Earlier this month Unit London launched a new 6000 sq. foot gallery space over two expansive exhibition floors, establishing a central London flagship at 3 Hanover Square in Mayfair.
Our new space houses the gallery’s growing primary artist roster and hosting a wider mix of creative collaborations and interdisciplinary cultural events. Marking the gallery’s opening was the inaugural exhibition The Garden by South African artist Ryan Hewett, his third solo exhibition with Unit London.
A beautiful summer’s evening at Unit London’s opening reception at our new Mayfair venue.
Hewett’s work blurs the boundary between figuration and abstraction, simultaneously articulating and subverting the conventions of portraiture to reflect both external visual perceptions and inner psychological experiences. The titular piece The Garden sets forth a new direction for the artist, exploring multi-dimensional landscapes and intricate layerings on a larger scale than seen in his previous work. The artwork lends its name to the new series, which retain the intensely textural quality of Hewett’s earlier practice whilst juxtaposing his distinctively tactile impasto with flattened geometry, inviting the viewer to reconsider the rendering of its materiality and perspectival depth.
A guest admiring Ryan Hewett’s painting, ‘Rise’ (2017-18).
Ahead of the exhibition opening, the private view of The Garden took place on Thursday, 28 June, a vibrant event with over 2000 RSVPs. Guests were queuing around the corner just to get a glimpse of Hewett’s paintings and to visit the newly opened space. Topping off the occasion, guests enjoyed cocktails mixed with hand-crafted Mount Gay rum and Double Dutch’s premium mixers to complement the highly anticipated and spirited evening.
The Garden is open from 29 June to 22 July 2018 at Unit London, 3 Hanover Square London W1S 1HD.
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Ryan Hewett's 'The Garden' catalogue.
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Guests admiring Ryan Hewett's artworks.
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Guests waiting outside Unit London for 'The Garden' private view.
AN EVENING WITH...
Mount Gay
Perpetuating a long-standing Barbadian tradition for more than 310 years, Mount Gay rums are handcrafted from a blend of single column and double copper pot distillates and matured in toasted oak barrels, delivering aromatic, flavourful taste, body and refined character.
Double Dutch
Double Dutch offers a unique range of tonic waters and mixers that revolutionise the world of beverages. Created by the Dutch twin sisters Joyce and Raissa de Haas, Double Dutch is developed using flavour pairing techniques in order to create innovative drinks.