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TRANSVANGARDE: LUMINOUS MATTER<br>
10 April - 17 May 2025
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<strong>Xu Zhongmin</strong>, <em>Egg shape B Red</em>, 2024.<h2>
TRANSVANGARDE: LUMINOUS MATTER<br>
10 April - 17 May 2025
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<strong>Xu Zhongmin</strong>, <em>Egg shape A Silver, Egg shape B Red, Egg shape E Black</em>, 2024<h2>
AUBREY WILLIAMS: ELEMENTAL FORCE<br>
22 May - 26 July 2025
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<em>Quartet No 5, opus 92</em>
(<em>Shostakovich</em> series - detail)</em>, 1981. Oil on canvas, 132 x 208 cm.<h2>
EDDY KAMUANGA ILUNGA<br>
EDITION PRINTS AVAILABLE IN OUR STORE
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TRANSVANGARDE: LUMINOUS MATTER<br>
10 April - 17 May 2025
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<strong>Huang Xu</strong>, <em>Flower No.2 (Chrysanthemum)</em>, 2011.<br>
Giclee print, 120 x 120 cm.<h2>EDDY KAMUANGA ILLUNGA<br>Available from our Book Store, £45.95 + P&P</h2>248 pages, 200 full colour plates throughout. Published by Rizzoli.<h2>DREAM NO SMALL DREAM: The Story of October Gallery<br>Available from our Book Store. £40 + P&P</h2>304 pages, full colour plates throughout. Edited by Gerard Houghton.
 

October Gallery Cafe is closed this week due to private hire and will reopen on Tuesday, 20th May.
Our Cafe will resume its usual opening hours: Tuesday – Friday, 12.30 – 2.30 pm




CURRENT EXHIBITION

10 April – 17 May 2025
Xu Zhongmin , Egg shape B Red , 2024.
Stainless steel, acrylic, aluminium disc, mechanical transmission, LED, PE resin, alloy, 62 x 40 x 40 cm.
Huang Xu, Flower No.2 (Chrysanthemum), 2011.
Giclee print, 120 x 120 cm.
October Gallery presents Transvangarde: Luminous Matter, an exhibition that investigates the diverse outcomes of a meditative approach to artistic practice. Each of the artists presented was raised in the vitally different milieux of the near and far east. Each brings a fresh perspective to illuminate their experience of the world, as underpinned and enriched by the cultural and philosophical predispositions of places far beyond the western pale.

Central to this theme of interactiv e exchange between worldsare fascinating new works by the Chinese artist, Xu Zhongmin . His most recent Egg Series are dynamic sculptures which radiate with a bewitching luminescence that plays with and challenges the spectators’ understanding of just what it is they are seeing.

Other highlights include ethereal paintings of Kenji Yoshida that consist of gold, silver and precious metals on painted canvases, while paintings by Govinda Sah ‘Azad are reinforced by his fascination with the indeterminate matter of clouds which allows him to meditate upon the more spiritual aspects of Nature.

Renowned for his monochromatic canvases in striking colours, Tian Wei explores the plasticity of the written word and its associated fluidity of meaning. Golnaz Fathi ’s works are paintings with an instinctively bold abstraction informed by her former rigorous training in calligraphy, expressing emotions on canvas that go far beyond the realm of simple words.

Jukhee Kwon creates works from abandoned and disused books. Recently, Kwon has begun working with traditional Korean techniques of folding paper , (jong-i jeobgi) in which a painstakingly precise, almost meditative concentration, is required to fold pages. Also exhibited are arresting large-scale photographic works by Huang Xu from his Flower Series . By using high resolution 3D scanners, he creates subtle effects by compressing the superabundant data down to produce images of haunting luminosity.

*Please note*
Viewers who are photosensitive should be aware that some of the works contain flashing lights.
 

FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION

22 May – 26 July 2025
Aubrey Williams, Towakaima I, 1965.
Oil on canvas, 122 x 153 cm.
© Estate of Aubrey Williams.
© Estate of Aubrey Williams.
Aubrey Williams, Quartet No 5, opus 92 (Shostakovich series), 1981.
Oil on canvas, 132 x 208 cm.
© Estate of Aubrey Williams.
October Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Aubrey Williams, comprising a selection of significant paintings, spanning the decades between the 1960s and 1980s. This exhibition explores Williams’ painterly techniques, investigating his highly individual approach.

