Zao Tang - Local Collective x Stigma - supported by Malin + Goetz - 2021

It’s a local collective and Stigma Room – a collective of architects, artists, and researchers – have transformed a ground-floor retail into a contemporary bath house in Notting Hill, London, for skincare brand Malin+Goetz and the Arts Council England.
 
The pop-up gallery seeks to reclaim, re-energise, and re-imagine the UK’s high streets - post-pandemic - through a mixed-used strategy of introducing cultural programmes into what is usually a consumption-led experience.

The curation, “Zao Tang” (bath house in Chinese), stems from an ongoing exploration of the intersection between Asian identity and feminism, and the cultural charge of Asian bathhouses as a ground for social exchange. The gallery not only serves as a platform for creatives of colour and their works to reach a wider community, but also as an open invitation for communities and cultural organisations to connect through art, host activities in this public room, and reclaim ownership of our streets.

“We want to make art accessible for the public and blend it into people’s daily expression. Perhaps on your way to the post office or on your way back from a meeting, we hope there is always a social ground – your urban living room – where you can meet people, join a workshop, soak in art, celebrate diversity and feel connected.”

-  Lisa Chan, It’s a local collective.