October Gallery has been instrumental in bringing to worldwide attention many of the world's leading international artists, including El Anatsui, Rachid Koraïchi, Romuald Hazoumè, Nnenna Okore, Laila Shawa and Kenji Yoshida. The Gallery promotes the Transvangarde, the very best in contemporary art from around the planet, as well as maintaining a cultural hub in central London for poets, writers, intellectuals and artists, and hosts talks, performances and seminars, see www.octobergallery.co.uk/events
The rich diversity of art presented is an inspiration to collectors and enthusiasts. Institutions such as the British Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany; Neue Galerie, Kassel, Germany; Setagagya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan have all collected works from October Gallery.
Founded in 1979, October Gallery is a charitable trust which is supported by sales of art, rental of the Gallery's unique facilities, grants from various funding bodies and the active support of dedicated artists, musicians, writers and many friends from around the world. The Gallery’s Education Department is inclusive of all ages from under 5’s to PGCE student and delivers a wide range of provision, see https://www.octobergalleryeducation.com
CONTACT
THE TEAM
Chili Hawes - Director
Chili Hawes, FRGS, is one of the Founders of October Gallery and Director since its opening in 1979. A native of the Rocky Mountains, she obtained a BA in French Literature from Colorado College, followed by a year at the Sorbonne and post-graduate work in Linguistics at Claremont Graduate School and has taught at all levels of the educational system both in the USA and Australia. A founder and director of Institute of Ecotechnics www.ecotechnics.edu, she has managed various ecological projects in the high desert of New Mexico, the Outback of Australia and the south of France. She has travelled widely including major research trips for the October Gallery to India, Melanesia, Peru, Southern Africa and Fiji.
Elisabeth Lalouschek - Artistic Director & Art Sales
Elisabeth Lalouschek was born in Vienna and holds an MA in Fine Art from the Royal College of Art. She joined October Gallery in 1987 and has been instrumental in creating a solid foundation for the idea of the Transvangarde, the transcultural avant-garde. Lalouschek has furthered the careers of a range of outstanding artists. She has organised and curated the majority of exhibitions at October Gallery, as well as collaborating on numerous projects nationally and internationally, most notably those promoting contemporary African art.
Gerard Houghton - Director of Special Projects
Gerard Houghton was born in England. After graduating from Churchill College, Cambridge, he travelled in West Africa, working as an interpreter, before moving to Japan, in 1980, where he taught Literature and Linguistics at Nara Women’s University and Kyoto University. He has been with October Gallery since 1994, and as Special Projects' Director co-ordinates a variety of Gallery projects and oversees all things textual: writing essays, articles, catalogues, Press Release, etc. He is also a free-lance writer, translator and editor with interests in a wide range of subjects both artistic and scientific.
Stefani Abadian-Crone - Director of Operations
Stefani Abadian-Crone, originally from the Netherlands, studied Hotel Management at NHL Stenden in Leeuwarden. Following a career path in international 5-star hotel business and telecommunications living in Belgium, where she used her language skills, she joined October Gallery, in 2007, initially as Events Manager. She is currently in charge of Operations in the broadest sense of the term, and plays an important role in running the Gallery as a 'tight ship.' She develops and runs projects in any field within the organisation and has overseen the production of four major October Gallery publications over the last decade.
Oliver Place - Project Manager
Oliver Place studied sculpture at Wimbledon College of Art and worked for contemporary art galleries and fine art shipping companies before joining October Gallery in 2016, bringing with him a passion for contemporary art combined with a considerable knowledge of shipping logistics. As Project Manager Oliver works closely with the Artistic Director on exhibitions and art fairs.
Eleri Fanshawe - Curator
Eleri Fanshawe read History of Art at UCL and SOAS and has a background in Fine Art Practice from a foundation year at Central St Martins. She specialised in Contemporary Art and Anthropology, which influenced her extensive solo travels throughout Asia and South America in 2019. She has experience working in art-led establishments across London for over the last 5 years, including Royal Academy of Arts, Freelands Foundation, Alexander McQueen, R.H. Art Gallery. Throughout her life she has also maintained a keen interest in education, volunteering for charities throughout the UK and Asia. Eleri joined the October Gallery in 2018, combining her interest in global arts, education, and curation.
Alana Pryce Tojcic - Head of Press & Media Relations
Alana Pryce Tojcic has developed media campaigns working within the Arts for a period spanning over twenty years. She is interested in creating partnerships, developing brands and has worked with numerous arts-led organisations and foundations. A former promotions producer at Sky Arts and the BBC, she has formulated content and copy for the Academy Awards and BAFTA and has an education in audio-visual design and filmmaking. Her broad experience includes implementing effective strategies and press communications at The Robert Ho Foundation, Muse 269 Gallery, Mazzoleni and Stephen Friedman Gallery.
Line Schreyer - Communications Manager
Line Schreyer grew up and was educated in Denmark. She obtained her MA in Applied Philosophy and specialised in Intercultural Philosophy. Since then Line has travelled through South East Asia, taking an internship in Japan that further developed her interest in intercultural art and dialogue. Arriving in London in 2017, she has accumulated much invaluable experience working in contemporary art venues and running events. As Communications Manager for October Gallery, Line works closely with the Head of Press & Media Relations and is in charge of October Gallery’s digital communication strategy and digital media output.
Esther Adesigbin - Education Manager
Esther is a practicing artist who has a Royal College of Art MA in Ceramics and Glass, she also studied painting at Wimbledon School of Art. Esther works alongside the Head of Education Georgie Fay, to deliver and develop the October Gallery Education programme. She is a passionate advocate of teaching Black History 365 and explores shifting aspects of identity in her own artwork. Esther has twenty-five years' experience working as a community artist, and artist in residence in London state schools.
