Get Living, the UK’s leading build-to-rent operator, has partnered with Hypha Studios, a charity matching creatives with empty spaces for free, to reimagine a former Sainsbury’s store into a unique space for emerging design talent at East Village, London.
Centred around the themes of design and community living, this new space will showcase a series of artists and exhibitions and cement East Village as the gateway to East London’s creative district, further supporting Get Living’s strategy in creating an inclusive and sustainable urban neighbourhood for all to enjoy.
The first two exhibitions, in a continued series of artist takeovers, will be installed at 50 Celebration Avenue, East Village and available to the public from 27 January.
The two unique gallery spaces will showcase curated and immersive works by local artists and emerging talent from Goldsmith University students. As part of the residency, the artists will also engage with the local community as well as exhibiting their work.
As a nod to the British supermarket chain which previously occupied the premises, Loess Collective – a team of Goldsmiths University postgraduates – will display: ‘Taste the Difference.’

The satirical, food-centred show comprising painting, sculpture, performance, installation, and multimedia will be showcased alongside and exhibition titled ‘Who holds the sword?’ Curated by three female visual artists, this immersive exhibition of work challenges traditional gender norms via a contemporary medieval focus heralding medieval times.

The exhibitions will be open to the public from 27th January until 26th February and 10th March 2023 respectively.

East London is already emerging as the new capital for material innovation, biotech and sustainable luxury, and Get Living’s East Village serves as the gateway for creative industries and purposeful living. Hypha Studios’ takeover of the former Sainsbury’s retail unit as a free creative spaces for local artists follows on from the success of The Lab E20, East Village’s flagship for community led co-creation – with a focus on positive fashion, climate action and the circular economy – which opened in summer 2021.

Camilla Cole, Founder of Hypha Studios, said: “Creativity is central to many communities, and our newest design studio in Stratford’s East Village, will bring new life to a vacant commercial space, transforming the unit into a not-for-profit gallery and exhibition space for local and emerging talent.

“Our open call for artists drew fantastic applications from the immediate locality, and further afield. In the exhibitions coming over the next few months, we will be working with artists who have connections to Stratford and East London, offering them an incredible canvas within a vibrant community, which will hugely boost their creative careers.

“East Village is a fantastic location for the new and historic local communities, and with great travel connections we really hope that the exhibitions will also draw new visitors to the area. With its deep cultural history, Stratford is becoming a new creative hub for London and Hypha Studios is excited to be working with Get Living to bring a series of exhibitions to E20.”
Richard Allen, Head of Retail at Get Living adds: “The arts and creative industries are at the heart of our societies, and we feel passionately that they should be accessible for all within our neighbourhoods. Working with Hypha Studios is a natural partnership for Get Living. Reimaging a former, unused, retail unit for local artists in a truly innovative way to drive social value and support our mission to bring people together in inspiring spaces.

“This carefully curated turnkey of artists and designers will join and network an already eclectic neighbourhood of creatives and vibrant mix of individual and independent retailers within the village.”
Hypha Studios will be in residence in East Village throughout 2023, delivering an artistic series through to summer.