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The Gilded City

14 - 15 May 2024, 10am - 5pm

Marking the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers' inaugural participation in London Craft Week, which celebrates its 10th edition this year. The Gilded City brings together eleven artists working with the ancient art of gilding. Set within the ornate Painters' Hall, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the activities of the guild and the variety of skilled and boundary-pushing work being produced by the Freeman and Liverymen of fifth oldest of the 111 Livery Companies in the City of London.

Gilding is a thread woven along the boundary between art and craft and has been used for thousands of years. The Gilded City brings together contemporary paintings and sculptures, experimental wallpaper, decorative craftwork, fine art framing, illumination and calligraphy, whilst also revealing the breadth of current practice, and development of the nearly lost tradition of japanning. All celebrating the craft of gilding which contains a legacy of knowledge and skill gained over years of practice, threading a rich path between the historic and the contemporary.

The Gilded City also plays on the historical importance of the guilds within the City of London, and this event features demonstrations, workshops and tours of Painters' Hall, which itself showcases magnificent interiors with an array of decorative surfaces and masterful craftsmanship. The Gilded City offers a glimpse into this hidden treasure chest, whilst also revealing contemporary developments in a historic practice.

Examples of work from the participating artists can be seen below:

Ana Kazaroff, Andy O'Connor, Derek Tanous, Jo Mabbutt, Polly Bennett, Emma Witter, Tony Roche, Tuesday Riddell, Rick McPearson, Ann Bowen, Yuki Aruga.