Fitzrovia’s Galleries: a landscape that has changed rapidly

 

In the midst of all this flux, there are some truly wonderful opportunities to enjoy art in Fitzrovia. Hanmi Gallery, which opened at 30 Maple Street four years ago, has had 34 “Interim Exhibitions”, each a journey of discovery spread over its five floors. The premises are stripped back to its skeleton, as the gallery plans its eventual refurbishment – hence the “interim” – and many participating artists have taken advantage of this to create site specific pieces and installations that seem to merge with the very fabric of the building. Amongst the wonders that I have seen here are the BT Tower projected on to a gallery wall via a camera obscura, and a naked woman with metre long finger nails emerging from a hole in the basement floor. Gallery director Heashin Kwak describes Fitzrovia as London’s art hub, and features both East Asian and Western artists.