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AUBREY WILLIAMS: ELEMENTAL FORCE<br>
22 May - 26 July 2025
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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>
AUBREY WILLIAMS: ELEMENTAL FORCE<br>
22 May - 26 July 2025
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AUBREY WILLILAMS<br>
ART, HISTORIES, FUTURES<br>
</h2>NEW MONOGRAPH AVAILABLE IN OUR STORE


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AUBREY WILLIAMS: ELEMENTAL FORCE<br>
22 May - 26 July 2025
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<em>Towakaima I (detail), 1965.</em>, 1981. Oil on canvas, 122 x 153 cm.


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EDDY KAMUANGA ILUNGA<br>
EDITION PRINTS AVAILABLE IN OUR STORE
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<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.
 
 

NEWS, EVENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS


New catalogue:
AUBREY WILLIAMS: ELEMENTAL FORCE
Available now from our online store - £7.50 (+ P&P)
Exhibition catalogue published by October Gallery to accompany the exhibition Aubrey Williams: Elemental Force. Colour plates throughout with an essay by Gerard Houghton. 12 page softcover.
KENJI YOSHIDA exhibiting at From Ashes to Blossoms
15th July – 30th September, 2025
Ezen Foundation, London
The Ezen Foundation presents From Ashes to Blossoms, an exhibition in remembrance of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 80 years ago. Curated by a third-generation survivor, this memorial tribute will focus on shared reflection and reciprocal understanding as essential pathways to Peace. Alongside historical memorabilia, artworks by Kenji Yoshida will also be shown. Conscripted as a kamikaze pilot in 1944, Yoshida’s life was saved, counterintuitively, by the atomic bombings of August, 1945, which brought the war to a rapid end. Returning to his interrupted artistic career, Yoshida became a passionate advocate for Peace.
Kenji Yoshida, Inochi To Heiwa (Life and Peace), 2007.
Oil and metals on canvas, 81 x 65 cm.
EL ANATSUI at the RA Summer Exhibition 2025
17th June – 17th August, 2025
Royal Academy of Arts, London
See When a gate closes by El Anatsui at the Royal Academy’s 257th Summer Exhibition — a striking work crafted from aluminium and copper wire. Known for transforming everyday materials into shimmering sculptural forms, Anatsui continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art.

Curated by architect Farshid Moussavi RA, this year’s Summer Exhibition explores the theme of ‘Dialogues’ across disciplines and cultures. Celebrating its 257th year, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025 brings together a vibrant mix of contemporary art and architecture.
El Anatsui, When a gate closes, 2023.
Aluminium and copper wire, 270 x 350 cm.
Photo: Jonathan Greet
Remembering James Mungal
We’ve all been saddened to hear of the loss of one of October Gallery’s dearest friends, James (Jim) Mungal, who passed away, peacefully, in Cornwall, on April 5th. Everyone will remember Jim, who, for over two decades welcomed guests as they arrived for Gallery Openings, in a courteous manner that he made entirely his own.
Photo: Jonathan Greet
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
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.

 

PAST NEWS, EVENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS


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

Archived: 06/07/2025
Photo: Jonathan Greet, 2014.
Photo: Aubrey Williams and Imruh Bakari. © Kuumba Productions/Imruh Bakari
FILM SCREENING:
MARK OF THE HAND AUBREY WILLIAMS (1987)
Wednesday, 2nd July, 2025
5.00 pm Paid bar open in the Gallery (free drop-in)
6.30 pm Theatre doors open
7.00 pm Film Screening (52 min)
Location: Theatre (2nd floor)
Entry: Free admission (booking required)

To coincide with the exhibition Aubrey Williams: Elemental Force, October Gallery will present a special screening of Mark of the Hand: Aubrey Williams, directed by Imruh Bakari. 

Visitors are invited to explore the exhibition Aubrey Williams: Elemental Force from 5 pm to 7 pm in the Gallery — a paid bar will be available (free drop-in). Doors to the screening will open at 6.30 pm. 

*Please note there is no disabled access to the Theatre on the 2nd floor. 


