A fortnight of art, literature and insight into how Hoxton and Shoreditch transformed itself between the Nineties and the Teens into the creative place to be
Chris Burns’ Art Show Consumed runs from April 17th – April 29th Opening Night and Private View Thursday April 17th
Red Gallery Archive Evening and Panel Discussion: Friday April 25th
Peter Carty’s Presentation and Workshop on his Novel Art Saturday April 26th
Hoxton and Shoreditch have always attracted outsiders, outcasts and rebels. In Hoxton Art Retro Fortnight we celebrate the cultural strands that came together here between the Nineties and the Teens, and the creative explosions they ignited. We also examine the human cost of the hedonism and excess that ran alongside.
art‘otel London Hoxton is a fitting host for the fortnight as the newest manifestation of Hoxton and Shoreditch’s creative spirit, a prominent part of the transformation of this part of the East End from urban dereliction into a place where innovation and the avant garde now hold sway.

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Chris Burns: Consumed
art’otel London Hoxton Gallery April 17th – April 29th
Burns envisages Consumed as a séance summoning the rebellious spirit of the East End, by turns dark, depraved and villainous – but ever proud and defiant. The East End has always attracted malcontents and outlaws. Between the Nineties and the Teens, Hoxton and Shoreditch was a place for many of them to make a stand. Rebel artists, writers, designers and DJs came here because they refused relegation to the margins. Radical sub-cultures fuelled ideas and inspiration, providing escape from a leaden status quo. But there were many victims of the hedonism and excess that accompanied this eruption of talent. Burn’s previous work has included Progress, a series of paintings and etchings that deconstruct William Hogarth – another artist who drew on the abandon of the East End for inspiration. In Consumed, Burns brings us up to date with the highs and lows of urban consumption.

Ernesto Leal and Paul Sakoilsky: Red Gallery Archive Show and Presentation Friday April 25th from 7pm to 9pm
In 2010 Ernesto Leal opened the RED Gallery upon the site which art’otel London Hoxton now occupies. Paul Sakoilsky was artist-curator in residence at the gallery until 2013. A major RED Gallery event and exhibition was East End Promise: a Story of Cultural Migrants 1988-2000.This ambitious project documented and celebrated the vibrant artistic and cultural community that emerged here during this transformative period. During a preview for the show at the gallery, many visitors had ‘mugshots’ taken. These were included in the catalogue for the main exhibition in Shoreditch during 2010.
For Hoxton Art Retro Fortnight Ernesto and Paul will present a screening of a new video work, drawing upon archive material from East End Promise, together with a panel discussion.

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Peter Carty: Art and Novel Writing Workshop Saturday April 26th from 2pm-4.30pm
Peter Carty will lead a workshop about how to write a novel using Art as a case study. Art has won widespread acclaim across national media. It is a dark satire about the birth of Young British Artists in Hoxton and Shoreditch during the early 1990s. The novel faithfully reflects the period and its creative obsessions. Illuminating, moving and blackly funny, it mercilessly exposes the pretensions of contemporary art – as well as the unrestrained hedonism and low life that came with it.

Critical acclaim for Art:

“There are hints of The Great Gatsby and whiffs of Trainspotting, with a
deliciously strong, bitter aftertaste”– Times Literary Supplement
“Bouncers, villains, millionaires and strippers people a tale of monstrous vitality, which nevertheless maintains a passionate faith in the transformative quality of art.” – Financial Times

The workshop will be fun and interactive, with a strong emphasis on practical help for tackling novel writing. The workshop fee is £49 (in-person participation, including a drink)/ £39 (online participation). Peter is an experienced tutor and the fee includes unlimited feedback after the day itself – this is a rare extra for a creative writing course. Booking link: bit.ly/4hAtQ93