South London Gallery, London

‘2019 was a transformative year for us, having opened a second building in a former fire station on Peckham Road in September 2018. It was restored by 6a architects and won a RIBA Award – it’s a wonderful space but it’s not really about the building – it’s more about what the building has allowed us to do that’s important.

‘The ambition and scale of the exhibitions we can put on has increased. We can also commission different kinds of exhibition that are displayed across both buildings. Solo shows now are far beyond the scope of what we could previously accommodate. We have also put on major group exhibitions – most notably New Contemporaries which is a fantastic showcase of new talent. We now have an artist studio – living artists are at the heart of what we do – and an archive space to record and share our rich 125year history. There’s also a community kitchen here now, which invites people who take over the gallery to take on that role of hosting. If you cook in a space it’s anti- institutional.

‘We’ve been facing the most challenging year financially. Luckily we got Arts Council recovery funding which will take us up to March 2021. The Art Fund money means we can continue our work with young people into 2021 and we’re commissioning some exciting new artworks, too.

‘This award is a really fantastic endorsement of everything we’re doing here. It’s a real team effort – we have brilliant staff, artists and participants in our education programme. It’s really wonderful to have something to celebrate in these otherwise very difficult times.’ southlondongallery.org

‘The Art Fund money means we can continue our work with young people into 2021 and we’re commissioning some exciting new artworks’

ABOVE FROM TOP South London Gallery opened in the former Peckham Road Fire Station as a contemporary arts space and annexe in 2018; an interactive exhibition. BELOW Visitors are encouraged to engage with artworks to fully appreciate them.