So where were we? On our corner for one more week, Cultivate, Vyner Street, been quite a n affair, it was only going to be a six month fling, nothing serious…. Well no, extremely serious, art is a serious matter, running a gallery is not to be taken lightly, this has always been a serious commitment, always been about walking it and not just talking it (anyone can write a fancy press release, opening the door and being there is the thing that counts So, 112 events, shows, openings, group shows, solo shows and such during Cultivate’s time in Vyner Street. 37 months or just over 3 years, 38 First Thursdays and hundreds and hundreds of artists up on our walls, plinths and such. Less that one week to go now, and then we’ll be back in five minutes with new things in new places, evolving again.

One last show called I’ll Back In Five Minutes, one last show in Vyner Street, not the last Cultivate show, we will be back in five minutes. Three years in Vyner street, I think we’ve had enough of each other now, three and a bit non-stop years is enough isn’t it? Three years, the love affair is over, it isn’t your fault, it really is me, no really, you’re wonderful, I just need a charge, we’re too familiar, we’ve had a great time, we’re getting stale now, you’re a great street, you really are, you’ll find someone else, you don’t need me holding you back, you need to fly, you need new life, we can’t just go on like this, there is no love between us anymore… One last fling for old time’s sake, one last time and off we go, one more First Thursday, one more (dirty) weekend, let’s part on good terms, stay in touch, we’ve had a great time, you’ll always be special, we’ll always have the memories, the scares, it really isn’t you, honestly, its me, it really is.  God, do you remember that time when I dropped that head, or that time we had that big red painting on the wall or when Charley parked his van outside with the light show in it or when the Yeastie Girls took over or when that big… no no, okay we won’t go there, but it was good, we did have some great times… yes, let’s end it here, it feels right, let’s part on good terms, let’s not fight, not like when Nettie left you and stuck the knife in, never liked her for that, you were so good to her, whatever happened to Nettie anyway, she went bust in the West End less than a year later, really? Oh what a shame, she had it coming to her, I’d never treat you like that, you’ve been wonderful, we’ve had a great time, I’ll be back in five minutes, you’ll have lots of new adventures, you’ll soon forget about me…

This Thursday October 2^nd we shall host our 38^th and final First Thursday evening, with a group show (that opened last week, but you knew that already) called I’LL BE BACK IN FIVE MINUTES. The show will until Sunday evening 6pm, usual gallery opening times of 11.30am until 6pm Thursday through to Sunday as well as 6pm until late on Thursday evening.  A group show, we had to end with a group show, group shows are important, group shows are cool, they’re vital, group shows are the life-blood, group shows are where you first saw Tracey or Damien, where you first saw Hunt, where you first saw most artists, don’t come here telling us group shows aren’t cool. Just look at Ashley’s book next to Zoe’s single finger, Tim’s caravan next to Debbie, that mouth next  to that leafheart or that john and Yoko shirt

Three years ago…

Artists featured in this final show – ASHLEY FITZGERALD, BRUCE LOVELOCK, ADE COLDBLACK, DEBORAH GRIFFIN, EMMA HARVEY, GLENN FITZPATRICK, HARLEY PRICE, JOANNA GEORGIADES, JULIA MADDISON, MADELEINE STRINDBERG
MERVYN DIESE, MATHEW TUDOR, MONIKA TOBEL, SEAN WORRALL, SHARON REEVES, TIM GOFFE, VANYA BALOGH, QUIET BRITISH ACCENT and ZOE CROSSE

Mia Pfeifer film projection and Something Blue at opening at Cultivate, December 2011

On Monday morning the freshly renamed gallery space will fall in to the hands of a new set of artists led by painter and curator Mathew Tudor. We shall be taking our Cultivate signs with us and cultivating other things in other places, Mr Tudor and his collective will take over the space and hopefully keep art flowing on the corner for the next six months (as long as the properly developers hold off, that threat is still hanging, planning permission is granted, just a case of when now)

Bodies, a group show at Cultivate, June 2012Vyner S