Decima Gallery (also Decima Projects, Decima International Arts or Decima) is a London-based arts projects organisation with a reputation for irreverent projects. It is owned and managed by David West, Alex Chappel, Larry McGinity and Mark Reeves. Decima have occupied various physical spaces since 1997 and have also staged a number of projects hosted by other venues, in London and around the world, including major London spaces such as the Tate Modern, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Whitechapel Gallery. Decima have also staged many conceptual, event-based and media-based projects. Ralph Rugoff in a 1998 edition of Frieze called them "Neo-Publicists", describing them as not just seeking press coverage, but using mass media as an artistic medium. As well as staging art projects, events, and club nights, Decima deals in limited edition books and prints, specialising in Gilbert & George and Stephen Gill. A 2008 article in The London Paper described the gallery as "infamous" for its headline-grabbing stunts in the late 1990s, including the hoax "Fuckart & Pimp" exhibition where Angela Marshall pretended to offer her artwork in exchange for oral sex, the show "Was Jesus a Homosexual?" and the time that curators Alex Chappel and David West gatecrashed the Tate dressed as a pantomime cow to "make people think".

Origin

David C. West worked with the Factual Nonsense Gallery alongside Joshua Compston before Compston's death on 5 March 1996. Among projects on which they collaborated was The Jack Duckworth Memorial Clinic, a spoof clinic for soap opera addicts. In 1996, West, along with Alex Chappel, formed a "media terrorist" group called a.r.t. ("a reasonable thought"). "We use the media as a canvas for art", explained West: "Stunts have included running a clinic for soap opera addicts and launching The Dennis Nilsen Tour Company.".

Decima Street 1997-2000

The group's name originates from the address of their first gallery space which was officially launched in February 1998 at 3 Decima Studios, Decima Street, London SE1. The gallery was first occupied on 31 August 1997 by Guy Hilton, Philip Hunt, Alex Chappel and Matthew John Andrew. Guy Hilton left before the first show, later founding the Guy Hilton Gallery with Angela Friese in London's East End, in 2005. On 12 February 1998 the gallery was launched with a show named "Scott", which was organised by Matthew John Andrew and Philip Hunt. In April 1998, Decima staged "Fuckart & Pimp", a hoaxed show that purported to feature a female artist producing paintings while having sex with clients. "With delicious predictability, the Great British Public were incensed." The show was in fact a hoax. Hunt and Andrew left in November 1998 after which, Decima was managed by Chappel and West. On 21 August 1998, Decima sent a fax to the Tate informing them that they would be bringing a real cow to the Gallery to "show where food and sex connect with the world of art". It turned out to be the artists themselves as a pantomime cow. At this time, the artist Derrick Welsh was represented by and closely affiliated to Decima. In April 1999, Decima attempted to cause another splash with a show entitled "Was Jesus a Homosexual?" which was organised in conjunction with political philosopher Richard Morley. The Independent's Pandora column reported that: "Gilbert and George have installed part of a 100-year-old fountain they purchased recently, which featured the inscription 'Jesus said if any man thirst let him come to me and let him drink'. This now reads 'Jesus said let him come'. Another exhibitor, Piers Wardle, has made a crucifix with wooden balls attached by a 'string that can be played with' and called it The Miracle of Holy Balls. Charles Sayer's canvas of a naked woman, legs apart, is displayed alongside eight framed biblical texts and entitled Anti-Christ I awake thee. The piece de resistance is Andrew Putland's untitled triptych depicting a black Jesus and black disciples engaged in fellatio with Christ." The exhibition also featured Swedish artist Anna Livia Löwendahl-Atomic. When the original gallery space closed in January 2000 the name Decima continued to be used by Chappel and West for art projects.

In limbo 2000-2007

Decima steadily continued organising and participating in projects during 2000–2007, albeit far less frequently. During this time, those involved with Decima became involved with other offshoot and related projects. In 2005, The Upstairs Gallery in Clerkenwell Green, London was opened by Chappel and Fiona Watson while the Guy Hilton Gallery was opened in Spitalfields, London, and an art and book sales website www.drugaddict.co.uk was launched by West.

Gallery 2 in Hackney Wick

Decima opened an art gallery in a former peanut factory in London's Hackney Wick area on 23 February 2008 with a launch show "The Famous, The Infamous and the Really Quite Good". In March 2008, Decima began a collaboration with local galleries Elevator and Residence and local studios to plan a local Arts Festival, called Hackney Wicked. On 8 August, The first Hackney Wicked festival went ahead. Also during 2008, Decima launched their online project 'Decima TV' by webcasting a "chat show" in which comedian Aaron Barschak conducted a series of interviews with artists, namely the artists Bob & Roberta Smith, Franko B and Mark McGowan. Decima are on record as sceptical about the 2012 Olympics, which is planned for the Hackney Wick area. They comment in an article by Fay Nicholson "Relational Aesthetics" The Hackney Wick Decima Gallery space closed late 2008 - early 2009.

Without walls, 2009

Decima were criticised in January 2009 following an exhibition on Sunday 18th where they utilised images of missing three-year-old schoolgirl Madeleine McCann in a pornographic exhibition Make Your Own Maddy Porn. The exhibition was branded "appalling and completely insensitive" by the NSPCC. West and Chappel responded with a statement to the Hackney Gazette, saying that "In many ways we were just trying to highlight how Madeleine McCann's image has been used and abused by the press over the past 21 months." They added that they "never intended nor wanted to cause offence to the McCann family by doing this" but acknowledged that such an outcome was "impossible to achieve". They claimed to have been subjected to "dozens of people from Liverpool literally kicking the door in" after the gallery's details were given out on a Liverpool radio station, and the Hackney Wick gallery was closed at the end of January. In July 2009, Decima exhibited in the Ghetto Gallery, Split, Croatia and went on to stage notable exhibitions in Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany; Piccadilly, London and the Tate Modern, London. As well as exhibitions, in 2009 Decima also organised various film projects, performance projects, art fairs, live music events and even a Berlin rave.

Exhibitions and projects

A selection of exhibitions and projects organised by or involving Decima Gallery. Most dates are approximate: where an accurate date is shown, this refers to the launch date. Related projects which pre-date Decima: All 1998 events held at Decima Gallery, London SE1, UK unless otherwise stated. All 1999 events held at Decima Gallery, London SE1, UK unless otherwise stated. All 2008 events held at Decima Gallery, Hackney Wick, London E3, UK (unless otherwise stated).