October Gallery in Bloomsbury will celebrate its 25 year anniversary this
Autumn, with Intelligence Now! To mark this outstanding achievement the
gallery will play host to a 3 month long visual arts exhibition, including
work by El Anatsui, William Burroughs and Gerald Wilde whose work '
Intelligence Now' opened the gallery in 1979. The diverse collection of
work that will be on show incorporates talent from Africa, Asia , Australia,
as well as America and Europe, and the islands of the Oceania and the
Caribbean. Many of the participating artists with whom the Gallery has
worked during its twenty-five years, have created works especially for the
upcoming anniversary.

The eclectic cultural range exhibited will be incorporated into the
seminars, talks and children workshops that are scheduled throughout the
festival. Fresh from New York , the US dancer Molissa Fenley will be
performing for audiences at the October Gallery on November 6th and to open
Intelligence Now! we are proud to present 'Fireworks! Poets' on the
November 5th

It was a quarter of a century ago, that the October Gallery's doors opened,
to promote "Artists from Around the Planet: Intelligence, Intuition and
Action". Led by Director Chili Hawes and Artistic Director Elisabeth
Lalouschek, the Gallery has since become London's foremost venue for
cultural exchange in the arts. The former derelict Victorian building,
originally renovated by a group of artists and volunteers, is now a hidden
gem and a second home to two generations of artists, audiences, scientists
and innovators from diverse cultures. Hawes recalls,

"We were the first venue in London consistently to exhibit contemporary art
from all cultures. We have aimed to create an atmosphere which nurtures
mutual respect and inspiration, providing an oasis where artists and public
can meet."

The Gallery's first member was sculptor Phillip King, now President of the
Royal Academy, and, over the years, aficionados have included: Sir Roland
Penrose, Aubrey Williams, Kathleen Raine, Lawrence Durrell, Pops Mohammed,
John Lilly, Princess Wijdan of Jordan, Thor Heyerdahl, Genesis P. Orridge,
Isabel Lambert, Tambimuttu, Ronnie Scott, Sir Ghillean Prance, Ornette
Coleman and Tim Smit, to name a few.


5th November, 2004-29th January, 2005

Including works by:

El Anatsui (West Africa) regarded as the pre-eminent African sculptor of his generation, and one of the leading
African artists to have gained a truly international reputation.


William S. Burroughs (U.S.A.) One of the literary giants of the last century, Burroughs began to paint when living next door to Gysin in Paris. His work received its English debut at the October Gallery, and again featured in a joint show with Keith Haring.


LeRoy Clarke (Trinidad and Tobago) originally a self-taught artist from Trinidad, Clarke today stands as one of the most highly respected artists of the islands, developing his own inimitable style upon the surrealist tradition of Wifredo Lam and Matta;


Paul Friedlander (UK) digital artist operating at the interface of kinetic sculptural art and programmed lighting, has been commissioned to transform the October Gallery's entranceway with a site-specific light installation of 'Wave Equations' to be displayed for the three months of the Festival.


Ablade Glover (Ghana) Professor of the arts and recipient of an outstanding array of international awards, Glover's work is a testimony to his conviction that oil painting has its place in the contemporary arts of Africa.


Brion Gysin (UK/Canada) writer and painter who was the inspiration and developer of the cut-up technique and the "dream machine," both later made famous by William S. Burroughs, it was Gysin who taught Burroughs to paint;


Emmanuel Taïwo Jegede (UK/Nigeria) painter, printmaker, sculptor in wood, bronze, ceramic and a poet and story-teller. Jegede's work draws much from both his Ekiti Yoruba background and the UK where he has lived, taught and exhibited for many years.



Rachid Koraichi (Algeria) an installation artist of both vision and extraordinary range, working in ceramic, metal, textile and calligraphy. His work has adorned the Comedie Francaise and been collected by the British Museum. Raised in the Sufi tradition, Koraichi's work is predicated upon central notions of tolerance and mutual respect.


Elisabeth Lalouschek (Austria) after graduating from the RCA became the Artistic Director of the October Gallery and besides being a highly regarded artist has become a specialist in Contemporary African Art;


Frantz Lamothe (Haiti) left Haiti for New York to develop his "graffiti style" with close associate Jean-Michel Basquiat. Following Basquiat's untimely death he returned to Haiti and immersed himself in its local culture.

Rosella Namok (Aboriginal Australia) member of the dynamic "Lockhart River Art Gang", fast becoming one of Australia's hottest artists after winning several high profile prizes, including the most prestigious High Court of Australia Centenary Prize. Her first ever showing in the UK will be at the October Gallery this Autumn;
Francesco Rimondi (Ethiopia/France) has exhibited his paintings and unique found-object sculpture at the gallery since 1988. He manages a Provençal manor house hosting creative workshops and retreats for writers and artists.


Laila Shawa (Palestine) exiled from Gaza where her father was a famous Official, now lives in London from where she continues her passionate artistic crusade against oppression in all its forms and at all levels of society;


Steina and Woody Vasulka (Iceland/Czech) pioneers of experimental digital art and founders in 1971 of seminal New York media arts theatre 'The Kitchen', commissioned to create a video installation using interactive cameras, monitors and software-modified feed-back loops in the Gallery's courtyard.


Wijdan (Jordan) Founder of the National Gallery of Jordan and an authority on Islamic art in general and the women artists of the Arab world in particular;




Gerald Wilde (England) unique British artist, so unlike anyone else painting during the post-war period as to be unclassifiable, the October Gallery opened its doors with an exhibition of his work and championed him from then till his death – the Tate has two of his late masterpieces;


Aubrey Williams (Guyana) one of a generation of Caribbean artists who left a long legacy of influence on the British arts scene after his arrival in London in the early 50's, he was a frequent exhibitor after his landmark shows at the Commonwealth Institute in 1981 and 1985. The Whitechapel Gallery held a major retrospective
exhibition of his work in 1998.


Kenji Yoshida (Japan) survived a Japanese kamikaze squadron to become an artist of exceptional talent. The first living artist ever to be granted a solo exhibition at the British Museum;


Xu Zhongmin (China) the organiser of an artists'group disbanded by the Chinese Authorities, Zhongmin moved to the UK in 1992, after which his career has taken off with numerous prizes, including the Guinness Prize for best first exhibitor at the Royal Academy Summer Show, 1997.