Charlie Smith London

Charlie Smith London is an expansive and innovative project based contemporary art gallery that organises off-site exhibitions and participates in selected art fairs internationally. The gallery works with prominent private collectors globally.  

It was established in 2007 as a rigorous curatorial project by Zavier Ellis. Initially curating independent exhibitions and participating in art fairs, the gallery ran a programme in a space above The Reliance pub in Shoreditch between October 2009 and January 2021, presenting exactly 100 shows and achieving cult status whilst doing so.

During this period Ellis also collaborated with filmmaker Simon Rumley by launching and co-curating THE FUTURE CAN WAIT, an independent museum scale exhibition for emerging to mid-career artists that occurred during Frieze week for 10 years. Between 2011 and 2014 THE FUTURE CAN WAIT was organised in partnership with Saatchi’s New Sensations. Ellis has also curated exhibitions at museums, galleries and independent locations internationally including Berlin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Klaipėda, Los Angeles, Naples and Rome.