“Drawn Together,” Unit London Gallery’s Charitable, Expansive Group Exhibition
More than 150 international artists contribute drawings and works on paper to benefit vulnerable communities and frontline medical staff
For Unit London‘s first-ever online exhibition, Drawn Together, the gallery brought together the works of 150 different international artists—from their roster of talent and those of peer institutions—to demonstrate the collective impact the art world can make in times of crisis. Styles and subject matter stretch between dynamic figurative compositions by the likes of Alphachanneling, Bianca Nemelc, Eniwaye Oluwasey, Ryan Hewett, Adam Lupton and Kwesi Botchway to surreal landscapes by Lise Stoufflet, and Mr Jago‘s brilliant abstraction. The vast majority of works were produced in 2019 and 2020 and prices begin just above $100 and rise into the thousands. In addition to the more accessible price range, 100% of the gallery’s proceeds and more than 50% of the artists’ proceeds will be donated to Médicins Sans Frontières and World Vision, with a total potential donation value of more than £50,000.
“The crux of the show is that, to demonstrate the collegiality of an often dispersed art world that focuses on solo achievement, we’ve asked artists to focus on the thing which in most cases unites them,” co-founder and director of Unit London, Jonny Burt, tells us. “The common denominator across most artists’ past is a love of drawing. This idea has been expanded since to ‘works on paper,’ but the general idea is the same: it’s a basic unifying aspect and so seemed like an apt platform for a charity exhibition. It also has the added benefit of being cheaper, and therefore can engage more people.”
When asked about the criticism over and fatigue surrounding some digital exhibits, Burt adds, “The dialogue around online exhibitions and their flaws is generally aimed at online ‘viewing rooms’ where either you can glide round a gallery like you’re on Google street view or click through images of an exhibition. Both experiences seem to disappoint viewers, they’re often clunky and inaccessible. We’re not really doing this. We’re just laying out 150 works, almost like you might see clothes on a fashion retailer’s website, and asking people to have a look and see what they like.” There’s much to like, as the breadth and depth of the work, the diversity of the artists chosen to participate, and the good it will do is more than worth a scroll.
Drawn Together is on now through 19 July.
Hero image is “55 Yoga Photograms” (2019) by Rob and Nick Carter
