In conversation with Art Haxhijakupi, The Koppel Project

Featuring an interview with Art Haxhijakupi, Communications Manager at The Koppel Project, the post covers the history of The Koppel Project, their program of exhibitions and events, the role of art events in their program, and how they have utilized the ARTSVP platform to increase and maintain their audience.

In conversation with Art Haxhijakupi, The Koppel Project
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Despite the times we live in, and regardless of the power of the internet and social media, bringing people together physically into one space is still what matters the most if you want to build and grow an art community.
Art Haxhijakupi, Communications Manager
Interview with The Koppel Project, December 2022
 
The Koppel Project has been running its numerous activities since 2016 across multiple locations in London. As an arts charity, a gallery, and a creative hub, The Koppel Project has been supporting the artists' community by offering affordable studio spaces in Central London and providing funding and logistical support for many exhibitions and collaborations.
By maintaining an extremely flexible format since its foundation, The Koppel Project has been promoting all kinds of shows and projects, and has been hosting many other artistic associations in their various locations. Its objective of provoking a dialogue and generating diversity in the art world has been achieved through their many activities and collaborations. The Koppel Project also aims to stimulate a transformative cultural exchange, to support experimental and innovative projects, and to help re-invent traditional learning systems.
We've been speaking to Art Haxhijakupi, The Koppel Project's Communications Manager, to find out more about their programme, their vision, and how they've been using ARTSVP throughout the past couple of years.

How did The Koppel Project get started and maintain its activities through the years?

We opened our first location in Baker Street in 2016 with the intention of fostering a presence and connection between the creative communities in central London. At that time, opening a central studio location for emerging artists was rather challenging. Over the years, we've learned and witnessed first-hand how artists are frequently pushed away from the city, which is something that has motivated us to continue growing and offering our services in other central areas of London.

Follow The Koppel Project to learn more about their exciting programme of exhibitions, events, workshops and more!

Could you tell us more about The Koppel Project's programme of exhibitions and events?

We’ve worked with numerous curators and artists on a wide range of exhibitions and curatorial ventures thanks to our growing community of artists and the spaces we had over the years. For exhibitions and events, we frequently collaborate with members of our studios' community, but we also frequently work with many UK-based and international artists and curators through our in-house exhibition programme.
 
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Softcore. Photo: Anya Shilonos

What kind of role do art events play within your programme?

Expanding our services, audiences, and portfolio of projects has been best accomplished through events hosted across our locations and gallery spaces. From private views, exhibition openings, workshops, talks to live performances and themed-parties, events and gathering people in one place have played a key role in growing our community and making valuable connections with the wider audiences.

How has ARTSVP helped

Because it is so simple to register for events, ARTSVP has undoubtedly made it easier for us to increase and maintain our audiences. We're happy to see that many people come back to our events, and it's important for us to keep the audience informed through our newsletter. 90% of the time, attendees choose to sign up for our mailing list via ARTSVP, which allow us to retain those audiences and invite them future relevant events.
 
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The Koppel Project dashboard on ARTSVP

How do you find ARTSVP different from other booking systems?

We find it to be much simpler to use compared to other platforms! ARTSVP is highly time-saving and really efficient. It's very appealing and when you register for an event you don't have to fill out lengthy sign-up forms or wait for confirmation requests. As soon as I started using ARTSVP, it took me a few minutes to realise how easy it was to use.
 

The Koppel Project has just said goodbye to one of their longest standing locations, The Koppel Project Hive in Holborn Viaduct. Active for over six years, the space hosted some of their most exciting artists and collectives. With over a hundred studios, this place allowed thousands of unique artists with multidisciplinary practices, to exhibit in the gallery and create artwork, in addition to advancing and encouraging creativity from the centre of the city. The Koppel Project is currently based in the West End, Hampstead, Bank and Mayfair, and will be extending services to other areas of London in the new year.

Written by

Rosita Mariella
Rosita Mariella

Rosita is an art historian and researcher based in Madrid. She’s been working in the art market since 2015, for galleries and collections based in London, until she joined ARTSVP in 2021.