With Art Night, London Finally Gets Its Own Nuit Blanche

Visitors will enjoy top contemporary art on a long summer night.

Southwark Cathedral
Photo: courtesy Bolton and Quinn
Linder <i>Your actions are my dreams</i> at Tate St Ives 2009 <br> Photo: courtesy of the artist Stuart Shave/Modern Art, photo by Steve Tanner

Linder, Your actions are my dreams at Tate St Ives 2009
Photo: Courtesy of the artist Stuart Shave/Modern Art, photo by Steve Tanner.

On July 2, London will be transformed for one night only as Art Night takes over the center of the British capital.

Curated by Kathy Noble, artists including Turner Prize winner Laure Prouvost, Linder, and Nina Beier will take over buildings surrounding the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Participating artists will install works in these buildings, which will be open to the public from 6 pm in the evening until the early hours.

“Art Night builds on the ICA’s experiences of working in unusual locations with our Off-Site program and adds to its rich history of presenting ambitious cross-disciplinary work by leading artists,” said Gregory Muir director of the ICA in a statement. “We are delighted to be devising the program for the inaugural Art Night in the year of our 70th birthday.”

Iconic Brutalist Beauty 180 Strand <br> Photo: courtesy Bolton and Quinn

Iconic Brutalist Beauty 180 Strand. 
Photo: Courtesy Art Night.

The location of the festival means that the works will be installed in some of London’s most spectacular buildings including the historic Two Temple Place, Southwark Cathedral, Somerset House, and the Brutalist building 180 Strand, which is currently under redevelopment.

Two Temple Place <br> Photo: courtesy Peter Dazeley

Two Temple Place
Photo: Courtesy Peter Dazeley.

The works on view will range from performance and installation to film. Linder will perform on the iconic Duke of York steps near the ICA with Christopher Shannon, composer Maxwell Stirling and The Fourth Choir.

Meanwhile, Joan Jonas and jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran will perform the piece Reanimation for the first time in the UK, and Celia Hempton will take over 180 Strand creating site-specific wall paintings.

Celia Hempton, <i>Un,tled (North Greenwich)</i> (2013) <br> Photo: courtesy of the artist

Celia Hempton, Untitled (North Greenwich) (2013)
Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

 “As the sun goes down, Londoners and visitors alike will be able to experience the city in a new way,” said curator Kathy Nobel via a statement. “They will see iconic landmarks in a new light, and have the chance to explore unexpected and often hidden locations,” she added.

Art Night is based on the successful Parisian event “Nuit Blanche” (White Night), which started in 2002 and now has iterations taking place in over 30 cities across the world, including Riga, Toronto, Melbourne, and Tokyo.

Southwark Cathedral Photo: courtesy Bolton and Quinn

Southwark Cathedral at night.
Photo: Courtesy Art Night.

Tickets for London’s Art Night, which will take place on July 2, 2016 are free, but some events require booking.


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