this pop-up gallery in notting hill is shaped as a contemporary asian bathhouse

contemporary bathhouse pops up in notting hill

local collective and stigma room –a collective of architects, artists, and researchers– have transformed a ground floor retail into a bathhouse-shaped pop-up gallery in notting hill, london, for skincare brand malin+goetz and the arts council england. drawing influence from asian art, identity and feminism, the newly unveiled gallery seeks to reclaim, re-energize, and re-imagine UK’s high streets in a post-pandemic context, through a mixed-used strategy of introducing cultural programmes into what is usually a consumption-led experience.

all images courtesy of taran wilkhu

an open invitation for connection through art

the curation, ‘zao tang’ (bath house in chinese), stems from an on-going exploration of the intersection between asian identity and feminism, and the cultural charge of asian bathhouses as a ground for social exchange. the gallery not only serves as a platform for creatives of color and their works to reach a wider community, but also as an open invitation for communities and cultural organizations to connect through art, host activities in this public room, and reclaim ownership of our streets. 

‘we want to make art accessible for the public and blend it into people’s daily expression. perhaps on your way to the grocer’s or on your way back from the post office, we hope there is always a social ground – your urban living room – where you can meet people, join a workshop, soak in art, celebrate diversity and feel connected,’ shares lisa chan, founder of local collective (find more here). ‘we want to use the immersive art-viewing experience to activate community kinships through the physicalization of social exchange. use art to connect, give the city back to the locals,’ add shutian zhou and cong ding, co-founders of stigma room (find more here).

mimicking the traditional bathing ritual

the reception of art is accentuated by the sequence and form of encounter, as local collective and stigma room transform the gallery into a contemporary bathhouse that interweaves the self, community, and heritage. mimicking the bathing ritual in asian bathhouses, one is invited to first cleanse the self, washing off pre-conceptions and quotidian concerns through the viewing of victoria pham’s video portrait and stigma’s pseudo-narratives. with the refreshing smell of bergamot by malin+goetz, one is then invited to join the others in the public bath for a collective reception and conversation on hannah lim’s re-appropriated snuff bottles, yushi li’s binary gaze, and youngsook choi’s collective grief. the exhibition is both intimate and social, drifting away from traditional art-viewing and moving towards an immersive cultural experience. 

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project info:

name: zao tang 

design and curation: local collective and stigma room

client: malin+goetz and arts council england

fabrication: CNC projects

reclaimed tiles supplied by: rennew reclamation yard

reclaimed tiles applied by: NW london tilers

artists: ayumi kajiwara, hannah lim, stigma, victoria pham, youngsook choi, and yushi li lighting specialist: francesco anselmo
photography: taran wilkhu

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.