Ex-fellows John Vincent, Louise Lahive and Hideki Arichi will be showing work alongside Sean Pearce, Chantelle Stephenson, Callum Abbott, Iona McCuaig, Yarli Allison at the artlicks weekend.

PV October 17th at ASC Gallery London SE172DG

‘The Simple Lifers’, this exhibition title is a play on the words of the early settlers of the Letchworth Garden City, which is where the EastCheap Studios are located. They would typically wear just a smock and sandals. Tourists from London would mock and gawk at them and laugh, making illustrations belittling the residents. It’s been suggested that the state of the town is due to the obsession with aesthetic conservation that disregards the bohemian socialist origins that the foundation was once based upon. The exhibition takes the time to explore the EastCheap Studio artwork and the ambition of the alternative culture which has taken the dare to question the status quo. The work is done as an interaction of the open-plan design of EastCheap studios which is similar to an old-fashioned art school. Intended to encourage both support and welcoming, it is an inclusive workspace for all professional artists.

The works are the development of regular and casual discussion between artists within the region as well as those who are in residency. This all happens beneath the studios. The purpose is to interject positive energy and inspire those artists to continue with fresh ideas. The work is designed and created by resident artists as a part of the exhibition along with the EastCheap project to show how the relationship is vital to the Hertfordshire area. EastCheap aspires to chime in with the hosting space of the ASC Gallery itself. This draws attention to the statement that EastCheap is the best and only space for such projects in the region. As more artists find out about it, the goal will be achieved, and the region will continue to grow and expand.