Colours is an installation by Margaux Carpentier created especially for this summer at Peckham Levels and revolving around four main artworks: Fish, Egg, Magma and Cloud.

Margaux Carpentier is an artist born in France and based in London. Her work ranges from illustrations to mural & fine art painting, printmaking and ceramics. She is interested in representing the human figure to tell stories and express feelings.

From the artist:

Starting from the title “colours”, an aspect of our world dear to me and my work, I first wanted to channel a feeling of joy and lightness to celebrate the summer in a small act of rebellion against a creeping darkness in which the world we know seems to plunge headfirst.   

Colours can uplift us and change our mood – think about waking up to a perfect blue sky or spotting that impossibly bright yellow flower, lost amidst a shabby patch of grass. However, colours are not the whole inspiration behind this series of drawings, but merely the spark which got me started. 

To tell stories through my work I use unapologetic human figures and a combination of symbols plucked from the air. Here is a little bit about the inspiration which helped me to create the scenes presented here. Please treat this as my interpretation, which is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to imagine new meanings that suit your story and sensibility, to create your own tales. 

The fish has sneaked into my drawings for a few years now. Born from a distant memory of fish-shaped French Easter chocolate or the feeling of gutting a mackerel at age 9, it is to me a multifaceted symbol. Its slimy and scaly body can represent the ultimate strangeness of emotions which pierce us and come swimming inside us from time to time. 

The egg was encountered on a stormy autumn evening, when I sat on a brick wall bordering an old cemetery only to discover a row of perfectly aligned eggs someone had placed on top of the bricks. This mystery brought the egg to my work, perhaps a symbol of treasure, enigma but also something fragile we must care for. The egg here is spotted and giant; maybe some fantastical creature is about to hatch.

My Flowers have human faces, hidden in their core. The hybrid being is held here, or even pulled out, acting as a mirror, a fragrant interlocutor to some inner discussion. These strange flowers can illustrate the myriads of voices and people who live inside us. 

The cloud is new to me and formed by being part of the audience at a talk between two writers (Shon Faye & Maggie Nelson), in which they described the exchange that was happening as “holding a cloud together”. 

The cloud here is held by two people with a dose of struggle and is dissolving into rain. It is something evanescent, bringing precious water to the earth but also conversely acting as an odd symbol of gloom in western iconography.  

The red artwork is inspired by the myth of Sisyphus, who, condemned to push a huge boulder uphill sees it roll back to the bottom and is forced to start again for eternity. 

It is an allegory of our human lives in which we struggle to acquire knowledge and become the best version of ourselves only to die in the end and take it all with us. Or else, this is one way to see it. The characters here are not pushing the giant round stone which looks like a ball of magma but resting on it in an act of relaxation, love and care. They are not going anywhere, living in stillness and embracing the heart of the earth.

The framed works are limited edition screen-prints, printed by the artist at Print Club London in Dalston.

About the exhibition:

This free exhibition at Peckham Levels shares a collaborative photographic series shared by Hayley Jay. Her practice is concerned with the aesthetics of youth and the spaces they occupy. During her residency at Millside school in Slough, she captured the character and energy of the everyday whilst sharing her camera with the students. Her exhibition blends the students' imagery and art work with her own in an uplifting showcase, whilst challenging the pervasive negative stigma and complex challenges faced by special needs and provisional schools today. 

On Wednesday 19 June there will be a private view and scanning social hosted by the Museum of Youth Culture where visitors are encouraged to bring photos, objects and ephemera to be scanned into the museum's ever growing archive of public submissions piecing together fascinating stories from people's teenage years.

• Open: Tuesday 18 June - Friday 21 June

• Private View and Museum of Youth Culture Scanning: Wednesday 19 June, 4pm - 8pm

About the exhibition:

Plastic Alchemy reimagines the lifecycle of soft plastics and explores the transformative power of hands-on practices.

In the spirit of alchemy, an ancient practice dedicated to transmuting base materials into valuable substances, this exhibition demonstrates how single-use waste can be reborn as functional and sustainable objects.

The theme of alchemy extends beyond the physical transformation of materials; it symbolises a hands-on approach to solving ecological challenges and extending the life of single-use plastics. By fusing soft plastics into durable, reusable materials, we not only divert waste from landfills but also highlight the endless possibilities of creative recycling.

Alongside installation pieces, we are inviting viewers to join an interactive workshop on Thursday 13 June, an opportunity to gain new upcycling skills and turn daily soft plastics into reusable products.

This free exhibition at Peckham Levels covers the history and culture of Southwark Travellers from the early 1980s when they first settled in the borough. It includes the campaigning work they did to establish the four Traveller sites in Southwark, and the formation of Southwark Travellers Action Group (STAG) as part of this. 

