WORDS: CAT OLLEY PICTURE: OLLIE HARROP
ESCAPEAUGUST 2019 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 189Margate’s evolution from tired seaside bolthole to lively home of the arts is freshly
buoyed by its latest cultural landmark: the newly relocated Carl Freedman Gallery,
which opened in Shoreditch in 2003. ‘Margate is going through an amazing
transformation, led by a growing art community,’ explains Freedman, the gallery’s
founder. ‘The new home is a fantastic opportunity for us to present larger-scale
solo exhibitions by our artists as well as more expansive curated shows.’
Set back from the bustle of the seafront, behind the Old Town, the cavernous
gallery – part of what was once the headquarters of Thanet Press – houses three
exhibition spaces, an apartment and a huge, 929-square-metre upper floor dedicated
to Freedman’s printing business, Counter Editions. Offering high ceilings and
copious space uninterrupted by columns, the former commercial site looks set to
be a coveted address for creatives, with Tracey Emin’s new studio currently under
construction next door. The Carl Freedman Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, ‘Man
in the mouth of a cave’ (until 25 August), is a solo show celebrating expressive new
works from painter, poet and fixture of the Kent arts scene Billy Childish. It’s
a wonderfully local start for a venue that promises to celebrate the very best of
contemporary British and international talent (carlfreedman.com).‘MARGATE IS
GOING THROUGH
AN AMAZINGTRANSFORMATION,
LED BY A GROWING
ART COMMUNITY’THE CULTURAL DESTINATIONCA RL FREEDMAN
GALLERY
Swapping Shoreditch for the seaside, this
iconic arts space has found fresh inspiration