of iconic moments from cultural history in improvised performances. In 2012, she was nominated for ...

. The organisation has subsequently developed a strong reputation for producing affordably priced artist editions, including works by

Cory Arcangel Cory Arcangel (born May 25, 1978) is an American post-conceptual artist who makes work in many different media, including drawing, music, video, performance art, and video game modifications, for which he is best known. Arcangel often uses the ...

Ryan McGinley Ryan McGinley (born October 17, 1977) is an American photographer living in New York City. McGinley began making photographs in 1998. In 2003, at the age of 25, he was one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of Ameri ...

and

Wolfgang Tillmans Wolfgang Tillmans (born 16 August 1968) is a German photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations. Tillmans was the first photog ...

. * Studio Voltaire commissioned

’s ''The Walk to Dover'', the artist’s first offsite project, involving a week-long expedition from London to Dover

2006

* Studio Voltaire began an artist residency programme in collaboration with the Berlin Cultural Senate and

Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...

, London to host a Berlin-based artist with workspace for a 10-month period. * Elizabeth Price presented her first video work ''A Public Lecture & Exhumation''

2007

* Georgian-born artist

Thea Djordjadze Tea Jorjadze Thea Djordjadze ( ka, თეა ჯორჯაძე; born 1971 in Tbilisi, Georgia) is a contemporary artist based in Berlin, Germany. She is best known for sculpture and installation art, but also works in a variety of other media ( ...

presented ''Possibility Nansen'', her first exhibition in the UK following a residency period at Studio Voltaire

2009

* Studio Voltaire commissioned Nairy Baghramian’s exhibition ''Butcher, Barber, Angler & Others'', the artist’s first exhibition in the UK. *

Cathy Wilkes Cathy Wilkes (born 1966) is a Northern Irish artist who lives and works in Glasgow. She makes sculpture, paintings, and installations. She was the recipient of the Inaugural Maria Lassnig Prize in 2017 and was commissioned to create the British Pa ...

presented a mixed media installation entitled ''Mummy’s here'', the first exhibition since her nomination for the Turner Prize in 2008.

2010

Phyllida Barlow Dame Phyllida Barlow (born 4 April 1944) is a British artist. She studied at Chelsea College of Art (1960–63) and the Slade School of Art (1963–66). She joined the staff of the Slade in the late 1960s and taught there for more than forty y ...

’s critically acclaimed installation ''Bluff'' led to widespread recognition for the artist, including a subsequent presentation with Nairy Baghramian at the

Serpentine Gallery The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery, ...

and commercial representation with Hauser & Wirth. * Studio Voltaire established ''House of Voltaire'', an offsite temporary shop.

2011

* Studio Voltaire initiated ''Not Our Class,'' a programme of education and participatory projects exploring the legacy of photographer

Jo Spence Jo Spence (15 June 1934, London – 24 June 1992) was a British photographer, a writer, cultural worker, and a photo therapist. She began her career in the field of commercial photography but soon started her own agency which specialised in fa ...

. Collaborators included Marysia Lewandowska and The Jo Spence Memorial Archive, Rehana Zaman working with King’s College Hospital and Body & Soul, research group X Marks The Spot and Intoart. * Mark Francis Writer, Curator and Director,

Gagosian Gallery Gagosian is a contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Larry Gagosian. The gallery exhibits some of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are 16 gallery spaces: five in New York City; three in London; two in Par ...

, London appointed as Chair of Trustees.

2012

* In collaboration with

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

Studio Voltaire mounted the first major retrospective of photographer

on the twentieth anniversary of her death.

2021

In 2021 Studio Voltaire reopened following a £2.8m renovation project designed by the architects Matheson Whiteley. The project took existing studio space for 30 artists and increased its capacity to 75, as well as improving the quality and heating of the studios. Studio Voltaire's design shop, House of Voltaire, was given a permanent home as part of the renovation works.

References

External links

Studio Voltaire website
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