Jessica Bannister - Education Manager
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with an MA in History of Art and Architectural History, Jessica has remained involved in the arts, including four years managing the Marrakech Biennale. With an interest in arts and education, she completed an MA in Museums and Galleries in Education at the Institute of Education (UCL) and is also a qualified Forest School Leader. She joined October Gallery in 2022, and is working alongside colleagues in the Education Department, developing a diverse and exciting programme of education.
Brian Pistolesi - Registrar
Brian Pistolesi was born in Rome, Italy but grew up mostly in New York State. He moved to London in 2004 to embark on a course in guitar making at London Metropolitan University. Upon completing the course he worked for five years as a guitar repairer/restorer in London’s Denmark Street before finding his way to October Gallery in May 2013.
Alex McNamee - Head Archivist and Curatorial Assistant
Alex is an artist and studied her BA at The Slade School of Fine Art, graduating in 2013. In 2016 she set up Muddy Yard, a non-for-profit exhibition space in Brixton. She has worked in multiple creative industries from Fine Art Tutor for Bonas MacFarlane, to Assistant Director at Green TV, she has worked on the PR team at Scott and Co and worked for Frith Street Gallery, London Fashion Week and Atelier Concorde.
Oluwatomisin Odutayo (Tomisin) - Technician: Maintenance, Infrastructure and Art handling
Oluwatomisin Odutayo was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where he graduated with a HND in Building Technology of The Federal Polytechnic Ilaro. His experience includes construction, and property and project management accumulated over time spent as building maintenance and technical officer in a range of organisations. It was his long-standing interest in the Arts-world that prompted him to join the October Gallery team in January 2024. ’Tomisin overseas all building maintenance, infrastructural and technical projects for the Gallery as well as assisting with all art installations.
Lillian Maguire - Front Desk Receptionist
Lillian Maguire is currently studying for a BSc in Sociology and Quantitative Methods at Manchester Metropolitan University. Already an accomplished portrait painter, she discovered a passion for graphic design while studying at Camberwell College of the Arts, London. During her years of study Lillian has always continued to work alongside in positions associated with Education, Events, Hospitality and Press. As the front of house receptionist at October Gallery, she assists, whenever possible, in these other areas of the Gallery’s daily activities. The Gallery is a unique place where she manages to combine the two loves of her life to date: people and art.
Pavel Sembera - Events Manager
Pavel Sembera graduated from the University of Economics and Management in Prague. He moved to London in 2014, and gained valuable experience in digital marketing while working for a large technology company. To pursue his interest and passion for art and event management, he secured a position as the Events Manager at the Czech Cultural Centre. Pavel also collaborated on several projects for the European Union National Institutes for Culture, establishing an annual event showcasing electronic music and the visual arts. He joined October Gallery, in 2022, where he manages all internal and external corporate, cultural and social events within the Gallery’s various spaces.
Luke Alan Mills - Assistant Events Manager
Luke Alan Mills graduated from Cardiff University, where he studied Fine Art. He moved to London in 2018, gaining over four years of experience in art-led establishments. This included working for the British Museum, Sigmar, and Frieze, as well as the Royal Academy of Arts, where he studied Cultural Heritage while also working for the events and archiving departments. Luke’s passion for working in such areas only grew when he went on to work for Artistic Directors of the Future. Here, he helped Global Majority members develop through to leadership level in the arts. Luke continues with his own artistic practice and is forever being inspired by continuous gallery visits. Luke started working for October Gallery in 2022, combining his love for events and culture.
Ibrahim Madina Bah - Head of Accounts and Finance
Ibrahim has worked as an accountant for a number of charitable organisations, including the Africa Centre and the National Literacy Trust. He has a lot of experience in the specialist area of charity finances. Ibrahim has been an integral member of October Gallery's financial team since 2014.
John Flahive - Accountant
John Flahive has worked in various roles in the film industry and arts, starting as a royalty accountant for the British Film Institute and later becoming their Film Sales Manager representing them at film festivals and markets. He then went to become an independent Film Sales agent and documentary producer with his own company Wavelength Pictures. He re-joined the October Gallery in 2017, having previously worked for us from 2008 to 2013.
OUR TRUSTEES
John Allen FLS
Author; Mining-metallurgical Engineer; Inventor Biosphere 2 project; Co-founder Institute of Ecotechnics and Theater of All Possibilities; Co-founder
October Gallery.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Ian Goodfellow
Architect, Partner at Penoyre & Prasad; Deputy Chair of Higher Education Design Quality Forum (HEDQF); Director Ecotechnics Maritime.
London
Marie Harding
Co-founder October Gallery; Artist; President Synergia Ranch LLC; Director Institute of Ecotechnics; President Global Ecotechnics Corporation.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Deborah Parrish Snyder
Publisher Synergetic Press (Santa Fe / London); Executive VP and Director Institute of Ecotechnics.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Dr. Chris Spring
Artist, Writer and Curator, formerly of the African Galleries at the British Museum; Trustee The Africa Centre.
London
Professor Sussan Babaie
Sussan Babaie is Professor of the Arts of Iran and Islam at The Courtauld, University of London.
London
FORMER TRUSTEES
Judy Ann ‘Chili’ Hawes
Co-founder and Director October Gallery; Co-founder and Director Institute of Ecotechnics.
London
Ulric Cross DSO DFC (1917-2013)
Judge; Diplomat; RAF Navigator
Trinidad
Peter Mayer (1936-2018)
Publisher
New York City and London
David Widdicombe QC (1924-2019)
Deputy High Court Judge
London
Pamela Kember (1955-2021)
Independent Art Historian and Curator
London
Visiting October Gallery
October Gallery is open from 12:30 to 17:30 pm, Tuesday to Saturday. The Gallery is closed during official holidays and for the entire month of August.