The Exhibition looks at the period from the 1980s to the present, and provides some context on wider Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history and culture. We have historical artefacts from STAG's own archives, photos shared by the National Museum of Ireland showing traditional Irish Traveller crafts and culture, and more recent artwork from STAG and Dolly Romany Arts.

Southwark has a great history of supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and this is a chance to learn more about their contributions to the borough, some of the difficulties they have faced in the past and how these were overcome by community action. We also highlight some of the problems still faced by these communities and the work STAG and others are doing to address these and celebrate the depth and breadth of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture and heritage.

About the exhibition

Moments of Stillness explores an intersection of nature and wellbeing through the paintings of Xuan Hew. Coming from Malaysia, the artist longs for a connection with a climate different from what she’s used to. By collecting landscapes through lived and imagined experiences, Xuan Hew's paintings of mountain peaks and other natural forms propose a moment of break from the rush of everyday life. Just as nature, that grows from inside of Earth to outside, the works bring consciousness to the many layers that we, as humans, are made of. Moments of Stillness then becomes a space to inspire the act of pause and observation, to be able to feel the presence beyond the surface and feel connected to the places that we inhabit.

Curated and written by Júlia Mazzoni.

About the workshop

Welcome to Moments Of Stillness! Join in with a peaceful gathering at the UAL exhibition space on Levels 5 & 6 of Peckham Levels.

Explore Xuan Hew's art through interactive activities like extending the painting and crafting stories. Our aim? Simply to relax and slow down. Join us for mindful creativity and a deeper connection with art.

Take a moment to pause, breathe, and connect with yourself and others. Let's create a space for reflection, mindfulness, and inner peace. We can't wait to share these moments of stillness with you!

Opening hours:

• 8 May(Wed): 10am-6pm + Private view: 5:30pm-7:30pm

• 9 May (Thu): 10am - 6pm

• 10 May (Fri): 10am - 3pm + Workshop: 2pm-3pm

• 11 May (Sat): 12pm-4pm

Join us for a series of creative workshops hosted at Peckham Levels this Spring!

The activities will be led by UAL students, staff and alumni and will explore themes such as art-making, drawing, curating and art-therapy.

Beyond Bodies is a new immersive art installation by Tasia Graham focused around an interpretation of the internal and external experience of women’s self image.

With themes of identity, body dysphoria, and fantasy, Tasia creates a worldly collection formed through surrealist techniques. inspired from the works of Salvador Dali’s ‘Dreams’ series.

Come and experience the work any time during public opening hours from Wednesday 20 December - Friday 22 December. Entry is free and the installation will be inside our Auditorium space on Levels 5 & 6.

It’s the debt that you owe: debt, colonialism, and resistance is a multidisciplinary art exhibition exploring how the legacy of colonialism has led to the debt crisis of today. The exhibition features new work by artists with personal connections to countries that are currently in debt crisis or with a history of colonialism.

The exhibition includes original visual and performance work from 12 artists on the impact of debt on countries in the global south, including through the artists’ own lived experiences of colonial and neo-colonial oppression and debt. The work sits across a wide variety of mediums from break dancing to oil painting, sculpture to songwriting, graphic typography to animation.   

The curators Debt Justice have commissioned expressions of resistance and work that explores the dismantling of the colonial capitalist underpinnings of debt, and how debt links to the climate crisis.  

The exhibition will be launched on 8 November with a night of entertainment featuring live performances from the artists, premiere screenings of the video work, and a chance to learn more about the global struggle for debt justice. The first 50 people to arrive will receive a free drink from the Peckham Levels bar.

ARTISTS

• Amber Khokhar is an artist and designer. Amber combines her strong background in design with a diverse academic and practical knowledge of traditional art to create enchanting designs, paintings and products.

• Blema Etrey is a 51-year-old contortionist/dance/flexfitness trainer.

• CJ Simon is a Black British writer and academic whose dynamic work finds a way to balance both the scholastic and poetic. As a playwright, spoken-word artist, essayist, videographer, and podcaster, CJ’s work endeavours to use multidisciplinary approaches in creating politically engaging and challenging work.

• dfawzi is a multidisciplinary artist from “up north” with roots in Sudan, Egypt & England. His work often revolves around concepts of duality and the fusion of an ancestral and spiritual past with the present and future. “I like to experiment so it’s difficult to define my style and genre exactly. I’d say one theme that always seems to interest me the most is the perspective of the children of immigrants.”

• Gayathiri Kamalakanthan is a Tamil performance poet. They tell stories through poetry and movement that ask: Whose imagination are we living in? How could we (slowly, slowly) build towards anti-colonial futures? When do we get to practise freedom?

