Art exhibition coming to Fulham’s derelict Town Hall

Fulham Town Hall, which has lain empty for over a decade will be opened to the public in May as the derelict interior is turned into a temporary art gallery.

It’s a chance frankly for most people to see inside a building in its shabby state before it’s turned into a hotel, but putting art inside decaying buildings elevates the opportunity to see inside. The juxtaposition of modern art and the decaying building is a beguiling contrast to the sanitised atmosphere of most art galleries.

Hugo Dalton, Crown of Thorns, 2020, light projection, photo Tom Mannion

Overseen by curator Ben Moore, and co-presented by hotel operator Lamington Group, Art in the Age of Now is a free event and features a programme of installations, guest exhibitions, live performance art, music, talks, readings and screenings.

Built in 1890, Fulham Town Hall features a grand ballroom, a courtroom in the round with original stained-glass windows and tiered seating, civil registration and function rooms and each area will be taken over by London’s contemporary artists. The cells in the building’s basement vault beneath the courtroom, complete with the original bars from their time as holding chambers, will be transformed into mini art spaces for emerging talent.

Many of the artworks have been produced in isolation during the lockdown and will be exhibited here for the first time.

Charlotte Colbert Mastectomy Mameria

Also on display around the venue will be Art Below’s archive of posters that have been exhibited in the London Underground over the last 15 years. Art Below will also be taking over the nearby Fulham Broadway tube station with a series of posters for two weeks in May including the work of Charlotte Colbert and Conrad Shawcross.

To visit, you will need to book a time slot, and the 51,000 sq ft building allows for large numbers to move through the space.

Tickets will be released here closer to the date.

The event comes ahead of plans to convert the building into a hotel, and work on that is due to start later this year.