Wilton Way Gallery: Bringing Art to the Community with Anna McHugh
All too often, traditional art galleries can appear intimidating and uninviting. Not so the Wilton Way gallery which was launched by London Fields local Anna McHugh earlier this year. ‘I want to connect art with the community, and for anyone in the neighbourhood to feel happy to walk in; it’s a stage for young artists to shine,’ she explains of the space, which sits beneath vintage boutique Retrouve. A curator, art advisor to collectors all around the world, and a former commercial director, Anna has been working in the industry for over 18 years. ‘My last role was for Australian company Art Money where the concept was for people to buy art and pay for it in 10 instalments. When that temporarily closed, it was the push I needed to open my own gallery.’
Anna McHugh outside Wilton Way Gallery, London Fields, E8
Having organised the Hackney Art Trail in 2022 and 2023, featuring work by a handful of artists in five different locations each time, Anna – who has also lived on Wilton Way since 2010 – is no stranger to east London’s creative scene. ‘The Wilton Way gallery is a different kind of set-up to what people might expect. As well as the basement space, I have a ground floor window where I encourage artists to be as wacky as they want. I studied stage design when I was younger so I try to make the window theatrical,’ she says.
There is also a nomadic element to Anna’s approach. ‘At the Hackney Art Trail, with every artist I’ve shown, there has been a parallel exhibition – whether it’s at The Cannery, a private dining space in De Beauvoir, or an estate agent. I also used to organise exhibitions in the now-closed Wilton Way Café; I like art that appears in unusual locations.’ Wilton Way itself, Anna says, has evolved over the last decade. ‘There has always been art around here but the road has become a bit more gentrified. I’m determined to bring some of that creative spirit back.’ She cites her favourite local spots as the Wilton Way Deli (‘for their lasagne, or an avocado and bacon bap; it’s also lovely to sit outside with a negroni in the summer’), The BBE vinyl store & bar and the Prince George in Dalston for a Sunday roast.
Artist Taylor Silks collection ‘Soft Domme’ is on display at Wilton Way Gallery, private views available by appointment.
Over the years, Anna’s home has also expanded to encompass her growing family (she has two children, aged 14 and 11). ‘I live above Retrouve and the Wilton Way Deli, where we merged two flats together. It used to be a two-bed property, now we have four bedrooms,’ she says, recalling the refurbishment in 2015 which was overseen by architect Chantal Martinelli of Mad Atelier design studio and styling by Michelle Kelly. ‘My interior style is fun and colourful with a 70s vibe. It feels very arty: I’ve mixed vintage furniture with, for instance, photographs by Massimo Vitali and a collage by David Noonan.’
At home with Anna on Wilton Way, E8.
At her gallery, the diverse art line-up has already included painter Edward Bridges who depicts his Kent coastal life with a fantastical edge; multimedia artist Katie King examining contemporary feminine identity through animation and embroidery; and ink drawings by 16-year-old Camille Phoenix (the latter at hairdresser, Toppers of Hackney). ‘When I’m deciding which artists to show, it might be someone new, or someone exciting whose work I can envision people around London Fields and my collectors liking,’ confirms Anna. ‘The idea is to feature both emerging and more established names: this first year of the gallery is as a testing ground. Ultimately, I want to put more artists out there for people to see and be inspired by.’
