New exhibition explores the role of artists in our cities

This April, we’re presenting a new exhibition which explores the role of art and artists in our cities and civic practice, through the lens of our East Street Arts archive. No Going Back, curated by architectural researcher and practitioner Dr Jonathan Orlek and East Street Arts’ co-founder Karen Watson, is open at Convention House from Saturday 20th to Saturday 27th April 2024.

Displayed across a series of spaces in the 19th-century former nunnery, the exhibition presents East Street Arts’ archive as a living entity able to inform the future of the organisation, cohesively show the trajectory of programmes and activities, and share learnings. Focusing on five key projects between 1998 and 2003 – considered by Karen as ‘no going back’ moments in our 30-year history – No Going Back makes space for echoes of future projects to resonate across time. 

Karen Watson said: “Like a lot of artist-led initiatives, we started East Street Arts because we perceived a gap and at the time we didn’t know where it was all going to lead us and for how long. There came a time, though, as we built our knowledge, understanding, reputation and communities of artists that it actually became harder to stop than to continue driving things forward. 

“Having stepped back from East Street Arts last year, after 30 years, I’ve had the space to reflect on what we’ve achieved and to work with Jon Orlek to articulate the significance that our past has had on our future. No Going Back is the most comprehensive exploration of East Street Arts’ archive to date, highlighting moments in our history where there really was no going back. Importantly, the No Going Back programme invites vital voices – both established and emerging – from across the sector to explore artists’ role in our cultural spaces and collective futures.”

Alongside the exhibition, Jonathan will launch his book Artist-Led Housing: Histories, Residencies, Spaces at an event on Friday 19th April. The launch offers the opportunity to preview the exhibition and hear from Jonathan and contributors about his research on artist-led housing, undertaken as an embedded researcher within East Street Arts.

An accompanying programme of events examines the wider history and development of the cultural sector in Leeds and beyond, expanding on the influence that artists have on archives, housing, and neighbourhoods.

You can also submit your publications to our exhibition and learning library.

Full Programme: 

No Going Back
Exhibition by Jonathan Orlek and Karen Watson
Sat 20 – Sat 27 April, 10am-4pm
No Going Back exploring the role of art and artists in our cities and civic practice, through the lens of East Street Arts’ archive.

Artist-Led Housing: Histories, Residencies, Spaces
Book launch, conversations and Q&A
Fri 19 April, 5pm-8pm
An evening in conversation with Jonathan Orlek, architectural researcher, director of Studio Polpo, and author, to launch his new book Artist-Led Housing: Histories, Residencies, Spaces. The event will include readings of excerpts from the book and conversations with the contributors. Discussions begin at 6pm, with an opportunity to preview the No Going Back exhibition from 5pm.

At Home: Can the archive inform the future?
Curatorial tour and discussion
Sat 20 April, 10am-12pm (brunch provided)
Take a walk through 30 years of East Street Arts. Explore the No Going Back exhibition and hear all the tales of project planning and delivery, highs and lows, first-hand from the co-founders. Karen Watson and Jon Wakeman will lead a discussion on how initiatives have informed the future creative direction of the organisation.

Housing: Can artists offer a different perspective?
Presentations and Q&A
Fri 26 April, 5pm-8pm
Artists and activists get together to present their work and experience on setting up collectively owned spaces, artist-led houses and documenting change in a city of disappearing houses and public spaces. Discussions begin at 6pm, with an opportunity to view the No Going Back exhibition from 5pm.

Our Neighbourhood: What will be left?
Workshop with No Space Left to Play members (closed session)
Sat 27 April, 10.30am-12.30pm
Nabil Al-Kinani uses the card deck Thugz Mansion, Privatise the Mandem’s discussion tool, to facilitate a conversation with No Space Left to Play members about the future of cultural spaces in Leeds and collective activism.