• Josie Dale-Jones is a theatre maker, dramaturg, director, producer, writer & performer. Josie was co-director of Staging Change, a network of artists, venues and festivals working towards a greener industry. Josie runs her own company, ThisEgg and she currently works for Complicité as Project Producer.

• Katherine Hasegawa is a Venezuelan ARTivist based in Cambridge, UK.

• Jelly Cleaver uses music to create community and change. She aspires to the ideal of the artist as activist. Her work is often a meditation on the philosophical, the spiritual and the political.

• Monique Jackson is an active artist and advocate for Long Covid, working with charities, research and arts organisations raising visibility of the condition. In recent years Monique has enjoyed working in partnerships, co-designing creative programmes and facilitating workshops. Monique has had experience working independently on multiple arts educational projects.

• Nadina Ali is a graphic artist from Marseille who is passionate about social justice and representation. She uses bold and colourful typography to address these topics and to make art and creativity accessible to as many people as possible, especially people who don’t traditionally have easy access to art. Through her work, she also aims to amplify the voices of under-represented people.

• Nicola Constantina’s practice focuses on using materials such as human hair as a storytelling tool to challenge and unpack the intricate and complex relationship between race and identity that we encounter in our daily lives.

• Selena Scott is a Cambridge-based artist who aims to redefine the portrayal of Black people using oil painting, a medium traditionally reserved to perpetuate western ideals. Her work builds upon extensive research, focused on investigating the legacy of colonialism using personal stories, loaded imagery and colour to construct narrative.

• SOMEGAL ”Through a explorative process of archiving, illustration, 3D rendering, layering and iteration; I create vibrant, textured designs which celebrate social justice, mental well-being and our sacred connection to nature.”

Peckham is a place. Peckham is my home. Peckham is a place called home.

Home is more than the four bricked walls in which we lay our heads when the sunsets and the night-time comes. Home is comfort, Home is refuge, Home is community, Home is a place where you belong.

Inspired by Mark Sealy's book Decolonizing the Camera: Photography in Racial Time, Peckham is a place called Home is a free photography exhibition that seeks to explore the interconnectivity of Peckham and its people. The camera has been used as a tool of warping history, particularly that of those seen as ‘Other’ since its invention many centuries ago. This exhibition aims to highlight the importance of photographic archives in documenting a history that is true to life; a history that tells the story of the community without alteration and brings to light untold stories.

The exhibition is compartmentalised into several series:

• Place & Faces: a two-part series that hones in on the people and parts of the community that make Peckham feel like home.

• Da Mandem: consisting of 11 gritty images of men who were born and raised in Peckham, illustrating their journey of becoming.

• Peckham BMX Club: over 37 images of the Black leaders and keen youth who frequent Peckham BMX track in Burgess Park.

• Peckham is Protesting; Cross’ most recent series in Peckham, documenting the peaceful protest held by members of the community following the infamous hair shop incident in September.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Christian Cross is a self taught professional photographer with a vast photographic archive that continues to grow. Born and raised in Peckham, Christian prides in his photographic documentation of the community as an act of preserving its history. Many of the images in his collection are of people, buildings and locations that are bound to be erased as history continues to rewrite itself. His down to earth approach and personality is evident in the candid images he captures, and it's telling that most pictures taken are true to life. Cross understands the importance of photographing what is 'true', this can be seen in his unedited images which depict a story that is made very clear to the viewer.

ABOUT THE BHE

The BHE is an emerging platform dedicated to working with Black visual artists of all mediums. The BHE collaborates with artists to curate free, public experimental exhibitions, The aim is to enrich others through the diversity and range of Black art by Black creatives.

Part of the official Southwark Design District 23’ programme for London Design Festival 2023. Southwark Design District celebrates local designers, makers & creators who live, work & play in the area through a diverse range of happenings.

Dilara Koselioren is a Turkish artist, currently living in London. Her artwork reflects on human emotion, focusing on how daily interactions and different socio-economic and cultural differences, and the areas that we live in affect our daily lives.

Coexistence is a graphic and digital art exhibition which represents building empathy for society that lives together from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The exhibition aims to bring both sides together with art and shows of how emotions belong to everyone, and not every feeling needs to be expressed by words. Dilara Koselioren “Coexistence” exhibition will express her own view at society and coexistence.

“My whole art career way before I studied or started my art career professionally my intentions was always to represent things that words can't. Feeling united when you may feel you don't belong to, feeling connected with society. Living in megacities with millions even though only meters away from each other there is a lot of wall both physically and emotionally. I will show daily life emotions and how living in London affects us in so many ways and my emotional connection to the London lifestyle as well hoping people who visit will find something in my art to connect as well.”

Returning to Peckham Levels with her first solo show, Aliyah blends the cultures of animé with her sudanese-indian heritage.

Black Magic is an event focused on creating a platform for black artists to connect and create.

