Inside at Two Temple Place
This group exhibition delivers exactly what you’d expect from contemporary artists making site specific work in a historic home. Some works engage intimately with their surroundings and wouldn’t make sense anywhere else. Others might look better literally anywhere else. That’s why I’m going to start my review by discussing the end, which is just like a BBC nature documentary with the final ten minutes set aside to present behind-the-scenes footage of how they shot the show.
In the last room there’s a series of vitrines filled with research materials, preliminary concept sketches and other exploratory works. They provide insight into the process of the artists, and contextualise how and why each of the pieces you’ve just seen were created specifically for the venue. Something arguably invaluable for those works that may initially appear to bear no relation whatsoever to the space they are in. So… what actually is the space they are in?
Two Temple Place is a neo-Gothic home and office originally built by (and for) William Waldorf Astor in the 1890s. Like many of London’s historical homes for the ultra-wealthy, it’s history and ongoing conservation has just as many interesting details as it’s ornate architecture which includes secret doors! It opened as a public venue in 2011 and is frequently used to showcase contemporary art.
In the summer of 2022 Thorp Stavri, a curatorial platform committed to developing and supporting underrepresented voices within the art world, brought together 10 artists for an intensive research residency. This show is the output.
Some works, like the bannister sculptures by John Costi (@bapou_costi) and the fireplace surround made out of scented soap by Chloë Louise Lawrence (@chloelouisse), directly echo the architectural details. Others, like the prints on plate metal by Gabriela Pelczarska (@gabrielapelczarska) and colourful pop-culture paintings by Sabrina Shah (@sabrina.a.shah) distinctly stand out.
Some works strike a compromised balance between old and new, like the selection of found object sculptures by John Costi housed in a gorgeously decorative display case. This cabinet of curiosities probably wouldn’t have looked amiss in Astor’s day. And there’s something oddly aristocratic about what appears to be gold-plated barbed wire hanging in a small side room. That work is reliant on audience engagement and will shift and change throughout the run of the show as Yui Yamamoto (@yyuiymmt) conducts a series of performances.
If, like me, you’ve never been to Two Temple Place before, then you’ll easily find as much to enjoy from the architecture as the art. I found the overall experience much more interesting than any individual work, because the story is the showcase of ten emerging artists thrust into a unique environment to demonstrate what they can do.
Plan your visit
‘Inside - A Two Temple Place & Thorp Stavri Exhibiton’ runs until 26 Feb
Entry is free and open to all.
Visit twotempleplace.org and follow @twotempleplace on Instagram for more info about the venue and to confirm open days & times.
Visit thorpstavri.co.uk and follow @thorpstavri on Instagram for more info about the curators.
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The artists:
Josephine Chime — @jaccartist
John Costi — @bapou_costi
Jack Evans — @jackevans
Chloë Louise Lawrence — @chloelouisse
Gabriela Pelczarska — @gabrielapelczarska
Joshua Phillips — @joshuaphillipsstudio
Sabrina Shah — @sabrina.a.shah
Yambe Tam — @yambetam
Sam Williams — @s_a_m_w with Hollie Miller — @hollie___miller
Yui Yamamoto — @yyuiymmt