Hackney is in danger of losing its vibrant art scene due to spiralling rent and studio costs, according to two of De Beauvoir town’s most prominent artists.
Drawing specialist Aude Hérail Jäger and mixed media artist Kadir Karababa, both local residents, have expressed their concern that established artists are being “driven out” while younger creatives are struggling to get their careers off the ground due to rising costs.
Jäger, who moved to De Beauvoir in 2003, said some of Hackney’s best artists “have already had to move further afield to places like Leyton or out of London entirely because it’s just getting so expensive.” She believes there is “no chance” she could afford to live or work in the area if she were looking to move to De Beauvoir now and would struggle to work there without a subsidised studio.
According to estate agent Hamptons, house prices in Hackney have increased by 281 per cent in the last twenty years. Data from property listings site Varbes shows Hackney lettings have risen 8.5 per cent in the past year alone, while data from the Office for National Statistics, released on 18 October, revealed London-wide rental prices to be up just over six per cent year to September.
Kadir Karababa was especially apprehensive about the toll that the current financial environment will take on up-and-coming artists from diverse backgrounds: “These days, even the tiniest desk within a shared studio costs £300 [per month] … None of my artist friends can afford that.”
Karababa was forced to quit art for eight years to earn a steady salary as a teacher. He warns that “unless more subsidised space is provided, studios will be filled up with one demographic of artist who are able to afford them,” making for a “very bland and un-diverse art scene.”
Kadir Karababa is organising an exhibition that profiles local artists from diverse backgrounds, that will run in St Peter De Beauvoir Crypt, 23-28 October.
Aude Herail Jäger will exhibit her work at the London Group Open, which takes place at the Copeland Gallery, 10-26 November.
