Cob Gallery Celebrated Their New London Location with an Inspiring Group Show

Since its 2011 opening in London’s Camden neighborhood, Cob Gallery has established itself as a centrifugal force in aesthetically and intellectually stimulating artwork from emerging talent not yet seen elsewhere. This May, Cob relinquished its Camden roots to blossom into a new Bloomsbury location. Here, the neighborhood itself works in support of the institution’s mission and visionary artists. 

“It has such a rich creative and literary history and a thriving gallery scene, but also a village-like sense of community—something we really felt was missing in our previous premises,” Cob co-founder Victoria Williams tells Surface. Lamb’s Conduit Street, where it now stands, also happened to be a personal favorite of Cassie Beadle, the co-director and curator of Cob. For both, it felt fated.

Williams and Beadle worked with Oliver Lyttelton to design the two-floor space, which contains one floor of white walls eager for artwork and an office that doubles as a viewing room and social space “where artists, collectors, and friends could feel at home,” Williams adds. “We wanted an environment that fostered direct engagement with our audience. Oliver designed a custom desk made from reclaimed materials that doubles as a meeting table, set beside a relaxed sitting area—quite the opposite of a traditional white cube.”

The gallery’s debut exhibition in the new location, “In Tandem,” presented an array of artists in dialogue. It’s an apt introduction to Cob’s curatorial strength and diverse roster. “We wanted to celebrate our recent programming—both through exhibitions and international fairs—and spotlight the incredible artists we’re working with this year,” Williams adds. “It’s both a reflection on what’s brought us to this point and a gesture toward what’s to come.” She jokingly refers to it all as a “tossed ‘Cob’ salad.”

“In Tandem” places British artist Tomo Campbell’s lush As Good As oil on canvas piece in dialogue with Chinese artist Yi Lui mesmeric Before Midnight oil and acrylic work. Greek artist Elli Antoniou’s stainless steel Orbital Rays contrasted Kofi Perry’s bold, super-hero inspired Ray Gazer Anointing the Wicked. The show also introduced Chicago-based artist Katelyn Eichwald’s entrancing oil on linen piece Still I Choose To Be In Love With You, a teaser of what was to come.

“Due to some slight delays in the build process, we lost a lot of programming time and so we’ve already opened our next exhibition—a U.K. debut solo show by Eichwald,” Williams says of “Like Lovers Do,” up now through June 21. “Featuring new paintings on canvas, hessian, and linen, alongside a suite of paper collages, the exhibition invites viewers into a private, votive space—part shrine, part mirage—where the emotional architecture of adolescence flickers between memory and invention.” Further, on June 6, as part of London Gallery Weekend, Cob will host a literary salon in response to Eichwald’s show, curated by writer Emma Firth.