THE CLASS OF 2020
Class of 2020 is an exhibition to document a surreal year through the artwork we have produced.
This inclusive group show was due to run from December 10 to 23 in south London, but due to the sudden third national lockdown cutting the show short, it reopened from April 12-17 2021.
It is a showcase of artwork made in 2020. There were no other rules for entry – it just had to be something created during the calendar year.
And the response to the open call was fantastic! More than 280 works were eventually submitted, from over 150 artists. It’s an inclusive show, with no work refused.
The show is not about work being judged, it is to show what different people have been up to during the year, and to enjoy other people’s unique responses to this unusual time.
All mediums, from drawing to painting, to sculpture and printmaking, and any other weird and wonderful creative practices artists had developed during lockdown were submitted.
Class of 2020 is about saying: “We were there, we experienced it together – and these were our creative responses”.
CLASS OF 2020 //
Dec 10-23 2020 & April 12-17 2021
Work was received from all over the world, with artists sending their work in from as far afield as Chicago and Argentina.
Eclectic entries included an 8-ft tall Incredible Hulk, a cardboard tea pot and portraits which came with a free bag of popcord. There were also many paintings of all styles and mediums.
Much of the work was for sale, in the show which aimed to help artists in what has been a challenging financially, and almost a quarter of the works on display in the gallery-shop were sold.
This really was a great way to mark a difficult year, so a massive thanks to everyone who has taken part in submitting work, or visiting the gallery.
Rod Kitson, March 2021
Class of 2020, Dec 10-23 2020 and April 12-17 2021
Address:
The Art of Isolation
Unit 38, Upper Floor
Surrey Quays Shopping Centre
London
SE16 7LL