The Showroom
What Visitors Say
Been here twice now. Today we did den building with an artist. Collaborative fun for families. They provided snacks and drinks. It was nice to offer warm drinks as it was badly raining outside. Thank you so much.
If you’re into contemporary modern art, The Showroom is an interesting and exciting place to visit - gallery shows are always hugely enjoyable and of a very high standard. If you get the chance to go to a workshop there, you’ll find staff and artists in residence knowledgable, accessible and friendly.
I have just joined in a community project for Paddington Station mural which was wondrous I got to share my work and others work and lives which took me out of my self isolation from ongoing health problems and gave me access to other artists.
Great venue with engaged art practice at it's heart. Always a place to go to hear interesting and relevant speakers on art in the city.
Highlights
Artist Commissions (Single-Project Format)
Most exhibitions are newly commissioned, giving artists room for risk and scale they might not get elsewhere.You’re often seeing the ‘world premiere’ of a work—prototype displays, working archives and evolving installations are part of the language.
Main gallery, Penfold Street
Communal Knowledge Archive
A long-term programme where artists co-produce projects with local residents, schools and traders in Church Street Ward.Look for maps, manuals and toolkits produced with community partners—outputs are meant to be used, not just viewed.
Reading area / project displays
Talks & Publishing
Conversations, reader groups and slim, idea-dense publications extend works beyond the exhibition run.Many commissions leave a printed trace—handbooks, readers, or zines that document method as much as result.
Event space and book stand
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Founded in 1983, The Showroom has specialised in first solo shows and major early commissions in London for emerging artists.
Since relocating to Penfold Street in 2008, the gallery’s programme has embedded itself in the Church Street market neighbourhood—many projects are site-responsive to this move.
Its process-driven model means exhibitions regularly include research material—scripts, prototypes, community toolkits—making ‘work in public’ part of the viewing experience.
