An interview with Benjamin Rhodes
Eighty metres away from trendy Jolene, tucked away inside an East End community centre surrounded by the 1890s housing of the Boundary Estate, is an unexpected and unlikely place to find contemporary art, but that’s exactly what you’ll get in a modest but well detailed gallery. If you can locate it, though “it’s easy once you’ve found it for the first time.” Just meander down the alley and step through the entrance to find professional lighting and purpose built walls that have been put up for hanging, plus a small office with art storage in the back. The carpet and guest loo, however, are “still very institutional” and serve as a friendly reminder that not everything in Shoreditch has to literally drip with trendiness. According to the gallerist who runs it: “There’s a gap that I’m filling. I’m not providing people with flavour of the month material.”
That gallerist is Benjamin Rhodes, who’s no stranger to the art world. He initially cut his chops working for Leslie Waddington all the way back in 1975. A decade later he opened Benjamin Rhodes Gallery, his first, which he ran for ten years. Then in the mid-90s he began a twenty-five year stretch where he partnered with a variety of gallerists whose names you’d recognise if you follow the London art scene. Then the pandemic hit. Like many of us, he embraced the lockdown as a time of reflection and actively considered “what am I going to do… where was I going to do it… and looked around different places and was open to wherever was going to be an appropriate space that didn’t need tens of thousands of pounds thrown at it.”
I was unfamiliar with Benjamin before the lockdowns, but his friendly candidness is one of the reasons I keep coming back to chat. And as he is eager to point out, the limitations of his new location enables a more defined focus and purpose. He’s previously run galleries ten times the size with multiple staff, but here it’s just Benjamin and his MacBook and that’s all he needs. Having spent so much time in London’s wide variety of flashy new galleries, I especially appreciate the lack of unnecessary bells & whistles. Benjamin knows they’re superfluous to the experience, commenting that his space “gives me in a very modest way what I need” — which is to show art. Based on the three shows I’ve seen, the art he’s showing is compelling enough on its own to hold your attention.
Alongside his half century of experience Benjamin has been nurturing and maintaining relationships with established, mid-career artists that he is still incredibly eager to promote. Except he doesn’t list a roster and you won’t be reading any overly-wrought press releases. It’s in keeping with his low-key approach, but that might be a disservice as it hides his incredibly deep and passionate financial, emotional and personal investments into art and the artists. A recent exhibition by Richard Kenton Webb was titled “vol 5” — which had nothing whatsoever to do with the work. Rather, it referred to the number of times they’ve worked together. It’s a title about friendship. An upcoming group exhibition will include three artists that Benjamin first showed back in the mid-80s and has continued to support through to today.
He’s very much operating a traditional gallery-artist relationship model, and that extends to the lengths of his shows. They run for a few months, compared to an average of a few weeks you’ll find in many galleries. “I want to expand awareness. What I'm doing here is introducing you to artists you didn't know about. I’m supplying a gap in people’s understanding of mostly British, mostly UK artists. These artists have been working in this country doing really important things.” His passion is heartfelt, and it’s heartwarming to hear.
Returning to the space itself, I notice a family passing through the courtyard next door and ask Benjamin how his gallery has been received by the local community. Acknowledging he’s the newcomer to the area, Benjamin’s ensured the neighbours know that the galley is open to everyone. He’s even established some friendly relationships, relaying a story about one of the residents that came asking for help with immigration documents. That’s definitely not an extra you would expect in a Mayfair gallery, but things work different in the East End. Besides, artists and art lovers, traditionally no strangers to unique venues located off the beaten path, have ensured his openings and evening talks have been well attended. The aesthetics of the space might never go viral, but that’s OK with Benjamin because it was only ever about the art.
Plan your visit
Benjamin Rhodes Arts Ltd. is located at 62 Old Nichol St, London E2 7HP
Visit benjaminrhodes.co.uk and follow @benjaminrhodes_art on Instagram for more info.
Now showing
Here are some images from ‘Summer of 23’ — the current group show which runs from 06 July - 23 September.
Photography by Justin Piperger (@JustinPiperger).
🖼️ Want more art? Visit the What’s On page to see a list of recommended shows, sorted by closing date. Don’t miss ‘em!