L-13 Light Industrial Workshop


L-13 Light Industrial Workshop is a contemporary art space that opened in May 2009 in Clerkenwell, London. Operated by Steve Lowe, it is a revised incarnation of his previous galleries and small presses, ‘the aquarium’ and The Aquarium L-13, and works with a small group of artists known for their unorthodox stances, in developing, exhibiting and publishing their work.

Name

"L-13" is the name of the zeppelin that left a trail of bombs across Clerkenwell in 1915. One of which destroyed the building at L-13’s previous site on Farringdon Road

Description

L-13 claims it "seeks to reinvigorate and subvert pre-conceived ways in which art is considered and produced, blurring the distinctions between art production and exhibition".
The gallery is an underground space off Theobalds Road with artists using the workshop in the rear to produce work for regular shows at the venue. As such, it incorporates the nature of the production of the artists' work into the exhibition itself, and creates an anti-establishment atmosphere for its patrons and visitors.
It was described as "Part swish contemporary gallery, part subversive socio-political vision, part artists' studio and part members' club" by the Urban Junkies website.
The gallery's founder artists include Jamie Reid, Billy Childish, Jimmy Cauty, Sexton Ming as A. S. Waghorne, Geraldine Swayne and Harry Adams.

Exhibitions and projects