First Thursday tonight then, our 30th in a row down the middle of the street, here’s some words that appeared on the Organ pages yesterday…

twenty-nine and counting, this Thursday February 6th will be the 30th First Thursday event in a row at Cultivate. Cultivate Evolved (as the gallery is now known), is an artist-run space right in the middle of the East London thing that is Vyner Street.

Vyner Street, an industrial cobble-stoned East London street with an ever-changing selection of galleries, performance places and creative art spaces both big and small (Limewharf’s take over of the abandoned Fred space is adding a new spark to the street right now, check out their alternative Winter olympic opening party this Friday for instance, as well as their excellent new cafe come performance space next to the beautifully un-gentrified grime of the Victory pub) .

First Thursday is an event originally fostered, a few years back now, by Whitechapel Gallery, an event that was originally dreamed up in an attempt to unite the many many East London galleries that come and go – an event that has now organically grown in many directions, a monthly event that, rather than exist under the umbrella of one rather establishment old school gallery, has evolved and established a life all of its own (a look at the official Whitechappel First Thursday last month would have informed you that First Thursday does not “officially” happen in January, a walk down Vyner Street on the evening of Thursday January 2nd 2014 would have revealed that First Thursday was indeed happening in January) . True, you’ll find most of the more conventional by-the-book events and the more formal galleries listed on the official First Thursday site, most of the more left-field spaces, places like the rather maverick crowd-pleasing Wayward space in Mowlem Street for instance, or Pure Evil over in Leonard Street, places that are a little more spontaneous and tend not to bother with six months of advance formal artists statements and all that ‘proper’ formal (tedious?) gallery stuff, places like that are not, in general, acknowledged by First Thursday officialdom, and tend not to be ‘officially” listed, And as good as it is to be able to explore the bigger more formal spaces, the Waywards, Pure Evils and such, the artist-run spaces and spontaneous places are where you’ll find the real spirit of an East London First Thursday.. .

First Thursday happens, as you’d expect it would, the clue is in the name,on the first Thursday evening of every month.

This Thursday evening will be the 30th First Thursday at the artist-run space that is Cultivate and the thumbnail images bellow are a small selection of the art, people and happenings that have taken place on the Cultivate corner down in the middle of the Vyner Street , London E2, over the last twenty-nine First Thursdays. First Thursday officially happened between 6pm and 9pm, unofficially it tends to go on just a little bit later…. Entry is free, bring your own refreshment….

There’s a packed gallery of photographs that go with the above piece that appears on the Organ pages today, go explore it all here, looking back leave us with quite a glow

Tonight, for our 30th First Thursday. the eight in-house Cultivate Evolved  artists are joined by guests QUIET BRITISH ACCENT and  BEN NAZ.

We’re big fans of QUIET BRITISH ACCENT and there cleaver juxtaposition of classic pieces of football (both American and an proper this week at Cultivate) and music imagery/wordery – “war is oval if you want it ” for instance, their response to John Lennon’s anticipation of last Sunday night’s superbowl (what a disappointing game, get yourself over to the Orient instead).

This week we have their embroidered take on the iconic (yes iconic, we are justified in using that over used word here) cowboy t-shirt

the original cowboy t-shirt image

Quite British Accent first came to our attention via a football fanzine (and a red one at that, not they’re red, more Orient), although I’m not sure if QBA should be allowed to design the kit?

Cultivate is open tonight, as always, until the last person leaves the street, officially 9pm, in all honestly probably much much later.  I’d like to think old Malcolm would smile in the direction of that Cowbo y image and like what we do, and indeed the spirit of Cultivate a little more that the pen pushers at Whitechapel gallery with all their rules do  “First Thursdays is a collaborative project designed to unify people and galleries in east London, however, we do not feel that your approach falls within this spirit” said their head or marketing this week as she tried to explain why they never list our events.   I think our spirit is a lot healthy than most , a little more in tune with the original spirit of East End art than most of what  we see around us.

“oooooo stupid whitechapel officialdom gallery, I don’t get it… and then look at Sarah Lucas with her recent retrospective in there, she was the one who set up their own space with Ms Emin and now it’s all lady muck of the established art world – aargghh – it sucks you in and….. Anyway well good if that’s what they think, they probably don’t have a clue about how it really feels or works anyway” said someone just now..

Anyway, Quiet British Accent, we love ’em, god save Tommy Doc and all who sailed with him, art is alive and well in East London, plenty of unity, some of it football shaped this week, just not your sort of rule-obeying unityMs Whitechapel marketing woman. United! .See you tonight, First Thursday, lot of love Vivien Westwood  xxx  .

QUITE BRITISH ACCENT – Cowboys

BEN NAZ – Queens Head, limited edition print (15)

WHAT JULIA MADE – Julia Maddison monoprints