Billie Eilish wears Gate fashion 😮

The Gate continues extending its influence on popular culture as an Ashley Williams x 54TheGate 

t-shirt features in Billie Eilish's photoshoot for Rolling Stone.

Cafe OTO summer fair

On the 13th July we travelled to the Cafe OTO summer fair and displayed myriad artworks to the adoring public. There has been a new Gate craze for shredding magazines and turning them into complex and varied collages. The collages were very popular and we offloaded tens of shredded works to the visitors at the fair.

The Gate features in Los Angeles Review of Books

The Los Angeles Review of Books has featured artworks by Gate artists: Leon, Mary, Eddy, Lizzie, Duane, John, and Simon. The artworks are spread throughout the Spring 2024 edition of the journal which focuses on the theme of 'Truth'. 

Perwana Nazif writes about this theme in relation to Eddy and Lizzie's artworks, describing how the artists question truth and reconfigure perception in their collages.

'The works presented in this portfolio release hold of truth, named and otherwise, while continuing to explore the effects of its assertion and its stakes.'

Eddy's collage for the 'Everything Must Go' flyer next to artwork by Martin Wong.

Thanks to Perwana for featuring us :)

Politics was happening at The Gate!

On the morning of the 21st June around 11am, we were visited by the current MP for Hammersmith and Fulham, Andy Slaughter. Later in the day, around 2pm, we were visited by the MP candidate for the Green Party, Naranee Nuthra-Rajan. Sadly none of the other parties responded to our invitations.

The Gate attendees wanted to discuss benefits, transport and safety in the community, so we prepared questions around these topics. We recorded the discussion for an episode of our Gate Kicks radio programme. After the candidates left we talked about what they said.

The Green candidate was good because she had an easy-to-read manifesto. On benefits, she said that people who are unwell shouldn't be forced to work. The Labour MP wasn't very clear on benefits or what they would do to improve them but he did say that the current system wasn't good.

Neither candidate had a good answer for how to improve the accessibility of transport for disabled people although the Green candidate did say she will help us to get in touch with the Greens on the London Assembly to talk about transport issues. Andy Slaughter also helpfully said he would put us in touch with other MPs for people who don't live in Hammersmith in Fulham.

Thanks to Andy Slaughter and Naranee Nuthra-Rajan for coming! It was a lively and energising day of conversation and we all agreed it felt like politics was happening at The Gate.

*** The Unknown - exhibition at 54 The Gate ***

On the 21st of April we hosted an exhibition called The Unknown. 

People from everywhere in the city converged on Richford Gate to see previously unknown art and music. One room was a city, hand-built from bamboo and scavenged materials. It had roads and buses which transported the visitors around between the bicycle-
time machine and the mod-roc geodesic dome, the other main landmark.

Down the collaged corridor, the walls of the music room were entirely covered by paper works. 

George Lynch (of Horse Hospital) wrote a text for the show. At Mary's suggestion, George extrapolated her own narrative response to the artwork. The resulting story is an optimistic survival guide to a changing city; it describes the making of a new map and where that could lead.

The text is archived on our Instagram however those interested may also like to check out @ge0rge.lynch on Instagram.

2Decks, Mr AKA Amazing and Labake performed original music to the gathered fans. 

We want to say big thanks to everyone that came, donated, saw the art, heard the music, clapped, had a cup of tea or ate a biscuit.

The Gate features in PZ World Vol.3: Properties!

The artist PZ visited The Gate in 2023 to run their DreamzHouse workshop, building dream houses with our artists. Bricks, wallpaper, interiors and extensions were designed and made. 

The works are now pictured in PZ's new property-focused book: PZ World Vol.3: Properties. The Gate's contribution proudly features in a high-value double page spread.

Gate artist MR AKA AMAZING features on Wire compilation

MR AKA AMAZING's track 'Greenford City' from his debut album Think Big was featured on The Wire's end of year compilation in 2023:

MR AKA AMAZING had an amazing year in 2023, playing five gigs and releasing a new album. He played gigs at Club Soda, Avalon Cafe, Cafe OTO (twice!) and Bubble Club.