I have lived around the corner since 1981. PEER gives an instant dynamism to the area with its innovative exhibitions and its beauti- ful garden. Sometimes people just stand and gaze through the window and then pass by the garden in a state of disbelief. We are all grateful to you for providing a completely different focal point in the area. Thank you so much! Susan, local resident About PEER PEER is an independent arts organisation that Legacy has evolved from the ground up over the past twenty years, putting down deep roots within the Between 1998 and 2019, PEER has commis- socially, culturally and economically diverse area sioned and presented an ambitious programme of Hoxton in East London. for the gallery and offsite working with established, mid career and emerging artists. Landmark pro- We carried out significant capital improvements jects include Martin Creed (1998) whose commis- in 2015/16. This work transformed an unloved sion for PEER is now part of Tate’s collection; Mike street corner into a welcoming and strikingly de- Nelson (2001) whose 3,000 sq ft immersive signed space including Khadija’s Garden and the installation at PEER, became the precursor for his Danh Vo, We the People, 2013 Martin Creed, Work No 203 (EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE photo, Peter White ALRIGHT), 1998, Linscott Rd, E3, photo Hugo Glendinning Chris Ofili’s landmark clock Black Hands, along- astonishing transformation of the British Pavilion side creating a 10-metre wide glass façade to at the 2011 Venice Biennale; and We The People bring PEER's work straight onto the street and ce- by Danh Vo (2013) whose work was shown to Ecology menting its place in the neighbourhood. great acclaim at the Guggenheim Museum in PEER’s big aspirations and modest size play key roles in securing our place within the broader London art ecology. We offer both emerging and established artists the opportunity to test bold ideas in an intimate environment that stimulates experimentation and dialogue. Our human scale makes us less bureaucratic and opaque in com- parison with many larger institutions. Artists cher- ish the opportunities that PEER has to offer, and the position that we occupy within the art world. (right above) Jonathan Baldock & Emma Hart, Love Life, 2016 installation view, photo Peter White (right below) Catherine Story, Shadow, 2017/18 installation view, photo, Stephen White View of Khadija’s Garden with Chris Ofili’s Black Hands 2018 photo, Stephen White Ethos PEER’s core ethos is to embed its activities into New York in 2018. PEER has also exhibited work the local community and to offer and promote the by renowned artists including Siobhan Hapaska highest quality art as being part of daily life. We (2004), Anthony McCall (2006), Bob & Roberta have done this through our ambitious programme Smith (2006), John Frankland and Yuko Shiraishi of projects working with over 150 artists, writers, (both 2008), John Smith (2011), David Murphy curators and educators over two decades. It is (2014), Fiona Banner (2014), Joy Gerrard (2015) equally our ambition to nurture and provide a Angela de la Cruz (2016), Emma Hart & Jonathan platform for the talent of a diverse range of Baldock (2017) and more recently, Abigail Rey- emerging, mid-career and established artists nolds and Simon English (both 2018). enabling them to take new risks. Yuko Shiraishi, Canal Wall, 2008 photo, Chris Dorley-Brown with Shoreditch Library co-hosting artists talks and PEER’s Achievements and highlights 2018–19 presenting We’re All Here a display of three films by Newsreel Collective, Black Audio Film Collec- In a particularly special year for PEER that We continued our partnership with Acme for a tive and Ayo Akingbade that addressed society, marked two decades of Ingrid Swenson’s director- fourth year, presenting BOUND, a showcase of race, class, work, housing, protest and activism. ship, we continued to build upon the legacy of four MA graduates who had all just completed a our innovative and high quality programme both yearlong studio residency with Acme. The for the gallery and beyond. exhibiting artists for 2018 were Dominic Dispirito, Alex Uri, James Tailor and Chris Timms. The year began with a survey of work by Abigail Reynolds, The Universal Now, and further episodes, for which Reynolds created an extraordinary belit sag, the image unseen, the image invisible, the image large-scale and colourful sculptural commission not shown, 2018, installation view, photo Stephen White spanning our gallery window. A key element of the exhibition was presented at Shoreditch belit sag’s dual-venue exhibition held in partner- Library, where Reynolds showed a dual-screen ship with LUX offered a deeply moving and film exploring the artist’s journey in search of the insightful reflection on Turkish society, political lost libraries of the Silk Road. regimes and the representation of suffering through