Since it's initial founding in 2011 as an artist-led project space and adjacent studios, Cob has committed itself to embolden and nurture UK emerging talent. Cob gallery began representing artists and attending international art fairs in 2016 continuing its dedication to young or mid career artists with its gallery programme that presents contemporary voices in traditional mediums such as painting and drawing. With a strong curatorial backbone, Cob’s core programming centres around a roster of UK-based artists; whilst simultaneously inviting international practitioners to exhibit in London, often as their UK debut. Cob supports artists through experimental off-site projects and installations as well as editions and publications.
Today, Cob has built a strong reputation for its UK debut solo exhibitions that identifies new talent early on, and a programme that focusses on female identifying artists. Cob has given early showcases for artists including Diane Dal-Pra (2020) Olivia Sterling (2021) and Shadi Al-Atallah (2022).
Cob has developed a full-time residency to host four artists annually in bespoke on-site studios, culminating in curated exhibitions to form a parallel thread in the gallery's programme. This international residency will launch Spring 2023 with an accompanying award committed to the development of emerging and multimedia practices.