Black artists deserve ample room to explore and express their true selves. The goal is to create the necessary spaces for black artists to flourish outside the confines of institutional structures.

A quiet space will be created for the neurodivergent baddies - fidget toys will be on deck! Expect an array of Black Queer Creativity, such as, Tattoos, Tarot readings, A marketplace, an Open mic, and Art!

Mark your calendars and join us at Black Magic for an afternoon of fun! 🌟

Come through if you’re free, everyone is welcome!

This is a community-led event celebrating Colombian culture in London, as part of the Colombian Independence Day celebrations taking place in July 2023. The festival will honour and highlight the 50-year history, development, and contribution of this community to London’s cultural fabric. 

Tuesday 18 July: Launch of Exhibition 'Colombian Artists in London'

Works by London based Colombian Artists: 

Leo Rodriguez – Leo is a contemporary artist today. He started in the art world as a makeup artist and hair stylist working for different media and television in his hometown Bogotá Colombia…. In his own words: ‘I see my versatile tastes; I like to experiment with different techniques and styles from the abstract to the figurative, always with vibrant colours’.

Carlos Gil Lizarazo - A talented emerging artist at the age of 17, is currently pursuing his Art A-level studies alongside business courses. His artistic journey is fuelled by the profound concepts of identity and belonging.

The Exhibition will be displayed throughout the week until Sunday 23rd July

Time: 6pm
Tickets: Free Event

Tuesday 18 July: ‘From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers' Warning’

Documentary about the Kogi Indigenous people from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, who call themselves ‘Guardians of the Heart of the World’ and their plea for ecological sanity in a time when the earth is being ravaged by so-called civilized people. 

Director: Alan Ereira, Film documentary, BBC 1990. 

Time: 7 pm
Tickets: Free Charity Event (£2 Registration to be donated to the Tairona Heritage Trust) 

+ Live music follows the film with Diego Laverde & Ensamble Criollo + DJs till 11pm

Wednesday 19 July: Talk & Discussion: ‘Colombian and Latin music in motion in London’

An informal discussion with 4 important Colombian musicians from the community in London: Roberto Pla / Kinacho Suarez / Nirk Molina / Luz Elena Caicedo - Moderator/Speaker Dr Camilo Soler, King’s College University. 

Time: 7 pm
Tickets: Free Event

+ Vinyl Session with DJs & Record Collectors Johnny Gee, Hector Rivera & Mai 'Golpe' from 8.30 pm to 11pm

Thursday 20 July: ‘ALUNA: A Journey to Save the World’

Documentary film from 2012 by Alan Ereira, sequel to the 1990 film ‘From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers' Warning’ 

+ Talk and discussion about the situation today with ALAN EREIRA the maker of both films, himself. 

Time: 7pm
Tickets: Free (£2 Registration to be donated to the Tairona Heritage Trust) 

Thursday 20 July: ‘VIVA COLOMBIA’ + FILM

+  7pm to 1 am ‘VIVA COLOMBIA’ Party (organised in partnership with Latinos in London) follows the film 'ALUNA' to celebrate Colombia Independence Day with DJ Carlitos Niño

+ special guests, including 'Meet & Greet' the Festival's special international guests, all the way from Cali, Colombia - Nilson Castro & Eliana Feijoo, the current Cali Salsa World Champions, who will be performing and teaching Cali Salsa master classes the following 3 days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Festival.

Friday 21 July: ‘COLOMBIA INDEPENDENCE FESTIVAL PARTY CELEBRATION’

Music & Dance celebration party with Artists from the community in London, Nirk Molina & The Vallenato Kings, folk dance group Talentos School of Dance and international guests from Cali, Colombia: the current Cali Salsa world champions NIlson Castro & Eliana Feijoo. 

DJs Fercho KBSon, Johnny Gee and Record Collector Hector Rivera.

Time: 9 pm to 3.30 am
Tickets: £10 in Adv and £15 at the Door

Saturday & Sunday 22/23 July Daytime: Cali Salsa dance master workshops

With current World Salsa dance champions from Cali, Nilson Castro & Eliana Feijoo. Organised by Cali Swing UK Dance School.

+ Sunday 23rd July 3 pm to 10 pm: Closing Festival Family Party with Cali Swing UK dance School and champions from Cali Nilson & Eliana + DJs Mai 'Golpe' & Fulvio.

+ The party includes, a Special Screening at 3.30 pm of 'Paso a Paso, la Salsa en Cali'. Salsa dance documentary about an internal competition in 2007, where Nilson & Eliana were present, at legendary Cali and Colombia's world famous Salsa dance school 'Swing Latino'. Directors: Alejandro Ulloa and Antonio Dorado / 2007 / 25 minutes / Spanish (no Subtitles).