South London Gallery

It is not every back extension that is as public as that of South London Gallery. The SLG sits somewhere on the road between the Oval and the brightness of Alsop’s Peckham Library. The gallery has taken over the neighbouring Georgian terrace and 6A designed an extension at the back.

Words Eleanor Young

The gallery was a Victorian philanthropic gesture to bring culture to this patch, opening on weekends when workers might actually visit. It has a reputation for an alternative programming, picking up young artists before they are adopted by the establishment. It tried to do the same with the selection of 6A for its extension.

Now the building has been imbued with National Trustism, the edge of its extension delineated by old brick wall and wedding-white planting. The dark café is comfortably and intimately Farrow and Ball where you can savour a rare roast beef on dense bread before taking in the on-the-wall musings of the Nothing is Forever exhibition.

The reference to the National Trust is not to dismiss it. This sliver of ‘back garden’ is a delicious mix of history and green. Those living in the surrounding streets (including Knox Bhavan Architects) will no doubt be delighted with such a beautiful café on their doorstep and a relaxed place to eat will no doubt draw in more visitors. The double height room (oddly entitled atrium) with a long table gives the feeling of spaciousness.

And this is only a small part of the project. A new top-lit gallery will give education as well as display space. And, more preciously, up above the first floor gallery in the house (a pleasantly domestic space to programme for the curators), is a flat for a resident artist. The exposed beams and rafters, and the brick chimneybreast in the bathroom transform what could have been very modest small flat into an idiosyncratic and delightful space. There are hints of this below with the banister allowed to wander delicately up the stairs and 6A’s hallmark plate and bulb light arrangement.

The installations of the Nothing is Forever stick to the walls (even Gary Woodley’s Impingement that circles the stairs). There are no incursions into the main volume, and even the flat is part of the exhibition space. It feels like it pays homage to the space and is a great chance to see the most of the gallery.