Fifty Chefs – The Hands that Feed London Londonewcastle Arts Programme launches new art show in Shoreditch, London April 02 2015

Londonewcastle Arts Programme is delighted to present Fifty Chefs - The Hands that Feed London, an exhibition of images from photographer/artist Katie Wilson, at the Londonnewcastle Project Space on Redchurch St, Shoreditch.

This exhibition is the culmination of a ten-year photographic project to tell the stories of the people who work in London’s favourite kitchens. From kebab shops and greasy spoons to the city’s most rarefied restaurants, and all the everyday eateries in-between, Katie has captured the intriguing faces and battle-worn hands of fifty diverse and dedicated chefs.

“I was fascinated by the scars worn with pride on the hands of the chefs I met,” says Katie. “I began to wonder, who are the people who cook for London?” she says. “Not only the famous faces, but the sous chefs and kitchen hands; the dishwashers and potato peelers.”

So began a project to document the Hands that Feed London. Michel Roux Jnr, Yotam Ottolenghi, Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Ollie Dabbous and Fergus Henderson sit side-by-side with the Pellicci family of legendary Bethnal Green caf, Pellicci’s and Sevket Boyraz of infamous Chalk Farm kebab shop, Marathon Kebabs.

Shot in a raw documentary style, each subject was photographed on location, before briefings, or as they woke from sleep snatched between services. This is a look at the hard graft that goes on in the restaurant engine room; the blood, sweat and tears that go into making the serene and sometimes glamorous dining experience we’ve come to expect.

“Over the last ten years our interest in food has evolved enormously and as a result everyone has had to up their game - not just at the top end but local cafes too. It is us Londoners - in all our diversity - who have made this City the serious food capital it has become,” says Katie.

The exhibition is a collaborative work; writer Nellie Blundell has collected stories of the city and its kitchens to sit beside each image, and artist Caroline Hobkinson has created a banquet table revealing the often unlikely foods the featured chefs actually eat while working.

Proceeds from the sale of prints at the exhibition will be donated to London-based food charity, FareShare.

Notes for editors:

For media enquiries please contact Helene Cuff helene@cuffcommunications.com 07980 836866

Fifty Chefs - The Hands that Feed London Londonnewcastle Project Space 28 Redchurch Street Shoreditch London E2 7DP April 3 – 12 Open Tuesday-Sunday; Weekdays 12-7 Weekend 11-6 Private View – Thursday April 2, 6pm – 10pm

Katie Wilson Katie Wilson (formerly Ell) is a British artist and photographer based in London. A 20-year international editorial and commercial career has seen her photograph the likes of Stephen Fry, Oliver Stone, Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White for clients including Vogue Living, The Times, British Airways and Marks & Spencer. Her previous exhibitions have included: • ‘North-South’ (Orson & Blake Gallery; Sydney, Australia), an evocation of a 54-hour train journey across Australia on the The Ghan Express. www.katiewilson.eu • ‘A Piece of My Mind’ (Snap Studios & Tapestry Gallery, Frith Street, London), a series documenting the personal meanings and motivations behind tattoos. http://acurator.com/blog/2011/01/katie-ell-a-piece-of-my-mind.html • Group Show - Day Four - Modern Love. The Printspace , 74 Kingsland Road, London

Nellie Blundell Nellie is a food writer and author with a background in the anthropology of food. After several years’ writing for Jamie Oliver, she is working on a fiction/cookbook project for kids.

Caroline Hobkinson Based in London, Caroline looks at the world through food: its rituals, history and traditions. Her work ranges from installation and food as performance to social commentary and scientific research with Oxford University.

Londonewcastle Arts Programme Londonewcastle, collaborates with London’s creative community to put vacant spaces to meaningful use. Its Arts Programme provides environments donated for artists’ use. Whether established, unknown, famous or infamous, it supports creative talent of all kinds. londonewcastle.com/arts-programme/

FareShare Food charity, FareShare rescues good food that would otherwise go to waste and delivers it to other charities to help feed people in need and benefit the planet. Last year they redistributed enough food for 13.2 million meals, feeding 82,100 people every day. fareshare.org.uk