Introducing Groupwork: our interdisciplinary peer-to-peer sharing space for artists, curators, critics, gallerists, and other creative practitioners to present ideas and works in progress for feedback, in an informal, low-stakes, and discussion-based environment.

Groupwork is a mini-series in our Bow Skills programme, homing in on the potential of multidisciplinary spaces to generate peer-to-peer learning and the insights we can gain from other creative practitioners with different knowledges, interests, and lived experiences. These sessions are small, informal, and low-stakes gatherings, with an emphasis on discussion, sharing, reflection, and the building together of dialogues.

For this edition, we will hear from curator Sandra Lam and artist Isabelle Pead they present works in progress for feedback and reflection.

Alongside Sandra and Isabelle, there are two 20-minute ‘open slots’ for attendees who would also like to present a work-in-progress, project, or idea for feedback from others in the space (the 20 minutes includes both presentation and feedback time). For those who sign up, we will follow up with you to make sure we can facilitate what you need for your presentation!

More about the presenters

Sandra Lam is an art curator and writer. Her curatorial research examines the politics of aesthetics and investigates how curating can contribute to an understanding of contemporary discourses, focusing on activism, migration and the environment. She is interested in socially engaged practice that addresses questions of identity and belonging. Her practice aims to bring a voice to the unheard narratives of the marginalised communities. She has held positions across a range of arts organisations including museums, contemporary art galleries and auction houses, as well as in editorial and public relations contexts. These include Bloomsbury Festival, Mimosa House, Goldsmiths CCA, Royal Museums Greenwich, Lehmann Maupin, Lyon & Turnbull, Sotheby’s and more. She has organised exhibitions, workshops, performances, talks, film screenings, roundtable discussions, and contributed writings to Mingpao Newspaper, the Culturist HK, .ART. She is currently working as Curator: Programmes and Engagement at Bow Arts.

Isabelle Pead is an artist working across sculpture, sound, video and performance. She received her BA from the University of Leeds in 2019 and an MA in Fine Art from The Slade in 2023. Her work is informed by actions of storytelling and collectivism, exploring the relationship between the voice and the sounding body through considered installation. Drawing on her background in choral and operatic singing, she combines sculptural objects, images and electronic/synthesised sound with her own singing and vocalisations, exploring the material and relational properties of sound and the interaction between performer, space and object.

In this groupwork session, you will:

• Connect and meet a community of other artists, curators, critics, writers, gallerists, and creative practitioners

• Engage in discussion, dialogue, and peer-to-peer learning

This event will be held in our Bow Road studios and our courtyard room space at Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London E3 2SJ. About Bow Skills Bow Arts seeks to support creative professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2015 Bow Arts launched Bow Skills in response to an artist survey which showed over 90% of practicing artists find it useful to receive further support outside formal education. Bow Skills is a dynamic and relevant programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which is informed by an artist steering group and open to all creative practitioners across London. The programme of talks, panel discussions, new skills labs and peer crits is open to all, with concession rates available to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists and key workers.