In west London a disused petrol station has been renovated into an industrial style project space by architecture studio Liddicoat & Goldhill. Named ‘Elephant West’, the gallery is a physical manifestation of the visual culture publication Elephant.
The space is a canvas for showcasing emerging artistic talent, ‘environmental takeovers’, immersive experiences and creative programming. High ceilings in the main project space reach the height of the original petrol station and the architecture’s industrial design serves to break down the stiffness of the traditional commercial white cube gallery – the exterior is clad with a pixelated Elefant galvanised steel scaffold planking with vast industrial roller shutter door openings.
The exterior facade and entrance to Elephant West.
Remnants of the site’s original purpose have been preserved and celebrated in different ways – the petrol pumps have been sprayed white and enclosed behind four giant polycarbonate columns, while manhole covers and concrete bollards highlighted with contrasting epoxy coatings.
‘Our design exposes the latent architectural potential of a derelict, utilitarian building. It also resurrects the foundation myth of White City, which gained its name from dozens of white-painted temporary pavilion-like structures built from the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition,’ say architects Liddicoat & Goldhill.
Fuel cafe at Elephant West gallery.
‘Elephant’s tagline is “Life Through Art” and, in keeping with that, the work produced at Elephant West will resonate thematically with the concerns of the wider world rather than the narrower interests of the ‘art world’. Elephant West will turn ordinary life into cutting-edge art,’ says Robert Shore, creative director of Elephant who has spearheaded the project with Becca Pelly-Fry, head curator.
The first exhibition, ‘Dipping Sauce’, is an example of Elephant’s interactive and energetic approach. Huge photographs by west London-based Maisie Cousins show hyper-saturated macro imagery of food, insects, plants and nostalgic objects related to the experience of eating as part of a series of works that celebrate the joy and ceremony of eating, alongside which runs a programme of talks and workshops.
West London is currently experiencing a cultural renaissance, with the former BBC Television Centre redevelopment as an iconic centre piece, the RCA recently opening a White City campus and now Elephant West has jumped upon this new creative wave around White City, with its project space, Fuel café and bar, workstation hub, and shop inside it that will draw people in for many different reasons.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Liddicoat & Goldhill website
-
Are these the most luxurious Land Rovers ever? Welcome to the refined world of HelderburgEast Coast Land Rover specialists Helderburg are committed to the very best, transforming the classic British utility vehicle into bespoke individual creations
-
A timeline of David Lynch’s dreamlike perfume commercials, from Calvin Klein to GucciDavid Lynch’s perfume commercials, created over a two-decade period, saw the visionary director focus his dreamlike lens on fragrance campaigns for Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Gucci and more
-
Contrast therapy meets neuroaesthetic design at this Singapore spa and bathhouseReap the benefits of contrast therapy, head-to-toe massage and neuroaesthetic spatial design at the Hideaway spa and bathhouse in Singapore
-
When galleries become protest sites – a new exhibition explores the art of disruptionIn a new exhibition at London's Auto Italia, Alex Margo Arden explores the recent spate of art attacks and the 'tricky' discourse they provoke
-
'It's a metaphor for life': rising star and 'Queer' poster artist Jake Grewal on his new London exhibitionBritish artist Jake Grewal speaks to Simon Chilvers about 'Under the Same Sky' as it opens at Studio Voltaire in London
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: Tate Modern’s cultural shapeshifting takes the art prizeWe sing the praises of Tate Modern for celebrating the artists that are drawn to other worlds
-
Inside the distorted world of artist George RouyFrequently drawing comparisons with Francis Bacon, painter George Rouy is gaining peer points for his use of classic techniques to distort the human form
-
‘I'm endlessly fascinated by the nude’: Somaya Critchlow’s intimate and confident drawings are on show in London‘Triple Threat’ at Maximillian William gallery in London is British artist Somaya Critchlow’s first show dedicated solely to drawing
-
Surrealism as feminist resistance: artists against fascism in Leeds‘The Traumatic Surreal’ at the Henry Moore Institute, unpacks the generational trauma left by Nazism for postwar women
-
Looking forward to Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary partyFrom 9-12 May 2025, Tate Modern, one of London’s most adored art museums, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a lively weekend of festivities
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA week in the world of Wallpaper*. Here's how our editors have been entertaining themselves in the run up to Christmas
