a couple of snaps from the Secret show at 97 Clerkenwell Road

Show listing on jotta magazine's website.

Every year the Royal College of Art in London hosts an exhibition and fund-raising sale called, ‘RCA Secret’.  The RCA show includes some 2,600 works of post-card sized art contributed by past and present RCA students, teachers, and associated artists, including many famous names: Tracey Emin, GerhardRichter and Bill Viola, among others.  As the cards are sold at only £40 each it’s possible to make an excellent investment, but the catch is that all cards are sold anonymously so buyers remain ignorant until purchase.

Inspired by the RCA Secret sale, the SALON (LONDON) ‘Secret’ exhibition plays with the question of curatorial relevance – exploring notions of chance and intuition – in the face of overwhelming choice.  Director of SALON (LONDON) and curator of the ‘Secret’ exhibition, Crystal Bennes, documented the process of selecting and purchasing a single card from the thousands on display with the intent to then invite the artist behind that card to produce a solo show.  The ‘Secret’ exhibition comprises all parts of this process: the edited video footage, the original post-card size work and a selection of the artist’s work.

The purchased card was thankfully not by a famous name, but by current RCA student, Noemie Goudal.  Bennes comments: ‘Noemie’s work is thoughtful as well as beautiful, but it also complements the SALON (LONDON) desire to promote the temporal, to react against unity of form and restrictions in theme and disciplinarity: her work isn’t simply photography – it’s architectural and theatrical, combining staged set designs with a narrative approach to storytelling.  Given that the decision to offer Noemie a solo show was made off the back of a single post-card sized work, I couldn’t be more pleased with the result of this rather chaotic process.’

SALON (LONDON)
Presents: ‘Secret’
22 June – 6 July
97 Clerkenwell Road
London EC1R 5BX

This event is generously sponsored by Camden Council

We can’t divulge too many details just yet, but we can tell you that the show is based around the RCA Secret sale and exhibition and that it’s all going down in an exciting new space in a flat in Chelsea.

Keep an eye out on the site for more details – coming soon!

So come see some art, have a drink and chill out.

We’re at 295 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HL, just north of Oxford Street on the West side of Regent Street.

All shows are free, there’s a bar, we’re in central London (Oxford Circus is the closest tube station). Easy.

Find out more about events here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=253237150141&ref=mf

WEEK 1

Tuesday 1^st Sept:

Tom Chivers

Andrew Dawson

Roddy Lumsden

Dead Man In A Box

Wednesday 2^nd Sept:

Exhibition late night opening: 7-9pm

Thursday 3^rd Sept:

Called off due to inclement weather (and shady performers)

Come on Friday. It'll be more fun anyway 

Friday 4^th Sept:

Emma Hughes

Terry Saunders

WEEK 2

Tuesday 8^th Sept:

Nick Garrard

Monsieur Montpellier

Wednesday 9^th Sept:

3 Englishmen

Simon Barraclough

Thursday 10^th Sept:

MEAT Magazine launch issue 8 @ Salon (London)

Friday 11^th Sept:

Ross Sutherland

Sunday Defensive

The evening events are taking place both weeks of the pop-up event, Tuesday to Friday from 19.30 onwards. All events are free of charge. We haven’t completely confirmed the line up yet, but performers are set to include: sketchy antics by The Three Englishmen; flash-fiction storyteller, Emma Hughes; poets Luke Kennard and Tom Chivers; comedian Terry Saunders; physical performer Andrew Dawson, and a special night curated by the one and only Meat Magazine.

Block out your calenders, kids. It’s going to be one hell of a time.

Rosemary Hogarth

Andrew Hollis

Benjamin Cooper

Gemma Gallagher

Robson Cezar

Tessa Whitehead

Lora Hristova

Valery Lippens

Alexandra Valy

Lisa Smithey