SET is proud to announce the launch of SET 91, its first in-house curated contemporary arts gallery in central London.
Located at 91 Tabernacle Street, in the heart of Old Street’s art district, SET 91 is a non-profit space, dedicated to providing early-career and underrepresented artists with a professional and accessible platform to present new work. Building on nine years of artist-led programming, the gallery extends SET’s commitment to accessibility, affordability, and grassroots practice.
Its launch comes at a time when exhibiting in London has become increasingly challenging for emerging artists, as rising rents and commercial pressures narrow opportunities. SET 91 seeks to provide an alternative.
“We wanted to create a space that prioritises process, experimentation and collaboration rather than sales or commercial visibility,” says Ellie Dobbs, SET’s Curator and Co-organiser of SET 91.
“SET 91 allows artists to test ideas and push boundaries in ways that market-driven galleries often can’t support.”
A new space for experimentation
Over the past year, SET has opened five sites in and around the City of London borough, reclaiming post-Covid office buildings that would otherwise sit vacant, and turning them into spaces for artistic activity. With SET 91, this presence is consolidated through the addition of a new gallery at the heart of the city.
“SET’s sites allow us to reclaim and reinvigorate areas of the city with artistic communities and events,” Dobbs explains. “SET 91 anchors our programme and asserts the importance of non-profit initiatives within one of London’s most vibrant art districts.”
From September 2025, SET 91 will present a six-month programme of exhibitions led by the SET curatorial team, SET studio members, and invited guest curators.
Alongside these exhibitions, the gallery will host performances, moving-image research, and cross-disciplinary projects.
“SET 91 is a way to continue our approach of accessibility and collaboration, while also addressing the challenges faced by early-career artists in the city,” says Verity Monroe, SET’s Assistant Curator and Co-organiser of SET 91.
Monroe adds that these opportunities are urgently needed:
“With increasing pressures on artist-led spaces, it is harder and harder for early-career artists to locate opportunities to exhibit work in London.
“These opportunities are a vital aspect of the city’s creative ecosystem as they allow space for experimentation and play, without which an artist’s development is not given due space to progress.”
Launch exhibition: Scaffolds
SET 91 launches with its inaugural show, Scaffolds, running 12 September–5 October, and will host a public opening event on Thursday, 11 September, from 6–9 pm.
Exploring how structural, environmental, and social constraints shape contemporary image-making, Scaffolds features works that use grids, patterns, repetition, and everyday materials to generate inventive outcomes.
“Constraints are always present in the production of work,” notes Dobbs. “In this exhibition, artists transform these pressures into opportunities for creative exploration.”
Scaffolds brings together 12 artists, including SET studio members, past and present, alongside international contributors.
“We are excited to begin working with artists in an international capacity, while maintaining focus on contemporary and early-career artists,” says Monroe.
“We hope that the group format encourages cross-pollination between SET’s community and wider artist networks.”
More info on ScaffoldsStay connected
Further details subsequent exhibitions will be announced in the coming weeks.
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