Williams’ work can be viewed as a uniquely evolved expression of abstraction and a powerful contribution to post-war art. In displaying his intuitive grasp of the possibilities open to abstraction, these striking works deploy an entirely original use of colour. The range of paintings underline the breadth of Williams’ interests: ecology, cosmology, music and pre-colonial civilisations.

As the art critic and curator, Mel Gooding noted, ‘These effects of natural dynamics persist in Williams’ work in such a way as to become a characteristic expressive trope that is so utterly personal as to be signature.’ 

Aubrey Williams' distinctive contribution to 20th century British art is now recognised by his increasing prominence in significant international exhibitions. Tate Britain dedicated a room to works by this master of abstraction in their rehang of meaningful examples of British art in 2023 – 2024. Following The Earth Will Open Its Mouth, at the Museum Sztuki in Lodz, Poland, placing Williams’ canvases as a revelatory counterweight to Erna Rosenstein’s surrealist, impressionist art, a major exhibition, Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling has recently opened at The Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States.  

Last year, Paul Mellon Centre published Aubrey Williams: Art, Histories, Futures, the first major monograph on pioneering modernist Aubrey Williams.
 

 

NEWS, EVENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS


Photos © Val Wilmer / William Waterworth
GALLERY TALK:
AUBREY WILLIAMS
Hew Locke OBE RA, Dr. Maryam Ohadi-Hamadani and Dr. Indie A. Choudhury
Thursday, 29th May, 2025
Bar and doors open 5.30 pm
Talk 6.30 – 8 pm
Tickets: £5 + booking fee
Location: October Gallery, Ground floor
Join artist Hew Locke, curator Maryam Ohadi-Hamadani and lecturer Indie A. Choudhury for an evening exploring the legacy and innovative practice of Aubrey Williams, in connection with the exhibition Aubrey Williams: Elemental Force.

The Gallery Bar and exhibition will be open until 8.30 pm.
Aubrey Williams. Commonwealth Institute, London, 1982.
Photos © Val Wilmer / William Waterworth
Alessandro Wang © Museum of Art Pudong. Courtesy of the Artist
EL ANATSUI: AFTER THE RED MOON
Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai, China
30th September, 2024 – 7th October, 2025
El Anatsui: After the Red Moon has begun its highly anticipated world tour, making a global debut at the prestigious Museum of Art Pudong (MAP), Shanghai, where it will be on display until October 2025. El Anatsui’s cascading metal sculptures have dramatically transformed MAP's entrance lobby and Hall X, offering visitors an immersive experience of his masterful exploration of history, materiality and transformation. This global tour marks a significant milestone in Anatsui's career, and we congratulate him on this extraordinary achievement, which continues to captivate audiences around the world.

This exhibition was originally conceived and commissioned as the Hyundai Commission: El Anatsui: Behind the Red Moon for Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, London in 2023.
Installation view of El Anatsui: After the Red Moon, 2024.
Alessandro Wang © Museum of Art Pudong. Courtesy of the Artist
EDDY KAMUANGA ILUNGA at Louvre Abu Dhabi
29th January - 25th May 2025
Louvre Abu Dhabi presents Louvre Abu Dhabi presents Kings and Queens of Africa: Forms and Figures of Power, featuring Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s striking painting Oubliez le passé et vous perdez les deux yeux.

In this work, Kamuanga draws inspiration from the endangered Mangbetu people, originally from Sudan and later settlers in the northeastern Kongo Kingdom in the 1500s. Caught between tradition and modernity, the Mangbetu represent a vanishing cultural heritage, embodying resilience and identity amid change.
Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Oubliez le passé et vous perdez les deux yeux, 2016.
Acrylic and oil on canvas, 200 x 220 cm.
JULIEN SINZOGAN at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
21st February – 1st June, 2025
The Fitzwilliam Museum’s upcoming exhibition explores the complex history of the struggle to abolish transatlantic slavery, highlighting the individuals, communities, and movements that fought against oppression.

