A non-profit organisation, Raven Row focuses on developing an engaging and intelligent contemporary art programme outside of the highly commercial London art scene. The gallery exhibits established international artists alongside those whose work is often overlooked by the mainstream venues.
I love this building and always visit if I’m in the area to look at their great window displays, travel up in the beautiful wood paneled lift and wander down the creaky oak staircase. The exterior and interior woodwork is from two old Men-of-War ships, the flooring made from their deck timbers. I normally head straight to the fabric department to see what new seasonal prints they have in, though only buy a metre’s worth so not quite sure what I’ll ever make from them. My most treasured prints are those designed by Grayson Perry of polluted factories, teddy bears, knuckle-dusters and hand grenades. They also sell oversized gift coins produced by the Royal Mint and packaged beautifully in a velvet pouch, which appeal to my love of all things out-sized.
Regeneration or gentrification? Having been living in and around Brixton for almost two decades, I'm not the only one witnessing its gradual transformation. Right now, Brixton offers an intriguing mix of Jamaican and British culture like nowhere else.