New artwork in our on-call rooms
Robin Klassnik OBE who is a long time resident and regular Whipps Cross patient has agreed to guest-curate a collection of artworks for permanent display in our On-Call rooms (located between junction 5 and 6). The suite of fourteen bedrooms, used by medics working overnight, now each benefit from the inclusion of an exceptional artwork. This project is part of Vital Arts' ongoing support of clinical colleagues across the Trust.
Working closely with Vital Arts, Klassnik developed a strategy that responds to the aim of providing interest and focus to these rooms, used by hardworking clinical staff. Klassnik selected a wide range of works by thirteen artists, combining previously existing works with some created especially for the project.
Klassnik is the Director and Founder of the non-profit contemporary art organisation Matt's Gallery, which began in his artist’s studio in 1979. He has lived locally for 40 years and Whipps Cross is his local hospital.
The works selected for Whipps Cross include prints, photographs, collages and watercolours by contemporary artists, many of whom have shown at Matt’s Gallery over the years. The Gallery has a longstanding reputation as a pioneer of installation art, often working at large scale with new media to develop works that have gone on to attract Turner Prize nominations and become part of national collections.
About Robin Klassnik:
Robin Klassnik founded Matt’s Gallery in his East London studio in 1979. Since then it has supported the making of new and innovative work. During this time, it has been an independent and influential force in the visual arts sector, both nationally and internationally, championing the careers of artists such as Willie Doherty, Jimmie Durham, Susan Hiller, Mike Nelson, Lindsay Seers, Imogen Stidworthy and Richard Wilson.
Matt's Gallery exists to give artists the time, space and support they need to take risks, test their limits and surprise even their own intentions. In 2014, Klassnik was awarded an OBE in recognition of his contribution to contemporary art. In April 2022 Matt’s Gallery opened its new space in Nine Elms, South West London.
About Vital Arts:
Vital Arts is the charitably-funded arts organisation within Barts Health NHS Trust. Established in 1996, Vital Arts has an international reputation for innovative and ambitious art projects that support patients and staff, while raising the standard of art in hospitals – and public art in general. Vital Arts views hospitals as key civic spaces that are ideal to introduce new audiences to the transformative power of art.