News and events

Damien Hirst's New Religion

New Religion, Wallspace's launch exhibition, featuring paintings, sculptures and prints opened with a preview so popular that people had to queue down London Wall to get in. Apologies if you were one of those who had to wait - we had safety regulations to consider.

The exhibition received broad and encouraging media coverage which included: The Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Independent on Sunday, the Evening Standard, Time Out, the inaugural issue of SoLondon, BBC Radio 4's Front Row (reviewed by A N Wilson), BBC World Service (featuring an interview with Wallspace Director Meryl Doney and White Cube's Tim Marlowe) and we were the Church Times cover story.

Over the course of the month, over 2,600 people came through the doors of All Hallows - a level of church attendance not seen in the place for the last two centuries!

The exhibition closed on 4 April 2007 with a Eucharist service led by All Hallow's Guild Vicar, Canon Garth Hewitt and attended by over 60 people. This service included a dramatic ritual closing of the Damien Hirst 'chest' - a kind of reliquary housing the complete New Religion edition - which was the centrepiece of the installation. The service also included meditations on the nature of creativity, on spiritual questions raised by the artwork, and the hope for humankind at Easter. The sombre tone of Holy Week and the sense of loss at the close of the exhibition was given voice by soprano Clarinda Chan singing a new composition by accompanist Gareth Wilson, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Lesson I.

Wallspace is most grateful for the collaboration and support of co-curator Paul Stolper in putting New Religion into All Hallows. We are also grateful to White Light for providing special exhibition lighting, and to Broughton Ales, Scottish Borders, who provided Angel Organic Lager for the preview party.