Kathrin Böhm: Why Do We Care About Art?, London, 2024

Tanner Lane Rotational Public Art Commission

LaunchED Summer 2024

Partnering with The Showroom, a contemporary public art space specialising in community engagement and based near Paddington Square, the programme supports the commissioning of new public artworks on the topic of ‘care’ by a selection of socially-engaged London-based contemporary artists. Each project is realised with community engagement and offers a new model for exploring current cultural themes in a safe, inclusive and engaging environment.

The artworks are presented for one year on a custom-made billboard, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop – the studio behind the PSQ development – and situated on Praed Street between Paddington Square and St Mary’s Hospital. The project invites a wide audience of visitors, workers and local residents to enjoy and engage with thoughtful contemporary art practices.

Launching the series in 2024 on Tanner Lane on the corner of Praed Street, Kathrin Böhm addresses the topic of ‘care’ by prompting the question: ‘Why do we care about art?’.

Individual and collaborative responses to this question were explored during 12 public poster-making and knowledge-sharing workshops led by the artist between July and October 2021 and hosted by The Showroom. The final design was realised by assimilating, compiling, distilling and responding to the statements and slogans that the 120+ workshop contributors authored. It was designed in collaboration with the graphic design collectiveo, An Endless Supply.

The making of Why Do We Care About Art (2022) by Kathrin Böhm (Workshops at The Showroom, March 2021) Courtesy Kathrin Böhm, Arturo Bandinelli (camera & edit) and An Endless Supply (graphics). © The Artist & The Showroom. Video length: 6 mins 05 secs. 

“Art can be many different things to each of us and the workshops [entitled]“who cares about art” with local interest groups at The Showroom, made this very clear. It was important to hold a space where different meanings, practices, understanding and expressions were possible and equal to each other. The one word and value we all care about is freedom: in art, through art and with art.”

– Kathrin Böhm

About the site:

Paddington Square is London’s new quarter for work, culture, retail and dining at the heart of Paddington’s regeneration, with a 14-storey crystalline building designed by the leading architecture practice, Renzo Piano Building Workshop. It also includes a new Bakerloo Line entrance for the London Underground, west London’s highest rooftop dining experience and a 1.35-acre public square, providing a world-class welcome to London for local, regional and international visitors.

Paddington Square, London (designed by RPBW), 2024. Video Tapio Snellman.

About PSQ public art programme:

The Paddington Square Public Art Programme is developed as part of the Section 106 Condition (a compulsory planning requirement of urban developments in the UK), in collaboration with St. Mary’s Hospital, local businesses and residential associations, with strong engagement from Westminster City Council. Curated by Lacuna, it represents a major investment in the public realm by Great Western Developments, who commissioned the RPBW-designed urban plan and feature building. It showcases newly commissioned, site-specific artworks by critically acclaimed contemporary artists with no prior permanent public art projects in London.

The Tanner Lane Rotational Public Art Commission is a collaboration between Lacuna and The Showroom, a local non-profit arts organisation, committed to community engagement and supporting the work of emerging and mid-career UK-based visual artists. Launching in 2024 with the new work by Kathrin Böhm, the partnership continues in 2025 with a new commission by Long Distance Press and in 2026 by performance and visual artist, Harold Offeh. The wider Paddington Square Public Art Programme also includes permanent works by Ugo Rondinone, Pae White and Catherine Yass, which opened to the public in 2024.