As part of the highly anticipated September exhibition, Edition Two: Materiality, No Place Art has announced Materiality Live, an unprecedented intimate two-night event series designed to bring audiences into the heart of the main exhibition.
The live performances form part of the wider exhibition programme, bringing audiences into the heart of Materiality through an immersive exploration of the relationship between sound and visual art. Across two recital performances, world-class classical, jazz and operatic musicians will perform live alongside a synaesthetic painter, who will translate the music into physical artworks in real time.
Taking place on the 22nd and 23rd of September 2026 at The Handbag Factory in Vauxhall, the live event acts as a dynamic draw for a broader showcase selected from over 549 artists and 1,200 international artwork submissions. While the overarching exhibition champions over 90 artists with 61 career-changing awards, Materiality Live pushes the boundaries further, transforming live classical, jazz, and operatic music into physical artworks in real time.
During the two-night event, multidisciplinary artist-in-residence Jake Andrew, who experiences synaesthesia, a neurological phenomenon where sound is perceived as colour, texture, and form, will paint live within the gallery, translating the musicians’ acoustic performances directly onto canvas as the evening unfolds.
Markson Pianos will supply the instruments for the programme, including a Steingraeber B-192 grand piano, carefully selected for its rich, powerful tone and expressive range.
Presented in collaboration with Markson Pianos, Daler-Rowney, Saltu Studio, Renaissance-21, and Off The Page, the recital lineup brings together extraordinary international talent. Night One (22 September) features Teodor Doré, founder of the Renaissance-21 cultural movement, performing works from his album Les Reflets dorés, alongside Jay Verma, a South Asian pianist and collaborator with Little Simz and Cleo Sol, performing unreleased material blending jazz, film scores, and Konnakol vocal percussion. Night Two (23 September) features London contemporary classical pianist Karim Kamar, who commands an online audience of over one million followers, debuting unreleased original waltzes alongside Camden Stewart, a British operatic tenor and composer whose cinematic piano motifs and vocal textures trace a journey of transformation.
“Exhibitions should never be the end point for an artist; they must be the beginning of genuine career momentum, which is why we’ve partnered with 20 arts organisations to offer these artists 61 career-altering opportunities,” says Rowan Siddons, Founder of No Place Art. “Bringing live pianists and synaesthetic painting into the gallery takes our exploration of ‘materiality’ to its absolute limit. Sound is invisible, but here it physically becomes paint on canvas in front of a live audience. We are creating an active, living ecosystem where creative disciplines collide.”
The surrounding Edition Two: Materiality exhibition features 119 artworks spanning painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media. The showcase has been shaped by curators Lara Bowen, Hanna ten Doornkaat, Mikk Murray & Rowan Siddons, alongside a distinguished judging panel including photographer Giles Duley MBE, Matthew Burrow MBE; Founder of Artist Support Pledge, Aga Kubish ARE, Geoffrey Howe; Winner of the Edition One | 2026 Judge Award; Conor Rush, Founder of Starving Artist Opportunities and Pia Austin-Little, Co-Founder of Austin & Checker Art Advisory.
