A timeline of our favourite moments…
2003
James Cauty’s Stamps of Mass Destruction
The career of our CEO and Founder, Lawrence Alkin is defined by his lack of fear when it comes to being provocative. In whatever guise, all of Lawrence’s galleries have prioritised sparking emotions, whether good or bad.
No time was this attitude more apparent than back in 2003, when Lawrence made headlines for selling anarchist artist, James Cauty’s, Black Smoke: Stamps of Mass Destruction Legacy Set. This series of three silkscreen prints depicted stamps featuring the usual image of the Queen, doctored so she was wearing a gas mask beneath her crown.
2004
Pop Show
Back in 2004, Lawrence held ‘Pop’ – one of the first urban art gallery shows of its kind. The show ran for three weeks and featured work from various anti-establishment artists, including James Cauty, Jamie Reid, and Banksy. In fact, the event was one of the first to showcase the work of the mysterious street artist who would go on to take over the art world.
The Pop Show was a major turning point for the gallery. Not only did it become a springboard for selling thousands of Banksy pieces, but it also shaped the gallery’s ongoing support of provocative art, its eye for spotting new talent, and for prioritising group shows that bring people together and getting people interested in art.
2007 and 2010
Banksy prints stolen
After launching Banksy onto the international scene in the 2004 Pop Show, Lawrence and his galleries soon got a little unwanted attention for stocking the highly sought-after works of art…in the form of people who had no intention of paying.
In 2007, ten prints worth £10,000 were stolen from the Brighton gallery. Two thieves struck in two separate late night robberies, smashing their way into the gallery on Bond Street and making away with pieces including, Gangsta Rat, Welcome to Hell, Virgin Mary, Morons, Jack & Jill, and Napalm.
In the 2010 smash and grab, two thieves (the man and woman pictured above) used a street sign to smash through the gallery window and got away with two pieces, Happy Choppers and Nola (Grey Rain) worth a collective £16,000.
2007
Portslade Massif
2007 was a strong year for artistic controversy on the streets of Brighton, again courtesy of Lawrence and James Cauty. This time, Cauty’s The Rize and Fall of the Portslade Massif show took place at Ink’d – Lawrence’s exhibition focused gallery which used to be located on North Street.
To publicise the show, the artist daubed ‘Portslade Massif’ on the front of the gallery in white emulsion. Later that same night, the council mistook the art for vandalism, and amid fears it might spark gang violence, they cleaned off the slogan as the city slept.
The council’s move hit the headlines, as far afield as The New York Times, as critics debated the difference between art and vandalism.
2012
Lawrence featuring on The Apprentice
Back in 2012, Lawrence was invited on to The Apprentice’s sister show, The Apprentice: You’re Fired, presented by Dara O’Brien.
That week on Alan Sugar’s infamous series, the teams were tasked with co-ordinating a Pop-Up gallery showcase for artists like Pure Evil and Copyright, and Lawrence was there to offer his expert opinion on how they performed. You can watch his critique here
2013
Rare Kate Moss Photographs
In 2013, Lawrence got his hands on some never-before-seen photographs of the world’s most iconic supermodel – Kate Moss. The photos were from Moss’s very first test shoot with photographer, David Ross, when she was just 14 and taking her first steps into the world of modelling.
The show, entitled Kate Moss: Roll 1, was front-page news on The Times and The Guardian, and featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Daily Mail, Marie Claire and The Sun.
2015
The Art Yard Sale
In 2015, we held our very first Art Yard Sale - a community event that takes place every year as part of Brighton Fringe. The Art Yard Sale sees Enter Gallery artists manning their own market stalls and selling their art directly to the public.
The event attracts art lovers from all around, with hundreds flocking to Brighton’s Jubilee Square to get their mitts on rare pieces, originals, and hand-finished works in one raucous day of great art and conversation.
2017
Extending our offering
The year we celebrated our 25th anniversary was a big one for Enter Gallery. We kicked off by doubling the size of our Bond Street gallery.
With the added space came a brand new events calendar, highlights included launching our first Kids Club, hosting screen printing evenings with The Private Press, holding solo exhibitions from the likes of Bruce McLean, and an album launch for drum & bass legend, Friction. It was also the year we launched Enter Gallery’s podcast, Art Related Noise.
2017
Kids Club
We launched our Kids Club to welcome the children of Brighton to Enter Gallery and to encourage them to flex their creative muscles. Each month, this fantastic community event is hosted by a different Enter Gallery artist, who presents the children with a challenge inspired by their own artistic practice.
Since its launch, the Kids Club has quickly become one of Brighton’s best creative events for children. It has been hosted by some of the UKs most exciting contemporary artists with challenges incorporating painting, collage, model-making and more.
