Peer is a non-profit arts organisation. We work with artists, young people and local communities to research, produce and present exhibitions, commissions, talks, events and workshops.
Located in a converted shopfront in Arden Estate, a post-war council estate in Hoxton, East London, Peer overlooks and maintains our neighbouring green space, Khadija’s Garden. Our programmes and location provide a unique context for artists and audiences to build relationships between artistic making, cultural production and intellectual and political thought.
With a focus on research, production and critical reflection, Peer’s commissions and exhibitions programme supports artists at pivotal points in their careers – whether it’s a first solo exhibition in a public space, an opportunity to explore new ideas or providing access to new audiences. Since 1998, Peer has worked with numerous artists, including: Chris Marker, Chris Ofili, Mike Nelson, Bob & Roberta Smith, Stuart Brisley, Danh Vo, Lubna Chowdhary, Tanoa Sasraku, Iris Touliatou, Onyeka Igwe, Mohammed Z. Rahman and Daniel Ward, among many others.
Running since 2017, and embedded in all of Peer’s activities and values, is the Peer Ambassador Programme, an alternative, participant-led ‘art school’ that works with and supports young people aged 17-25 from underrepresented and working class backgrounds, based in Hackney and Tower Hamlets. The programme provides an experimental space for young people to learn, collaborate, and build community.
A series of Talks, Events and Workshops run throughout all our public work. This multifaceted programme includes conversations, readings, and participant-led workshops that explore how we collectively learn. Recent contributors have included: Aya Haidar, Iarlaith Ni Fheorais, T.J Clark, Jacqueline Rose, Pankaj Mishra, Sheila Rowbotham, Ken Worpole, Hannah Proctor, Adam Elliott-Cooper, June Givanni and many more.
Peer’s forthcoming programme includes new commissions by artists Okiki Akinfe, Dala Nasser and Ceidra Moon Murphy, alongside this year’s iteration of the Peer Ambassadors programme which explores creative writing in collaboration with Shoreditch Library.
Much of our programme is produced in partnership with local, national, and international collaborators. Peer is a registered charity and part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio. We are supported by Hackney Council through a Voluntary Community Sector Lease.
All of our exhibitions and the majority of events are free.
