The Rookery Artists' Collective present
"Rooted in London"
at The Hoxton Holborn
May 1st 2023 - June 30th 2024
London is a roost for every bird Benjamin Disraeli
London has a long history of drawing in people from all over the world. The weaving of these newcomers into the existing fabric of society creates a vibrant city which is ever changing and unique.
The Rookery Artists’ Collective is a group of London based artists who, like their great city, are a melting pot of people, styles, and passions. Our members are from different walks of life; work in different ways and in a variety of media. Each contributor brings their unique perspectives, materials and processes. This creates an exciting dialogue which, within a collaborative and supportive framework, promotes the development of individual practice.
The name Rookery was chosen as the Collective’s regular early meeting place was a pub on Drury Lane (a few minutes from where The Hoxton is now). Prior to the development of Kingsway this was just across the road from the site of the notorious Well Street Rookery. Rookeries were essentially slums and their residents, as categorised by Charles Booth in his London Poverty maps, were “lowest class, vicious, semi-criminal”. Slums were called rookeries probably because rooks nest in colonies, which are large and noisy with multiple nests in a small area but also because a “rook” was a slang term for “thief”. Rooks are also very clever birds who are creative problems solvers who can make their own tools. The creative and geographical association of the name made it a perfect fit for our artists collective.
Over the course of the year, The Rookery Artist’s Collective will be putting on a series of group shows at The Hoxton, Holborn. We are delighted to be returning to our old nesting ground and look forward to sharing our work and ideas with those who have temporarily or permanently made London their home.
