Established in 2005 Kitch-en is a Contemporary Urban Gallery specialising in selling limited edition prints, original works and vinyl toys by some of the best up and coming artists in the UK.
Over the years we've had the pleasure of exhibiting artwork by the likes of Scrawl Collective - Mr Jago, Steff Plaetz, Will Barras, SheOne | Xynthetic Collective | Matt JOnes aka Lunartik | Ben the Illustrator and his Speakerdogs | Phlegm | Mr Arteest and many others.
Over the years we've had the pleasure of exhibiting artwork by the likes of Scrawl Collective - Mr Jago, Steff Plaetz, Will Barras, SheOne | Xynthetic Collective | Matt JOnes aka Lunartik | Ben the Illustrator and his Speakerdogs | Phlegm | Mr Arteest and many others.
In March 2010 we relaunched in Newcastle Upon Tyne with a big bang, introducing and showcasing our fantastic new line-up of artists and our new website.
We intend on hitting the road with a continuous tour showcasing our artists in 2-3 large group exhibitions a year in different locations around the UK and eventually internationally.
We are always looking for new artists to join us in the 'Kitch-en' to help cook up a lavish meal of colour, painting, graffiti, illustration, design, doodles, stencils, characters and everything else in between. If you want to be involved contact us with a pleasant message.
We intend on hitting the road with a continuous tour showcasing our artists in 2-3 large group exhibitions a year in different locations around the UK and eventually internationally.
We are always looking for new artists to join us in the 'Kitch-en' to help cook up a lavish meal of colour, painting, graffiti, illustration, design, doodles, stencils, characters and everything else in between. If you want to be involved contact us with a pleasant message.
Our Ethos:
• To operate in a not-for-profit manor and become formerly constituted as a CIC
• We believe in creative diversity and variety, breaking down boundaries between disciplines and generating collaborations between artists.
• We believe art should be entertaining and non-exclusive, it should be accessible for all to experience.
• To support local, national and international artists by giving selling exhibition opportunities to new and emerging artists combined with more established artists to attract a wider audience.
• To sell a range of work at different price scales to enable all sections of society to buy good quality artwork
History:
Mark Warner and Ged Holmes began Kitch-en Gallery back in 2005 in Middlesbrough. Mark had relocated from London to study and had recently graduated with a BA in Graphic Design and was looking for an outlet for his creativity. Ged was tiring from his full-time job as a bar manager and wanted to pursue his own creative passions.
Kitch-en Gallery started out by taking over unusual spaces, such as bars, coffee shops and retail spaces exhibiting their own artworks. We then negotiated use of a large empty shop unit in Middlesbrough Town Centre for free and sought out other creative talents from the region to exhibit. We occupied the temporary unit for 3 months, increasing footfall and interest in a run down shopping centre and building up our brand awareness amongst the public and the local arts scene.
From there Kitch-en went on to find a small space just 5 minutes from MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). From the moment we saw the space we knew it had to be ours and so Kitch-en Gallery V.1 was born. We opened up a permanent gallery space in July 2006 which we ran for almost 2 years.
During the 2 years we showcased some fantastic artworks from new and emerging contemporary urban artists from around the UK as well as supporting local artists, colleges and recent graduates. We held 12 solo and group exhibitions in total including works by Matt JOnes aka Lunartik, Scrawl Collective, Xynthetic Collective, Ben the Illustrator (Speakerdogs) as well as curating our own group shows such as The LomoWall and SOUP which featured work by Hush & Neasdon Control Centre.
Kitch-en closed the physical gallery space in 2008 due to personal commitments but continued to operate as an online gallery for a further year. Since the closure of the gallery space, Kitch-en have been making connections within the contemporary urban art scene and in September 2009 we made a decision that the time was right to bring new life to the gallery.
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