It has been one hell of a year for Guts Gallery in London. We keep finding their program to be exciting and one of the best in London at the moment, and we documented our love for the gallery in a Radio Juxtapoz episode this year. And now, the NEW NOW show.
Guts Gallery is excited to present NEW NOW, a two-part group exhibition in collaboration with Brynley Odu Davies which showcases the next generation of artists working in the UK today. Since 2020, Brynley Odu Davies has been travelling the country photographing and documenting over 200 contemporary artists in their studios. The result is a remarkable and diverse archive of the UK’s emerging arts scene. NEW NOW is the culmination of Bynley’s project as it brings together and platforms the work of some of the exceptional artists that Brynley has photographed over the course of the last three years.
In 2020, faced with the fact that his career as a music photographer would have to be put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Brynley decided to start taking pictures of local South London-based artists. Brynley’s distinctive style drew the attention of artists across the UK and soon enough Brynley was travelling up and down the country documenting artists in their own environment, surrounded by their own work. Brynley’s photographs are taken with the central focus of being as natural and real as possible. Often taken in natural light with little to no editing, Brynley’s portraits are clean and classic; they aim to capture the absolute essence of their subject. In this way, Brynley’s photographs are empowering - they tell the story of an artist in that specific moment in time, both in their life and their artistic career.
In NEW NOW, Guts Gallery celebrates the work of a wide and diverse range of artists documented in Brynley’s project. Looking beyond just capital cities, NEW NOW fosters a sense of nationwide artistic community as it platforms the boundary-breaking artists who are shaping the UK’s emerging art scene. Despite constant cuts to arts funding, cuts to arts education and the threat of the rising cost of living; there remains a vibrant and unwavering creative spirit that thrives in the UK. NEW NOW captures a snapshot of this spirit and presents the work of the exceptionally talented individuals who will come to define the future of art in the UK.
NEW NOW will also be accompanied by a new publication which will feature a range of Brynley’s studio portraits. Acting as a record of some of the best young artists working in the UK today, the book will be Davies’ first ever publication.
