It was the summer of the Queen’s ‘Golden Jubilee’
and just before the football World Cup. Driving back from an opening near
Spitafields, when we spotted some empty office units in the area. We quickly
jotted down the estate agents number and decided to phone them the next
day. The estate agents had no interest in becoming involved with art exhibitions,
but offered the phone number of somebody who might, Ben Parker, who worked
for the architectural practice CYMK, based in 86, Brick Lane.
There is a lot to be said for good phone manners. Within minutes of the
call to the estate agents we had agreed to meet Ben Parker for a coffee
and see the space at Brick Lane. This space had already been used by Georgina
Starr for a solo exhibition and by Chris Ofili, who had a show at Victoria
Miro Gallery at that time and went onto have his after show party in this
space.
The building was set back from the street and fronted by a large courtyard.
As you entered the building you were greeted by an enormous dark cavernous
entrance. By contrast, through a door at the back of this room you were
led into a long space filled with daylight from skylights.
We were aware that Guns and Roses had a very distinctive look, it was like
taking a ride on a ‘ghost train’ never quite knowing what to
expect round the corner.
A week after the opening night a single star out of a possible five was
given by Fisun Guner from Metro, which we cherished with pride.