Schoeni Projects transforms London townhouse into artspace for ‘disCONNECT’

Last month, Schoeni Projects opened their inaugural exhibition 'disCONNECT', which featured 10 urban artists working across the globe. Schoeni Projects transformed their Victorian South London townhouse into a new contemporary art space with site-specific artworks. 'disCONNECT' expresses the creative and physical constraints of COVID-19. Through these reflective artworks, the exhibition explored the psychological and political reactions that have arisen and the role of technology as a bridge between the two. 

The exhibition was presented in close collaboration with HKwalls - a Hong Kong-based, non-profit arts organisation that aims to create opportunities for local and international artists to showcase their talent through street art and street culture.

Adapting to the lockdown measures, Schoeni Projects made 'disCONNECT' accessible to a global audience through an online showcase. They had also included features such as downloadable artworks, online videos, virtual tours, and an Instagram Live interview series to enhance the virtual exhibition experience.

"Schoeni Projects is the exciting next chapter in my family’s commitment to facilitating cross-cultural collaborations between Asia and Europe. Building on this legacy, my new venture expands beyond the confines of the typical gallery model. I had always wanted to mark this with an unconventional show – namely a street-art takeover before we are set to renovate Schoeni Projects’ future home. Now, confronted with the pandemic, the adaptable and topical practice of this artistic medium has become integral to the project’s fruition. My hope is that, whilst reflecting my father’s philosophy and unique joie-de-vivre, through Schoeni Projects London and Hong Kong we will also provide distinctly new and dynamic spaces, which offer a truly contemporary hub for artists and art lovers to meet, engage and collaborate." – Nicole Schoeni

Scroll down to view some of the works featured in this exhibition:

‘Nanny Loo’ by Iranian artist Aida Wilde reimagined a toilet as a ‘pandemic mausoleum’ complete with Emoji wallpaper and typographic imagery, featuring her signature text “FEAR LESS LESS FEAR”. She included everyday objects that have become fixtures of the comtemporary climate such as toilet rolls, bottles of bleach, and discarded objects from the lockdown.

In a time when the personal need to escape is felt more than ever, London-based artist David Bray responded to this need with an installation of landscape paintings with imaginary views of the outside world, transforming a bedroom into a space of escapism.

The figurative miniatures of Spanish artist Isaac Cordal were found throughout the house, responding directly to the lockdown images seen on social media. Here, a man in his dressing gown stands alone within a birdcage, continuing the exhibitions message of restraints of the pandemic.

"I was surprised that many topics I had worked on in the past became more relevant to the current confinement itself; events were accelerating, creating a vertigo of the unknown. Our relationship with isolation, social distancing, the balcony as a panopticon, the romanticising of the confinement… the news of the day invades everything. An invisible enemy became our roommate, like an annoying squatter for the welfare society. Turn everything off but wash your hands." – Isaac Cordal

Stromboli-born artist Zoer filled the living room with an anamorphic installation. She created a ‘barricade’ of domestic objects with stacked furniture, highlighting both the reality and futility of partitions. The combination of the ‘shielding’ objects and its materiality echo the familiar words: social distancing.
 

About Schoeni Projects

Based across London and Hong Kong, Schoeni Projects is a new contemporary arts space promoting and celebrating cross-cultural exchange through an innovative series of collaborations, presented in unique creative environments. Founded by Nicole Schoeni, art dealer and director, Schoeni Projects focuses on two initiatives each year – with an outlook from ‘West-to-East’ and ‘East-to-West’. Schoeni Projects London, opened with a soft launch in July 2020 before its full opening in the summer of 2021, serves as both creative exhibition space and collaborative forum for the development of ideas and inspiration. An Artist in Residency programme and artist studio space are currently in development. Schoeni Projects HK opens in November 2020 in Hong Kong’s vibrant Wong Chuk Hang neighbourhood. The space presents Schoeni Projects’ commercial focus, committed to offering infrastructure and support in promoting and developing the careers of emerging and established international artists and collaborators.

https://disconnect.schoeniprojects.com/

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For the full list of participating artists, click here.

To learn more about Schoeni Projects, click here.

Discover more on Schoeni Project’s Instagram: @schoeniprojects