Serpentine Studios
“Serpentine Studios really helped me with my confidence and networking. It felt like a safe space and that feeling of support was the reason I performed my spoken word pieces at the event,” Kanesha, Serpentine Studios 2021 Cohort.
The art world is often exclusive, intimidating or inaccessible for young people, with many barriers of entry for those who do not have pre-existing connections or networks in the sector. Pocc partnered with Break Comms and Serpentine to launch the pilot year of Serpentine Studios – a nine week programme to amplify young creative voices and reimagine Serpentine as a hub for passionate audiences to engage with art. Nineteen young multidisciplinary artists took over the Galleries in Kensington Gardens to access a curated programme of learning, creative workshops, mentorship and unlimited access to Serpentine’s exhibitions.
“The programme allowed me to create quickly but also freely. I feel like I pushed and really expressed myself – there aren’t enough opportunities like that,” Hayleth, Serpentine Studios 2021 Cohort.
Alongside providing weekly creative mentorship of the young collective, Pocc designed a new visual identity and social awareness campaign to engage young people outside of the programme to visit the Serpentine and take advantage of its extensive range of free exhibitions. The visual identity included a new logo, colour palette and a graphic system that was designed to be adapted easily by the collective, allowing them to re-create their own content published on Serpentine’s channels.
Serpentine Studios have since gone on to have their work exhibited at Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross London. Under the mentorship of Serpentine and the agencies, the young artists met with exhibiting artists and the wider Serpentine team to create original content that responds to Serpentine’s programmes.
Meet the 2021 Serpentine Studios cohort:
Jerome Andre, Asa Andrew, Kanesha Edwards, Eddie Zhang, Sivney Reynoso, Sophia Wee Blázquez, Bethany Peters, Sanchit Bembi, Bilel Azzez, Angel Ayomanor, Sudi Jama, Jai Toor, Mide Johnson, Hayleth Dawkins, Lucie Shackley, Alessandra Centorbi, Jennifer Metcalf , Victoria Moyosola, and Jadore Nicholas.
“My experience made friends of mine head down to the gallery to see the exhibition and find out more. It’s not just the members of Serpentine Studios who gain things from projects like this,” Sophie, Serpentine Studios 2021 Cohort.
