Dry Cleaning exhibition is "airing the fresh new works of Londons emerging designers"

London-based Max Radford Gallery has filled a warehouse space near Borough Market with collectible designs by 53 artists, including pieces made from human hair and recycled leather.

The exhibition marked the first time Max Radford Gallery held an open-call group show since Uncommon Found, its debut exhibition in 2021.

"Our first show involved an open call, and having worked with a smaller roster of designers and artists since then, it felt like the right time to do a show that represented a bit of a 'scene check'," founder Max Radford told Dezeen.

"I knew how much things had progressed in the past few years in London and was keen to do a show that represented that wider world and brought it together at the same time."

Max Radford Gallery didn't give the contributors – 53 in total, chosen from almost 300 applications – any brief for what type of design to create.

"We never want to be prescriptive in our briefing with who we work with, we want to show what you want to show," Radford said.

The resulting exhibition juxtaposed different types of design inside Clink Street Ceramics' large warehouse space next to London's Borough Market.

The involvement of Clink Street Ceramics, a London pottery studio that also puts on ceramic art displays, opened up Max Radford Gallery to a design niche that the gallery hasn't covered as much in the past.

"Clink Street provided the location as part of their historic family business as Borough Greengrocers. They also, of course, brought a ceramic edge that we haven't really explored before," Radford explained.

"We received a lot of applications of ceramic work, and it really opened up a world of works that I love."

The pieces on show included a room divider made by artist Anouska Samms from leather, human hair and velvet, and Alex Whitfield's Devil Lamp made from polished stainless steel and cast resin.

Designer Adam Maryniak's humorous piece Landlords Special Chair looked comically uncomfortable, while artist Gus Langford's Aubade - Vessel 3, made from recycled leather with lambswool stuffing, made people stoop and look closer.

Also on show was a painting by artist Charlie Burtenshaw – one of Radford's favourites.

"Charlie is one of my favourite artists, so it's a pleasure to have her in the show," he said.

"It being a painting makes it easy for me to say rather than a piece of furniture, but it is also true, and we regard everything that we platform in the grayscale between art and design in the same manner."

Radford named the show Dry Cleaning because he's "obsessed with the graphics of old London laundrettes and wanted to use that as inspiration for a show".

"In this case the name held some resonance about how the show is airing the fresh new works of London's emerging designers and artists whilst also presenting existing works in a fresh context," he added.

He hopes that shows such as these, in which anyone can take part, can also help support designers and give them more visibility.

"We have already had good sales for the show, so that is financial support and further to this, we are highlighting emerging designers on a larger international-facing platform than they might have had before," he said.

"Further to this, the show has brought together London's Emerging designers in one space, allowing people to build real future-forward and supportive relationships within their industry. Cultivating this new and sharing culture is important to me."

Other recent design exhibitions in London include a Japan House installation that explores graphic design's role in everyday life and More Than Human, which looks at what happens when we design for living beings other than humans.

The photography is by Ed Rollitt unless otherwise stated.

Dry Cleaning takes place from 16 to 24 August 2025 at Clink Street Ceramics, Borough Market. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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