Delta House Studios Secret Artist Show
Delta House Studios Secret Artist Show
A hidden community of artists in Tooting will be opening its doors to the public this November.
By Tara Robinson
This November, 40 artists at Delta House Studios in Tooting will be opening their doors and inviting visitors to look behind the scenes, meet the artists and experience the working process at its nexus.
The hidden artist community at Delta House Studios is filled with some of London’s leading artists – from award-winning painters to world-class sculptors and jewellery designers. The Secret Studio Show is an opportunity to come up close and personal with these artists and their work, pick their brains and watch the space where all the magic happens.
The open weekend will take place over next weekend, from 24th to 26th November.
There will be a huge variety of artists at the opening, which will feature a launch night with welcoming drinks and early access to artist studios and art for sale, a postcard sale, meetings with the artists and the chance to win a piece of art.
Two featured artists who will be at the secret show are Mat Kemp, a classically trained sculptor who works with recycled and found objects, and LoveJordan, a dynamic art duo who work with miniatures and are currently reaching popularity with celebrity collectors.
We spoke with the artists ahead of their appearance at the show.
Mat Kemp’s fascination with litter has led to his ongoing body of work, Literati. Using primarily single-use coffee pods that have been saved from landfill, the work reflects Mat’s self-described “obsession with the madness that wills people to litter.”
Asked what he thinks the root cause of this “madness” is, Mat points to “the erosion of civic pride in the UK.” He’s noticed this more and more on the streets of London, which “has got worse year by year.”
As a child growing up in rural Essex, the importance of environmental issues was stressed upon him by his parents from a young age, who encouraged him to litter pick at least once a month.
There is often a touch of humour to Mat’s work. “Humour is never far away from my creative process,” he says. “…humour is a powerful tool and I like to use it, having said that, it cannot be ignored that it often comes from a dark place!”
Third image: Mat Kemp – Illuminating
Artist duo LoveJordan, made up of Jonny Love and Samuel Jordan, is a decade-long collaborative project who work in miniatures to create big and sprawling works and cityscapes, motivated by “the human desire to fill empty spaces.”
It’s a fascination with the interaction between society, power and space that drives their art primarily.
Says Jonny, “Spool back 10,000 years ago we were tribal and nomadic and the spaces we occupied were functional and objects were more symbolic with deep tribal roots. Fast forward to a more advanced civilization when kings and queens ruled the world, there was a huge desire to emulate these powerful, opulent, unattainable beings.” This dynamic between power and space still exists today. “We occupy rooms in which most things are there to please any number of tribes.”
LoveJordan’s recent work has taken a focus on the nature of collecting. Jonny says the pair were partly inspired by their neighbour, who suffered from a hoarding disorder.
“We would sometimes pop by to say hello and enjoy seeing her fantastically arranged house. In one room were stacks and stacks of papers, floor to ceiling with a tiny pathway which she would walk down and pluck randomly from the stacks. In another room, an explosion of cuddly toys and knitting yarn.”
When asked what’s next for the pair, Jonny said, “Ideas are flowing but we never really know what will come out of our studio.”
“Next year we will continue to show at the affordable art fairs in London and possibly New York.”
Jonny Love in the studio, LoveJordan – Elephant’s Breath, Samuel Jordan in the studio
You will have the chance to meet Mat Kemp, LoveJordan and a whole host of other creatives at the Secret Show taking place 24th – 26th November.