Among the featured works is a striking piece Land Ho! by Julien Sinzogan, whose intricate pen-and-ink compositions draw from the annual Egúngún masquerades of Yorubaland. These ceremonies, where ancestral spirits reunite with the living, serve as a powerful metaphor for return and remembrance.
Julien Sinzogan, Land Ho!, 2010.
Coloured inks and acrylic on paper, 150 x 110 cm.
© Julien Sinzogan. Private Collection.
Photo: Jonathan Greet, 2014.
Obituary: Kwesi Owusu-Ankomah
Born: October,1956 – Died: Thursday 6th February, 2025.
All the directors and staff of October Gallery, London, were immensely saddened to learn that our dear friend, the artist Kwesi Owusu-Ankomah, fondly known as ‘Brother’ to all his friends, passed away on the 6th of February, in Ghana. He was 68 years old.
Owusu Ankomah
Photo: Jonathan Greet, 2014.
Photo by Kevin Todora.
AUBREY WILLIAMS at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
15th March – 27th July, 2025
Texas, USA
The Modern presents Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling, an exhibition celebrating the contributions of these two artists to the evolution of abstract painting in the late twentieth century. 

The show highlights Aubrey Williams’ dynamic exploration of abstract forms alongside Bowling’s painterly and experimental approach. Together, their works offer a powerful reflection on the impact of abstraction in modern art. 
 
Feeling Color presents works from Williams’ expansive series Shostakovich (1980–81), and The Olmec-Maya and Now (1982–88), as well as other works on canvas and paper. 
Exhibition View of Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling. Courtesy of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Photo by Kevin Todora.
JUKHEE KWON at Lechbinska Gallery
2nd April – 7th June, 2025
Zurich, Switzerland
Lechbinska Gallery presents Land of Morning Calm, a group exhibition featuring works by South Korean artists. This timely exhibition engages in dialogue with Hallyu! The Korean Wave, opening at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, and reflects on the evolving cultural landscape of South Korea.

Featured are works by Jukhee Kwon, who transforms abandoned books into striking sculptures. Her practice is an act of both destruction and renewal, giving discarded objects a new existence as intricate works of art.
Jukhee Kwon, Empty Nest, 2025.
Paper (1 book), 12 x 19 x 16 cm.

 

VISTING OCTOBER GALLERY

Bloomsbury, London

October Gallery has been instrumental in bringing to worldwide attention many of the world’s leading international artists, including El Anatsui, Rachid Koraïchi, Romuald Hazoumè, Nnenna Okore, Laila Shawa and Kenji Yoshida. The Gallery promotes the Transvangarde, the very best in contemporary art from around the planet, as well as maintaining a cultural hub in central London for poets, writers, intellectuals and artists, and hosts talks, performances and seminars, see www.octobergallery.co.uk/events

The rich diversity of art presented is an inspiration to collectors and enthusiasts. Institutions such as the British Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany; Neue Galerie, Kassel, Germany; Setagagya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan have all collected works from October Gallery.

Founded in 1979, October Gallery is a charitable trust which is supported by sales of art, rental of the Gallery's unique facilities, grants from various funding bodies and the active support of dedicated artists, musicians, writers and many friends from around the world. The Gallery’s Education Department is inclusive of all ages from under 5’s to PGCE student and delivers a wide range of provision, see www.octobergalleryeducation.com

October Gallery is open from 12:30 to 17:30 pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
The Gallery is closed during official holidays and the entire month of August.

October Gallery Cafe is open from 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm, Tuesday to Friday.


 

ACCESSIBILITY

There are two steps at the main entrance, each has a rise of 160mm and a 310mm tread (no handrail). The main entrance push door is 750mm wide.
Assisted or ramp access at the Gallery’s main entrance is available upon request.

Chairs can be found in the Gallery space.
The refectory is fully accessible by wheelchair.
Access to the courtyard has a 100mm ramp down coming from the corridor door.
There is also an accessible toilet in the Courtyard.

October Gallery is a Grade II listed building and therefore has no lift access to rooms above the ground floor. This includes the Theatre, the Clubroom and the first floor.

We welcome all visitors and will do our best to accommodate specific needs. Please do let us know in advance if there is anything in particular, we can help with. Call + 44 (0)20 7242 7367 or email gallery@octobergallery.co.uk preferably a day in advance.




October Gallery Education supported by: