Hidden on the ground floor of a private residence in Dalston, the Berliner artist-run collective AKA opened a new London space last week. Now to run alongside their existing space in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, the new gallery will see the collective expanding their artistic activities in London with a special resident team.

Conceived as a hybrid art space, AKA is a multi-disciplinary project founded by French artists JON JOHN and VALENTIN PLESSY in 2009, with a vision celebrating emerging, alternative, and non-traditional forms of art and creative practice. With a strong ethos of community and collaboration, AKA fuses different disciplines such as art, tattoo, design, screen printing and performance, as well as acting as a studio space. Artist and co-founder of AKA Jon John’s interest and love of ritual is invoked in the intimate installation of an altar in the studio space.

For the opening of the new London gallery, a group show curated by Jon John featured specially-commissioned artworks by international tattoo artists involved with AKA, such as Guy Le Tatooer, Tom Gilmour, Liam Sparkes and Rafel Delalande. French tattoo artist Guy Le Tatooer presented a duo of hypnotic works, with strong Eastern influences exploring abstract meditative patterns and the spiritual energy of Hindu Goddess Durga astride her tiger, conjuring the power of the Supreme. Meanwhile, a potent tension between forces of light and darkness is captured by Rafel Delalande’s works. Throughout the works, the vision of AKA is manifested, with strong contemporary works spinning an evolving narrative of mysticism, mythology, magic, symbolism, Eastern philosophy, surrealism and nature – with a decidedly anarchic touch.

To visit AKA’s new space in London, get in touch to book an appointment for your visit:  www.akalondon.tumblr.com or email wetattooinlondon@gmail.com 

To find out more about AKA’s Berlin space, click here.

Photography and text by Sophie Pinchetti