Archived: 02/07/2025
Photo: Aubrey Williams and Imruh Bakari. © Kuumba Productions/Imruh Bakari
OCTOBER GALLERY at AFRICA BASEL
16 – 22 June 2025
VIP day 16th June, 2025
October Gallery, London, is pleased to participate in the debut edition of Africa Basel, 2025, with a presentation of striking works by international artists James Barnor, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Alexis Peskine, Zana Masombuka, LR Vandy, Owusu-Ankomah and Xanthe Somers. The presentation comprises painting, sculpture and photography and vibrant ceramic works.
James Barnor, AGIP Calendar Model, 1974.
Digital silver gelatin fibre based print, 70 x 70 cm.

Archived: 23/06/2025
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.

Archived: 07/06/2025
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.

Archived: 01/06/2025
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 art historian 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.

Archived: 29/05/2025
Photos © Val Wilmer / William Waterworth
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.

Archived: 25/05/2025
EXPO CHICAGO | BOOTH 443
25th April – 27th May 2025 Vip Day Thursday 24th April, 2025
October Gallery, London will participate in the 2025 edition of EXPO CHICAGO. The gallery returns to the fair with a dynamic presentation of works by Alexis Peskine, Zana Masombuka, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga and El Anatsui.
Zana Masombuka, Nges’rhodlweni: Is’memo 5, 2023.
Giclée print on Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta 325 gsm paper, 84 x 56 cm.

Archived: 27/04/2025
WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS
FILMS & TALKS
8th March - 5th April, 2025
To accompany the solo exhibition of works by William S. Burroughs, October Gallery will holding a compelling series of talks and film screenings.
Brion Gysin, William Burroughs at the Institut Française (Naked Lunch Launch series, Paris, October 1959), (detail), 1959.
Black and white photographic print, 19 x 25 cm.

Archived: 06/04/2025
© Estate of William S. Burroughs.
CELEBRATE THE FINAL EXHIBITION DAY OF WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS
Saturday, April 5
Exhibition 12.30 – 6.30 pm
Paid bar in the Gallery 3.00 – 6.00 pm
Free entry, drop-in
Join October Gallery in marking the final day of the art of William S. Burroughs with extended opening hours and a celebratory gathering. The exhibition features rarely seen works from spray paint, ink and acrylic to markers and gunshots. More about the exhibition here

At 3 pm, the panel discussion What’s Left of a Radical Vision When It’s All Come True? will take place upstairs in the Theatre (Sign up for the waiting list). Following the discussion, The Cat Inside (2007), a soundscape by Ramuntcho Matta, will be played in the Gallery along with Matta’s film of the seminal Electronic Revolution, describing the concept and method of Burroughs and Brion Gysin’s genre-defining literary multimedia experiments.

Visitors can also browse a selection of books and catalogues by Burroughs and those who were closely connected to him. Also available from the October Gallery Store
William S. Burroughs, Burn Unit, 1987.
Paint on Arches paper. 76.2 x 58.4 cm.

Archived: 06/04/2025
© Estate of William S. Burroughs.
LR VANDY at The Artist’s Garden
The roof of Temple tube station, London, WC2R 2PH
3rd October, 2024 – 3rd September, 2025
The Artist’s Garden and theCOLAB proudly present M A R Y M A R Y, a landmark outdoor sculpture exhibition in central London showcasing the work of nine women artists, including LR Vandy. It is set within The Artist's Garden — a once-overlooked half-acre rooftop above Temple tube station, now the world’s first sculpture garden dedicated to women artists.
LR Vandy, Superhero Cog Woman #01, 2019/2024. Installation view, MARY MARY at theCOLAB The Artist's Garden, Temple Station roof terrace, 2024. Image courtesy theCOLAB and © Nick Turpin.

Archived: 02/04/2025
EL ANATSUI at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark .
11th October, 2024 - 27th April, 2025
El Anatsui's installation Akua's Surviving Children is now on view at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in the new exhibition OCEAN. Anatsui discovered these driftwood logs on the shores of Hellebaek in Denmark, and upon examining the weathered wood, he drew a poignant connection to the victims of slavery.

OCEAN is an exhibition, where history and the present meet in an intersection between art and science.


Archived: 02/04/2025



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