Bermondsey Project Space

Bermondsey Project Space is a not-for-profit art gallery situated on Bermondsey Street in South East London, one of the city's premier arts destinations. Founded in 2015 as Art Bermondsey Project Space, the gallery occupies a converted Georgian townhouse adjacent to White Cube Bermondsey. It operates with a mission to support artists in exhibiting work on their own terms, encouraging personal development through visual art and fostering the fusion of art, photography, and culture. The gallery is led by Gallery Director Andrew Etherington and Artistic Director Mike von Joel.

The gallery opened in October 2015 through seed funding from Olympus, spearheaded by Mark Thackara for Europe and David Ivens for the UK, following an original proposal from State/F22 magazine. The initiative also connected with Olympus partners in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Hamburg. What began as a one-year partnership with Olympus and State/F22 extended to three years due to the project's success. From March 2018 onward, the gallery has operated independently, working with numerous small partnerships and sponsors to realise its exhibition programme. It is run according to Foundation Charity criteria with a board of 12 governors and continues to receive minor financial support from State Media. In 2018, Bermondsey Project Space was shortlisted for two of Southwark Council's Southwark Business Excellence Awards. Project partners over the years have included Arts Council England, BFI, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Southwark Council, TikTok, ArtCan, Royal College of Art, Goldsmiths, Central St Martins, and others.

Rather than maintaining a permanent collection, Bermondsey Project Space functions as an exhibition platform hosting approximately 40 exhibitions and projects annually. Its programming encompasses a vibrant range of performance events, music evenings, talks, and film screenings. The gallery's ethos centres on supporting creatives to achieve the next milestone in their practice, giving physical space to practitioners with exciting ideas. It works closely with exhibitors at every stage of their projects and accepts proposals at any stage of development. The programme has spanned photography, painting, group exhibitions, and collaborative projects, reflecting a commitment to diverse contemporary practices.

The gallery's exhibition history includes several notable shows. In 2015, it opened with Dench Does Dallas by photographer Peter Dench and presented The Future Can Wait, a satellite exhibition of London's New Wave artists timed for Frieze Week. In 2016, programming included Calculations, Permutations, Notations by the Belgian collective LAb(au) in collaboration with The Mayor Gallery; Exhibition in a Box, party photographs from the 1980s and 1990s by society photographer Dafydd Jones; Rewind, recent paintings and works on paper by Julie Umerle; and The Kate Inside: Kate Bush, photographs from 1982 to 1993 by Guido Harari. In 2017, the gallery presented Marilyn Stafford | Stories in Pictures 1950-60. The 2018 group show The Discontents featured Matthew Collings, Tommaso Corvi-Mora, Zavier Ellis, Matthew Higgs, and Max Presneill. In 2019, Stuart Semple presented Dancing on My Own: Selected Works 1999-201 lifetime. Each exhibition is accompanied by a publication in support of the gallery programme.

Bermondsey Project Space is located in a 3,000 sq ft converted Georgian townhouse that was formerly a paperworks. The building hosts three exhibition rooms over three floors. It sits on Bermondsey Street, adjacent to White Cube Bermondsey, within an area that has become one of London's premier arts destinations. The venue is fully accessible. The surrounding Bermondsey area has undergone significant regeneration, with nearby developments including the large-scale Bermondsey Project (also known as Pearl Yard Bermondsey), a build-to-rent development on the former Peek Frean Biscuit Factory site, though this is a separate entity from the gallery itself.

The gallery is located at its Bermondsey Street address in the London Borough of Southwark. As a not-for-profit organisation, it remains independently operated from March 2018 onward, guided by its Artistic Director and full-time Director. The gallery continues to produce publications to accompany each show and maintains an active exhibition programme. Current information about opening hours, specific access details, and visiting arrangements is available through its website at project-space.london. The venue's position adjacent to White Cube Bermondsey places it within a concentrated cultural corridor in South East London.