2022 was a big year for Enter Gallery! Not only did we head out on tour around the UK, but it was the year that we celebrated 30 years as Brighton’s leading independent gallery.
Given we were in the party mood, it’s no surprise we held as many shindigs as possible to give us the chance to toast new and existing artists over many a glass of bubbles.
In today’s blog, we’re rounding up all of Enter Gallery’s 2022 art shows, so you can get an idea of what kind of events we’ll be hosting more of in 2023…
JANUARY
Rare Print Show
We kicked off 2022 in style with our first Rare Print Show of the year. The show gives Enter Gallery patrons the chance to purchase rare and collectible pieces from some of the world’s most renowned artists.
For this show, we broke out the big guns with incredible works from the likes of Banksy, David Shrigley, Damien Hirst and Chris Levine all finding new homes.
FEBRUARY
30 Years of Enter Gallery: Honouring Peter Blake
In the year that we celebrated 30 years of Enter Gallery, we also wanted to celebrate one of our longest-running relationships with an artist – Sir Peter Blake.
Over the years, Enter Gallery has hosted launches, held birthday parties and raised funds for the local community alongside Blake, so what better way to honour the iconic artist than with a show in his honour.
In 30 Years of Enter Gallery: Honouring Peter Blake we showcased a broad and rare selection of Blake’s art, encompassing everything from etchings and watercolours, to collage and lenticulars.
MARCH
Sound and Vision Group Typography Show
In our first group show of 2022, we asked our wonderful artists to create an original typographic artwork, or small limited edition based on a song or lyric that inspired them.
The result was Sound and Vision – a show featuring beautiful works immortalising the likes of Blondie, Radiohead, David Bowie and The Prodigy.
To launch the show, we hosted a Private View attended by many of the participating artists, including Mike Edwards, Poppy Faun, Eddy Bennett and Rebecca Strickson.
APRIL
Too Much of A Good Thing by Charlotte Rose
At Enter Gallery, we pride ourselves on supporting exciting up-and-coming talent, and in 2022 we extended this beyond the Brighton gallery to sponsor Charlotte Rose’s second solo show in London.
Too Much of A Good Thing took Central London by storm with its exploration of the ‘artistry of classic brands’ and how they do their very best to not acknowledge that their products are killing us softly.
Ink and Paper by Mateo Humano
Since the moment we first met Mateo Humano at Miami Art Week in 2019, we have wanted to bring him to Brighton for a solo show. Unfortunately, the pandemic threw a spanner in the works, but in 2022 we finally made it happen.
For his solo show, Ink and Paper, Mateo presented a beautiful selection of new limited edition prints, alongside his Urban Wallpaper series of six original paintings on wallpaper. Speaking of his Urban Wallpaper series, he explains:
"The idea for ‘Urban Wallpaper’ is my way of bridging the gap between the street and the gallery. I liked the idea of taking something originally designed to decorate the inside of a house and putting it outside."
JUNE
Peter Blake’s 90th Birthday
Given Enter Gallery’s decades-long relationship with Sir Peter Blake, it seemed only fitting that we celebrate his 90th birthday in style with a Private View held in his honour.
Enter Gallery is one of the UKs biggest purveyors of Blake’s work, so in June we cracked out some really special works by him and invited his biggest fans.
The night was a fun celebration of one of Pop Art’s biggest stars, and saw works from lauded collections such as his Found Art, American Trilogy and Venice Suite series on the walls.
Art Yard Sale
In June, we finally saw the triumphant return of one of our favourite fixtures on our annual events calendar – Enter Gallery’s Art Yard Sale. This was the first in-person Art Yard Sale since the pandemic, and needless to say…we were excited!
Held as part of Brighton Fringe, the event saw more than 30 leading contemporary artists man their own market stall packed full of their art, in Brighton’s Jubilee Square.
Luckily the weather behaved and before we’d even declared the Yard Sale open, queues had formed around the block with people looking to snap up work from their favourite artists, at special Art Yard Sale prices.
We had a great turnout of artists with the likes of Mike Edwards, Sara Pope, Craig Keenan and Joe Webb manning busy stalls. We can’t wait for next year!
