It’s almost the end of year, and you know what that means… it’s time for our annual round-up of Enter Gallery’s 2024 events!
Time really does fly at Enter Gallery, and this is because we’re always working hard to bring you Brighton’s best art events. With a schedule packed with monthly Private Views, live podcast recordings, workshops, and more, every time we open the gallery doors it’s with the aim of bringing the community together to celebrate the wonder of creativity.
2024 has been quite the year. Here’s our recap…
JANUARY
Rare Print Show
We started the year in style, presenting our Rare Print Show of some of the most unusual and in-demand artworks we have in the Enter Gallery archive.
For the show, we curated an enviable collection of more than 50 artworks by some of the most influential names in modern art, including ‘Godfather of Pop Art’ – Peter Blake, Young British Artists (YBAs) - Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Gavin Turk, and their influential teacher (who was also the subject of an extensive retrospective at the Royal Academy in 2024), Michael Craig-Martin.
The show also featured several works by Banksy, including Flying Copper – a rare piece dating all the way back to 2003 and his very first art show, Turf War.
Explore the Rare Print Show 2024 collection
MARCH
Fatboy Slim x Jessica van der Weert: 10 Years Photographing a Legend
Brighton art events don’t come much more exciting than when teamed with an appearance from the city’s most famous resident, Fatboy Slim!
On a rainy night in March, people queued round the block for our celebration of the 10-year collaboration between the superstar DJ and his official photographer, Jessica van der Weert.
The show brought together van der Weert’s most iconic imagery of Cook, used to promote his concerts, festival and club appearances around the world from Iceland to Ibiza.
Also on display was van der Weert’s FlipSide series, in which she captures the biggest names in dance music enjoying the hobbies they adore in their spare time. The exhibition featured icons of the UK dance music scene, including Goldie, Boy George, Carl Cox and Annie Mac.
View Jessica van der Weert artworks
Botanical Scapes by Jana Nicole
Later in March, we celebrated the launch of Botanical Scapes by Jana Nicole – an award-winning artist revered for intricate collages that explore the mystical world of mushrooms.
For her first solo show at Enter Gallery, Jana Nicole teamed up with prestigious printmakers, Harwood King to create something extra special. Each piece in her Uniques series was painstakingly-crafted from layers of digitally-printed acrylic before being hand-embellished.
This colourful show looked absolutely beautiful in the gallery, and launch night was made extra special by a performance unlike any other the gallery had seen before. DJ Brian D’Souza aka Auntie Flo was on the decks, mixing sound recordings taken directly from fungi to create his distinctive sound.
APRIL
All Things Fungi at Enter Gallery
To complement Jana Nicole’s Botanical Scapes exhibition, we also hosted All Things Fungi at Enter Gallery – an evening of insightful talks curated by Jana Nicole and her fellow co-founders of Sussex festival, All Things Fungi.
Speaking on the night about the fascinating world of world of mushrooms, moss and mycelium was Max Mudie – a mycologist, macro photographer and co-founder of All Things Fungi, Oli Genn-Bash – who introduced us to the world of psychedelics, and Elvis Benson – who spoke about mushroom cultivation.
Jamie Reid: A Lifetime of Radical Gestures
After his passing in 2023, we couldn’t let this year go by without honouring the late, great Jamie Reid at our show, Jamie Reid: A Lifetime of Radical Gestures.
Having worked closely with Reid for many years, we were proud to host a retrospective celebrating his unique rebellious spirit and prolific artistic output.
Few artists leave a legacy quite so significant as Reid. While he’s best known for his work as artistic director for the Sex Pistols, Reid created thousands of political works over the course of his career that remain poignant to this day.
We had a vast selection of Jamie Reid artworks on display, including early pieces created while he was editor at Suburban Press, his many subversions of Queen Elizabeth II, and several artworks from his post-punk years.
At the Private View, we heard from Reid’s gallerist and long-term friend, John Marchant, who told wonderful stories about working with Reid over the years.
At the event, we also launched Anarchy in the UK, one of the final artworks created by Reid before his passing. This punk piece is a fitting tribute to a legendary artist, and a rousing cry for people to rise up together to fight oppression and injustice.
JUNE
Art Yard Sale
At the start of June, our ever-popular Art Yard Sale made its triumphant return to Jubilee Square to round-off Brighton Fringe.
For the event, we brought together a fabulous selection of contemporary artists for an unforgettable art market, with bargains and rare finds abound. To lure in the punters, our artists came up with an array of activities on their stalls, including Vintage Shuffle’s Wheel of Fortune and live screen printing from Andrew Millar.
Enter Gallery Presents Peter Blake: A Print Retrospective
We couldn’t let June pass without marking the 92nd birthday of the ‘Godfather of Pop Art’, Sir Peter Blake.
We’ve worked closely with Blake since 2007, and Enter Gallery proudly holds one of the world’s largest collections of his printed editions. This retrospective was therefore a comprehensive celebration of almost every defining stage of Blake’s career.
Peter Blake: A Print Retrospective showcased all the artistic styles for which he is best known. This included typographic works, watercolour paintings, found art works, and collage.
JULY
Carl by Mark Vessey
Every time Brighton photographer Mark Vessey launches a new piece, we’re guaranteed to be in for a good party. In fact, over the years, Vessey’s Private Views have been some of Enter Gallery’s most legendary events. Our July offering was no different.
We threw a shindig to celebrate a new release from his sought-after Collections series, and this time, Vessey was honouring the ‘three-deck wizard’ himself – techno legend, Carl Cox.
We were delighted to welcome both Vessey and Carl Cox to the launch, both of whom chatted about the collaboration to BBC news crews before mingling with the packed out, music-loving crowd.