film and photography. Alice White and Jane Heather with Sally Fellows, lead an Adopt a Tub workshop at Hoxton Garden, March 2019 Our final exhibition for 2018/19 presented new paintings by Jadé Fadojutimi in The Numbing Vi- Our PEER Ambassador programme enables brancy of Characters in Play, the artist’s first solo young people to have paid gallery assistant exhibition in a UK public institution where her vi- experience alongside free cultural learning oppor- Simon English, Smile Please, 2018, instllation view brant and distinctive canvases shone through our photo Jackson White tunities. We secured funding from Paul Hamlyn street-facing windows. Filmmaker Alberto Balazs Foundation to further develop ths scheme and made an engaging interview film with the artist also to launch PEER Notices; a unique chance for In November we celebrated Ingrid Swenson’s and she also took part in a fascinating conversa- the artist Rebecca Moss to work with our Ambas- twenty years as director and her recent MBE tion event with artist, writer and broadcaster, sadors on a series of local public realm displays, Award for Services to Arts in East London. Artists Matthew Collings, to a sell out audience. encouraging them to make a mark on the high Cornelia Parker and John Stezaker generously pro- Abigail Reynolds, When Words are Forgotten, 2018 street where they live, socialise or study. photo Stephen White duced a print each to support PEER’s programme, which were showcased alongside a display of pre- There are many exciting and ambitious projects We explored how local communities can inform vious artists’ editions and publications. the development of their neighbourhood in a planned for 2019/20 and we look forward to dual-presentation of Future Hoxton, an interactive seeing you then. consultation exploring the local area of Hoxton by William Hodgson and Jan Kattein and Urban Harvest by Rut Blees Luxemburg, an exploration of the artist’s preoccupation with the upkeep and neglect of horticulture in urban spaces. Adopt a Tub, a colourful graphic inviting local residents to take part in the campaign. Simon English brought unbridled joy and playful- ness to the gallery with his exhibition Smile PEER’s Local Programme continued to grow as an Please, which comprised an installation of over integral part of our activities. Programming in- 100 of his exhuberant ‘painted drawings’ along- cluded public art and gardening projects, Arden side dozens of sculptural works, sometimes funny Gardeners and Adopt a Tub, which developed and sometimes poignant, all created from found new, and re-enlivened existing green spaces Jadé Fadojutimi, Without our Heads We Prevail, 2019 and discarded materials. Future Hoxon, 2018, pupils from St Monica’s RC Primary across Hoxton. We developed our partnership photo Stephen White School, photo Jan Kattein PEER Funding PEER Patrons PEER has been a National Portfolio Organisation financial support as well as a supportive network PEER Patrons enjoy a variety of benefits and PEER Champion – £1,000 per year (NPO) of Arts Council England since 2012. In that endorses and celebrates our programme and specially orgaised events in the company of others 2018/19 ACE provided roughly 40% of our an- achievements. Our ambition is to maintain our who share a passion for or a curiosity in contem- Champions have a tangible and significant impact nual income. This is the baseline on which addi- current number of supporters and to steadily porary art. Our Patrons effect significant and posi- on the organisation’s programme. tional funds are raised from trusts, foundations, grow this group in line with PEER’s ambitions and tive change for PEER and its audiences, and by partnerships, other local and national government impact. joining as Visionary, Champion or Pioneer you can For this level of support, you can choose to direct funds, percentages of sales of artworks, specially too. your contribution to a particular exhibition, project produced editions, individual giving and others. As a small organisation, we operate with a light or local activity within PEER’s programme. You touch and low overheads. Support for PEER does During 2018/19 Patrons enjoyed access to a wide will receive all of the benefits of a PEER Pioneer In November 2018, we were delighted to recieve not get lost in administration, but goes straight to range of incredible art, artists and art organisa- as well as an annual limited edition artwork, and news that the Paul and Louise Cooke Endowment our exhibition and local programme. Relatively tions. As well as receiving invitations to all PEER invitations to bespoke PEER events. This year’s approved two more years of support which has modest contributions have tangible results and events, we also invited our Patrons to a curator-led artwork has been generously created by Abigail been a vital ingredient of our growth and accom- large amounts make a very substantial impact.