Studio Voltaire

Specialties

Studio Voltaire is a leading independent contemporary arts organisation that exists to support artistic practices and create a space for thinking, experimentation and reflection; its main activities are the provision of affordable studios, a renowned programme of exhibitions, performances and commissions, and a pioneering education programme.

Together, these strands of activity provide a special synergy and environment for the production, display and dissemination of contemporary art. Through these contingent parts, we provide multiple entry-​points for audiences through a diversity of practices and programming, fostering critical engagement with contemporary culture. We place the artist at the centre of everything we do: providing opportunities to produce work in an open and discursive environment and allowing a closer relationship between the artist, production of work and the audience.

History

Established in 1994.

Studio Voltaire was initiated in 1994 by a collective of twelve artists who set up a studio space in a disused tram shed on Voltaire Road, Clapham and quickly grew to become a limited company in 1997.

In response to the demand of low cost studios and dissatisfaction with the lack of exhibition space in the local area, the organisation moved to its current location in 1999. The move to a larger site of a derelict metal works factory enabled Studio Voltaire to increase its provision of affordable studios and offer a dedicated gallery space in a former chapel, adjacent to the studios. Following a period of major renovations, the organisation launched the new site and became a registered charity in 2001.

Studio Voltaire currently houses over 45 London based artists, ranging from internationally recognised practitioners to recent graduates and includes two groups supporting artists with learning difficulties — Actionspace and Intoart. Our main objective is to create a supportive and critica