The Colony Room, New Langton Arts, San Francisco; Coming SOON

by Alex Hetherington, 22 Jul 2008

The Colony Room is a celebration of the legendary Colony Room, Soho’s notorious private drinking den conceived by Scottish San Francisco-based Anne Colvin.

Situated at the top of a shabby staircase, near London’s Soho Square, this down-at-heel but welcoming space has been a favorite haunt for British artists ever since it was started in 1948. The club was owned and run up until 1979 by the infamous free spirit, Muriel Belcher who paid the young Francis Bacon ten pounds a week and free drinks to bring in the clientele. He did and Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach and Henrietta Moraes were among the regulars.

“Her genius was in the ability to mix members. This gave her club more variety and a touch of the unexpected not to be found in other clubs. But above all Colony Room was a success because Muriel created an atmosphere where you could be yourself” – former club member. Anne hopes to follow in her footsteps.

Housed in a raw garage space, filled with Francis Bacon reproduction works, The Colony Room San Francisco will be open three nights a week with each night featuring a guest artist invited to do an informal reading, screening, performance or intervention. San Francisco’s favorite conceptual artist, Tom Marioni will be the guest of honor on opening night paying homage to his Wednesday club where “The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art”. Other guests and presentations over the course of six weeks will include conceptual art costume rock band extraordinaire Caroliner; riotous LA collective Sweater Queens; eclectic poets and writers, Dodie Bellamy, Suzanne Stein and Bill Berkson; anarchic Portland-based artist Modou Dieng; temporally conceited Anne Colvin; “Britain’s most brilliant experimental theatre company”, Forced Entertainment; edgy gallerist and boutique owner, Jessica Silverman; manic Glasgow-based Alex Hetherington and more. Screenings will include an interview with a drunken Francis Bacon, award-winning Red Without Blue and Shadazz, Luke Fowler’s Glasgow compilation. A disco night, a Kiki night, hand stamps, a Muriel cocktail and 80’s sounds from Scotland are some of the other surprises in store.

The Colony Room is run by an artist, supports other artists and stands as a haven for artists, exiles and maverick spirits. You are invited!

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Also File 2008 opens in Brazil, 5 August, where a new film project screens alongside a whole host of work: http://www.file.org.br

Cheerio.