AUGUST
Elizabeth Waggett Live Podcast Recording
August was a busy month for us at Enter Gallery, with plenty of fun packed in. We kicked things off with an intimate live podcast recording with beloved contemporary artist, Elizabeth Waggett.
Waggett joined us all the way from the USA to launch her Magnificent Standards series of exquisite original works, and to enjoy an in-depth conversation with Stuart Holdsworth – host of Enter Gallery’s podcast, Art Related Noise.
On the night, collectors travelled to Enter Gallery to meet Waggett and to hear personal stories from the artist herself. Waggett spoke candidly about her working class beginnings, the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, and the invaluable relationship between artist and collector.
Watch the video here, or listen to the podcast.
View Elizabeth Waggett artworks
Peter Blake’s CCA Art Bus comes to Brighton
As an extra special treat for Peter Blake fans, in August we also organised for Blake’s CCA Art Bus to come to Brighton for the day. Onboard the bus is a mobile gallery of several of Blake’s most iconic works, with pieces from his Replay and Homage to Rauschenberg series’.
In a prize draw, a selection of lucky folk won a ticket to ride. Over a glass or two of bubbles, we chatted about Blake and his artistic legacy, as the bus took a tour of the sights of Brighton.
Slim Aarons Summer Soiree
In the absence of any significant sunshine this summer, we decided to whisk our patrons away to the beaches and unending glamour found in Slim Aarons photography at our Slim Aarons Summer Soiree.
This elegant evening honoured the extensive archive of the iconic photographer. It also marked the end of our summer sale, which ran throughout August and offered customers 15% off all Slim Aarons artworks.
On the night, we had the team from Regal Rogue whipping up delicious vermouth cocktails inspired by the glamorous world that Slim Aarons captured.
SEPTEMBER
Jessica van der Weert Portrait Masterclass
In September, Jessica van der Weert returned to the gallery to teach aspiring photographers the art of portrait photography.
At the session, van der Weert shared experience and expertise, providing pointers on what makes a great portrait. Participants were then set the task of capturing their own portrait, before receiving critique designed to help them improve.
The Mix
To round-off September, we hosted The Mix – a group show of original artworks from our impressive roster of contemporary artists.
This show brought together some of the most exciting names on the contemporary art scene, and gave our customers the unique opportunity to snap up original works by many a star on the rise.
The Mix lived up to its name, showcasing works in multiple styles. We had original paintings from the likes of Charlotte Rose and Marcelina Amelia, graffiti works from Fanakapan, and even some textile art courtesy of Mateo Humano and Sarah Arnett.
To make things extra special, we also welcomed three incredible new artists to the gallery just in time for them to be a part of show. These new additions included SYMBLE – an artist known for his modern interpretations of classic pieces by the likes of Basquiat and Warhol, Alison Lapper – a prominent artist known for exploring themes of beauty and physical normality via paintings done with her mouth, and Unga of Broken Fingaz – the internationally-renowned crew heralded with pioneering Israel’s graffiti scene.
OCTOBER
Love Letters by RYCA
In October, we presented the latest solo show from prominent British artist, RYCA. Love Letters was RYCA’s ode to romance, captured via references from popular culture, music and film.
The show put RYCA’s popular typographic works front and centre, with swoon-worthy lyrics from the likes of John Legend, Whitney Houston, and Elvis Presley, alongside sweet nothings uttered in legendary flicks like Star Wars, Jerry Maguire and Frozen.
Guests at the Private View were also wooed with a passionate performance from Aaron Shrimpton – a wonderful poet whose words about love were used to capture the sentiment behind the show.
View RYCA’s Love Letters Collection
NOVEMBER
Art Yard Sale ONLINE
We love our Art Yard Sale so much that we can’t resist doing it twice a year! Across the Black Friday weekend, we brought you our Art Yard Sale ONLINE, giving art lovers the chance to snap up limited edition art at special prices, just in time for Christmas.
Our online edition welcomed many Art Yard Sale favourites, including Sara Pope, Richard Berner, Magnus Gjoen, Haus of Lucy and CJP.
With close to 40 contemporary artists contributing exclusive works especially for the event, our Art Yard Sale ONLINE presented a great opportunity to add works to your collection by some of the most exciting artists on the scene.
DECEMBER
Dan Baldwin x Enter Gallery: 20 Years
And finally, we saw out 2024 in style, hosting a visually-spectacular solo show from esteemed British artist, Dan Baldwin.
Dan Baldwin x Enter Gallery: 20 Years was a fantastic celebration of Baldwin distinctive approach to colour and composition, showcasing how his contemplation of the world around him has impacted his art over the two decades that he’s been one of Enter Gallery’s most popular artists.
In the run up to his December show, Dan Baldwin also appeared at Brighton Beach House to discuss his new artworks and his successful two-decade working relationship with Enter Gallery.
On the night, Baldwin was in conversation with Stuart Holdsworth from Art Related Noise, and our CEO Lawrence Alkin. It was a pleasure listening to this duo talk about their friendship, and the impact Baldwin’s art has made over the years. Listen to the live podcast recording here {INSERT LINK].
Sell Out Kids Club
We can’t do a round-up of our events without mentioning our enormously-popular Kids Club. This monthly event has been going strong in 2024, cementing its reputation as one of the best art events for children in Brighton.
We’ve welcomed a wonderful selection of Enter Gallery’s contemporary artists to host our fun and informative art workshops, which are always based on each artist’s approach to creating their work.
Examples of Kids Clubs include Alison Lapper teaching the children how to paint with their mouths, still life drawing with RYCA and making cardboard floral arrangements with Hello Marine.
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