Yinka Shonibare and India Mahdavi redesign The Gallery restaurant at Sketch
The iconic powder pink and rose gold of sketch’s Gallery restaurant are no more as it undergoes a beautiful redesign by Yinka Shonibare and India Mahdavi.
Architect and designer India Mahdavi and acclaimed British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare leave a new mark on sketch’s already iconic Gallery restaurant on Conduit Street. Mahdavi previously worked on the Gallery back in 2014, transforming the space into the instantly recognisable pastel pink design destination featuring 245 artworks by David Shrigley. Removing the pink hues and rose gold details, the restaurant now features a warming colour palette of golden and copper hues while Shonibare has created 14 new site-specific artworks to form an installation called ‘Modern Magic’. The series celebrates African culture and its legacy through different media, including four hand-painted, wood-carved masks and ten framed quilts that replicate the African masks once owned by Pablo Picasso. Other unique pieces will also be added to the display, from the likes of textile designer Aissa Dione, whose work uses Senegalese fabrics.
Photography: Edmund Dabney
While it might sound like a daunting task, transforming a space that is already hugely successful and easily recognised, sketch continues to evolve; a place that not only hosts a rotation of art and installations but one that becomes a work of art in itself. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, it certainly feels like the right time to turn a new chapter and we applaud the restaurant for continually advancing, surprising guests every visit. Here’s to the next 20!