Chisenhale Gallery
Artist-centred and commissioning-led, Chisenhale Gallery presents new work—often first UK institutional solo shows—by emerging to mid-career artists. Housed in a converted factory in Bow as part of Chisenhale Art Place, it’s known for giving artists time and space to produce ambitious installations, films and performances that frequently go on to wider acclaim.
Opening Hours
Admissions
What's not to miss inside?
The Commissioning Model
Rather than tour ready-made shows, Chisenhale works with artists to produce new projects from idea to install—so each exhibition feels like a premiere.Studios upstairs, gallery downstairs: commissions can grow on site, with scale and materials shaped to the space.
📍 Whole gallery; one exhibition at a time
Film & Performance
The programme regularly centres moving image and live work, using the former factory’s volume for ambitious sound and projection.New films often pair with talks and transcripts—research you rarely see in commercial spaces.
📍 Dark room / flexible hall
Editions & Publications
Artist editions and booklets extend the commission beyond the run—useful for tracing early careers later on.Many later prize-winners first appear here; editions become time-capsules of those debuts.
📍 Front desk / bookstand
Inspire your Friends
- Chisenhale Gallery was established in the early 1980s in a converted factory in Bow as part of Chisenhale Art Place, a cooperative of studios, gallery and a dance space.
- Its exhibition model focuses on new commissions—typically a small number each year—rather than a rolling group-show calendar, giving artists time to develop site-specific work.
- The gallery’s alumni include artists who later achieved major awards and national exhibitions, making its programme a bellwether for contemporary practice in London.
