Open Studio and New Artist Residency Launch - 15th of October

Join us for an Open Studio during Frieze on Thursday 15th October to launch our new Artist Residency, focusing on Topolski's legacy of observational artwork, championing the role of the Citizen Artist, and the artist’s eye on society.

We are very glad to announce Louis Pohl-Koseda as our first resident in this programme. Over six months, Louis will have access to the archive, and developing his own practice of drawings and paintings whilst working within the Topolski Studio’s context. Louis will deliver a series of readings to accompany his new works completed as part of the residency and his works in progress.

Feliks Topolski spent a lifetime travelling the world, recording the high and low drama of the 20th century in his on-the-spot drawings. Bringing those drawings back to his South Bank studio, those immediate observations were then collated into his thematic Chronicle, building a singular record of the time that allowed for his audience to ask questions, have conversations and witness world events through Topolski’s inquisitive eye. These drawings formed the material for his large scale murals, including his personal Memoir of the Century. His work was always observational, rooted in and reflective of what he sought out as the moments that defined his time.

The Topolski Residency offers painters/draughtspeople the opportunity to engage with Topolski’s archive, and the use of our central London studio space. Central to the residency is travel, encouraging artists to venture out from the confines of the studio to gather raw material from life, bring back those ideas, and paint large-scale murals rooted in eye-witness testimony.

Please join us at the Studio this Frieze Week to see his work in progress from a recent trip to Poland

Louis Pohl Koseda is a British multidisciplinary artist whose practice moves between fine-line drawing, painting, and architectural thinking. Born in London in 1991, his intricate, narrative-driven works examine the complex social systems, physical environments, and human behaviour shaping contemporary British society.

In his early life, he was raised in a Hare Krishna community in East London. This background provided sensitivity toward belief systems, collective structures, and critiques of mainstream social paradigms. In education, he initially trained as an architect at the University of Sheffield. He then spent a decade directing grassroots community initiatives centred on open public food spaces, common land, housing shortages, and spatial agency. He later refined his studio practice by completing the postgraduate program at the Royal Drawing School in London. He recently held his first major London solo show in Christie’s London’s in the King Street gallery.

His artwork is recognisable for its precise, automatic draftsmanship. Working primarily from imagination, memory, and social theory. With compositions that blend perennial art motifs with modern-day anxieties. Developing Mnemonic Cityscapes that capture the psychological terrain of London - ranging from overcrowded housing, financial institutions, job centres and homeless shelters. Koseda uses Social Critique & Satire in his works to serve as modern-day moral tales, tackling pressing socioeconomic issues. In this practice he juxtaposes literature, printmaking and architectural drawing traditions, Christian iconography, and ancient Hindu texts with the visceral, sometimes brutal and comedic realities of modern city living.

He is currently a resident artist at the Topolski Studio on London’s South Bank, where he is exploring modern media relations as his primary topic

Koseda has exhibited in over five countries. His socially engaged architecture and community projects have been featured in the British Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Winner of the prestigious inaugural Christie’s award. Following this his solo show The Dawn of the Golden Age (2025) was hosted at Christie's London. He was a Recipient of an RIBA-MacEwen Award, a World Architecture Festival commendation, and multiple Civic Trust Awards.

This event is FREE, but booking is essential.

Access
The studio entrance and fire exit has two steps, see attached photo - there is a portable wheelchair ramp and wheelchair accessible toilet, please let us know in advance if you require them.

During this event, Studio may take photos for promotional purposes. If you'd prefer not to be included, please let us know.