Until recently, the iconic Kemistry Gallery for graphic design in London was facing closure, due to greedy Shoreditch developers, who are looking to edge the gallery out in favour more homogenised fluff. One ambitious Kickstarter campaign later, however, and the gallery is not only looking to get back on its feet, put is poised to host a brand new exhibit from French graphic design prodigy, Jean Jullien.
The exterior of the Kemistry Gallery in Shoreditch
The campaign flew past its £15,000 target, with 587 eventually raising £16,293, which will be used to fund a pop-up exhibition in February 2015, celebrating ten years of pioneering graphic design exhibitions, and serving as a pilot for the “Next phase of Kemistry Gallery's existence.” Of course, this “Next phase,” has yet to be decided upon, but the “Kemistry Gallery: 10 years 60 works” exhibition, which will take place in an as yet unnamed East London location, hopes to not only promote interest in the gallery, but act as a litmus test as to what its next iteration could potentially be.
The “Kemistry Gallery: 10 years 60 works” exhibition will be presenting highlights from the gallery's 10 year history
The exhibition will be presenting highlights from the gallery's 10 year history, with work by design icons such as Saul bass, Milton Glaser, Anthony Burrill, and Jullien. The exhibition will also feature a bar, cafe and a series of talks from some leading design figures, who will be showcasing some of the features that will be part of the new Kemistry Gallery when it reopens later in 2015.
Founder Graham McCallum on “The History and Future of the Kemistry Gallery”
The gallery will also be releasing a book to coincide with the exhibition. According to the gallery's Kickstarter page, the book will consist of “A comprehensive history of graphic design told through shows at Kemistry,” and will contain “Contributions, commentary and stories from the founders Graham and Ricky and the artists themselves.” It will be a “Beautiful hard-back edition with quality prints of all the great works (new and old) exhibited over the decade, behind the scenes photos, and words from celebrated commentators.” They are in final talk with publishers at the moment, and those who ordered it as a campaign reward should be receiving their copies by the end of 2015.
The gallery will also be releasing a book to coincide with the exhibition
Of course, the idea of using crowd-funding to fund a project is hardly a fresh idea in the design industry, but it is a natural fit for Kemistry, given the various local graphics groups and designers who benefit from its small, but well presented and highly acclaimed shows. Indeed, many of the donations made via Kickstarter, would have undoubtedly been from these same groups.
Jean Jullien with one of his creations
The Jullien exhibit, meanwhile, will be launching later this month. According to the man himself, it's called US, and is “A graphic series of observations, moments and thoughts about the general idea of togetherness.” He says of his work, that he's “Not trying to tell a story, just to throw hints at people to see what makes them tick, laugh, etc,” and says he's keen on capturing moments “That people react to, to establish a connection with the viewer.”