JULY
Since 16 by Arron Crascall
In July, social media sensation Arron Crascall had his first solo show at Enter Gallery.
Since 16, so-named because Crascall has dreamt of exhibiting his art since he was 16, featured a series of original paintings, alongside a timed release limited edition print of his piece, Air Max Ballet.
With fans all around the world, and some of them household names like Seth Rogen and Ryan Reynolds, it’s little surprise that Crascall’s show was a smash hit.
AUGUST
Pulling Faces by Fanakapan
Minds were blown in August by the bafflingly-realistic art of renowned street artist and ‘pioneer of balloon graffiti’, Fanakapan.
The show featured a selection of original 3D sculptures, hand-finished unique prints and a limited edition print, Party Heads, that is exclusive to Enter Gallery.
With an enormous international fan base, by the time the show opened, many of Fanakapan’s original pieces had already sold. This didn’t deter the street art fans who clambered through the gallery doors to see how Fanakapan’s unrivalled skill with a paint can translated onto the walls of the gallery.
SEPTEMBER
Rare Print Show
When September arrived, it was time to re-open the Enter Gallery vault for our second Rare Print Show of the year.
We held a Private View to celebrate the occasion, welcoming guests to our Brighton gallery to experience rare works from Mr Brainwash, Obey aka Shepard Fairey, Michael Craig-Martin, Peter Blake and more with their own eyes.
Virtual Art Yard Sale
In the last weekend of September, we took our Art Yard Sale online, launching a weekend of exclusive artworks at special prices with an artist-studded Private View.
Lots of the artists made it down for the show, including Sara Pope, Haus of Lucy, Richard Berner, Sarah Arnett and Hannah Shillito.
We love seeing our artists mingling with art lovers, and getting the chance to chat to fans of their work about their techniques and the inspirations behind their works, so a fun night was had by all.
OCTOBER
Mark Vessey’s House Party
In October, Enter Gallery launched the latest piece in Mark Vessey’s coveted Collections Series with a good old fashioned house party.
In House, Vessey brings together a selection of classic dance music records from the likes of Deee-Lite, Todd Terry and Snap!
Revellers spilled from the doors of the gallery and out onto Bond Street, dancing the night away to fitting house music classics supplied by local DJ, Billy Nasty.
Playtime by RYCA
Later in the month, we were excited to bring you a new show from one of our most popular artists. And this time, RYCA was trying something a little different…his first ever series of paintings.
For Playtime, RYCA took us back to the days of the Sega Master System, replicating old school Sega packaging with nods to modern culture, such as Drake’s smash hit, Hotline Bling and internet terminology like, Cool Story Bro.
NOVEMBER
Enter Gallery’s London-Pop Up
In November, we decided it was time to transport our gallery’s unique offering of artists to the nation’s capital, so we set up shop for 10 days at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.
We launched the Pop-Up with a Private View, where people piled through the doors to see new original works from the likes of Charlotte Rose and Elizabeth Waggett, alongside new pieces from Magnus Gjoen, Gavin Mitchell and Dave White.
On Sunday 20th, the Pop-Up came alive with colour courtesy of Hannah Shillito and Yan Skates, a vibrant match made in heaven.
The pair were there to launch their cheeky collection of limited edition art prints from their Hannah Shillito x Yan Skates collection, teaming Skates’ floristry skills, with Shillito’s typography prowess.
Following the huge success of Since 16, we also were excited to bring Arron Crascall to our London Pop-Up for a private view of a new series of originals. The show saw Crascall take his work in a different direction to his solo show.
Typically, Crascall begins his creative process by painting words describing how he is feeling onto the canvas, before painting over the top. For this series, he decided to switch things up. He explains:
“[For the show] I’ve done a series of three paintings where I’ve done things the other way round. I’ve painted the canvas first and then put wording over the top – just to give people a little glimpse into the madness really.”
More than 400 people came down on the night, keen to catch a glimpse of these new works and to meet the man himself.
Enter Gallery’s London Pop-Up was a huge success, and we’re excited to start planning for when and where we’ll be popping up next year.
If you’d like to be kept abreast of all of the events taking place at Enter Gallery in 2023, sign up to our mailing list here.