2017
Fatboy Slim Performs at our 25th Anniversary
Brighton legends don’t come bigger than Fatboy Slim, and we were delighted to have him perform at Enter Gallery’s 25th anniversary party. On the night, we launched Brighton-based artist, Mark Vessey’s Collections piece, Norman, which depicted the superstar DJs favourite records.
The print became Enter Gallery’s fastest-selling limited edition to date, and the party saw revellers spilling out into the streets and Cook allowing guests a turn on his decks.
2018
Street Art Tour Launches
Street art is huge part of what makes our city so special, so in 2021, we decided Brighton’s graffiti culture should be celebrated with a Street Art Tour. This bi-weekly offering is led by local street art legend, Req – best known for his portrait work on the walls of Brighton’s iconic Prince Albert pub.
Req’s tour provides history and insider knowledge on Brighton’s street art scene, taking art lovers and tourists on a whistle-stop tour of all the best spots.
2020
Enter Gallery Rebrand
In 2020, we decided it was time for a change and rebranded as Enter Gallery. We chose this new name to reflect the inclusive ethos of the gallery, and our belief that art should be for everyone.
By prioritising community events, kindness and a sincere appreciation of art, we hope that everyone will feel welcome to visit us at Enter Gallery.
2021
Gavin Mitchell’s Art Heist Artworks
In 2021, Enter Gallery had exclusive access to two artworks by Gavin Mitchell which had been stolen in an art heist, alongside pieces by Banksy and Andy Warhol.
The stolen artworks were recovered by Police and Interpol following the arrest and subsequent trial of Manchester playboy and ‘top tier’ cocaine boss, Aram Shebani.
2022
Jamie Reid launches Bloody Empire
In collaboration with Enter Gallery, iconic punk artist, Jamie Reid, launched Bloody Empire to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The artwork, which subverts imagery of Queen Victoria, came about after Enter Gallery visited Reid in his studio and saw how he had edited a postcard featuring the monarch to give her blacked out eyes and blood dripping from her mouth.
It was decided this design would be used for the final print. Bloody Empire was created in protest of the monarchy and how the pomp and circumstance that surround such royal occasions is actually a capitalist tool for pacifying the masses.
2023
Charlotte Rose
In 2022, we began our collaboration with rising star, Charlotte Rose, co-curating her second solo show in London, Too Much of A Good Thing.
The show explored nostalgic branding and its insidious intentions with each statement piece designed as,‘an exploration of the dream sold by ad companies in the name of selling poisonous goods.’
We repeated this success in 2023 with The Shakespeare Tobacco Company - a graphic exploration of literature, addressing the same themes of mortality, desire and fate that captured the imagination of William Shakespeare.
2023
Fatboy Slim x Vintage Shuffle
On a rainy night in Brighton, art
and music lovers queued around the block to attend Fatboy Slim x Vintage Shuffle.
This collaboration saw collage artist, Vintage Shuffle, create a collection of artworks from the superstar DJs extensive collection of gig and festival wristbands.
The event made national news, the collection was a sell-out, and with Cook on the decks, we celebrated the show’s success in true Brighton style.
2023
Ola Volo Mural
We welcomed Canadian street artist, Ola Volo, to Brighton to paint her first mural
in the UK. Volo has earned international acclaim for painting powerful female characters inspired by the folklore of her birth nation of Kazakhstan.
Working in the predominantly male world of street art, Volo has been inspired to create
artworks that capture women proudly taking up space in the world.
Her Brighton mural, Joker, was inspired by the, ‘style, sass and power’ of Brighton and its people.
2023
Shaun by the Sea
In 2023, we were delighted to support Shaun by the Sea - an incredible Art Trail event organised by Brighton charity, Martlets.
The trail saw over 40 sculptures of Shaun the Sheep take over the streets of Brighton. Several Enter Gallery artists applied their designs to a sculpture, including RYCA, Sarah Arnett, Sara Pope and Boogaloo Stu.
During the trail, we proudly displayed two smaller sculptures in the gallery designed by students from local primary school, Middle Street. We also hosted three Kids Clubs where we guided the children to make their own models of Shaun. The trail raised an impressive £750k for Martlets so they can continue their vital work providing life-changing hospice care to the people of Brighton.
2024
Fatboy Slim x Jessica van der Weert
It was party time once again at
Enter Gallery when we hosted, Fatboy Slim by Jessica van der Weert: 10 Years Photographing the Legend – an exhibition from
the photographer behind Fatboy Slim’s most iconic imagery.
The show featured
Jessica van der Weert’s favourite photos from her collaboration with Cook, alongside works from her FlipSide series, featuring legendary DJs and producers from the UK dance music scene, including Boy George, Carl Cox and Annie Mac.
