Dream No Small Dream: the Story of October Gallery celebrates 40 years of artistic innovation in the heart of the London cultural metropolis. This in-depth book documents the art, events, people and ideas that have inspired October Gallery since it first opened, in 1979. Packed with essays, opinions, archival material and a wealth of colour plates, these pages chart the development of a gallery whose stated mission was to exhibit groundbreaking work by avant-garde artists from all around the planet. (Image credit: Guests viewing Zak Ové’s, Rumplesteelskin at the opening of Life Through Extraordinary Mirrors, 2019. Photo_ J. Greet.)
Four decades ago, October Gallery predicted the emergence of a ‘trans-cultural avant-garde’ which they named the Transvangarde. Their call for a broader geographical and more culturally inclusive approach to art seemed a radical idea at the time. Now, as contemporary art becomes an increasingly global phenomenon, the international perspective they pioneered sits close to the core of mainstream, contemporary discourse.
Over the years, October Gallery has published catalogues and books about many of the artists it has championed: Gerald Wilde, William S. Burroughs, Aubrey Williams, Kenji Yoshida, Wijdan, El Anatsui, Laila Shawa, Rachid Koraïchi, Romuald Hazoumè, etc. However, Dream No Small Dream is the first publication ever to assess the historical circumstances, organisational context and – most important of all – the inspired individuals who set up and ran this ongoing experiment in the visual arts.
Dream No Small Dream: the Story of October Gallery is available to purchase instore and online here. Buy here
£40.00 RRP