![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography, Windows](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f235/9a95/7a01/645d/5d3d/newsletter/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-3.jpg?1636495972)
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Architects: Local Collective, Stigma Room
- Area: 53 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Taran Wilkhu
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Manufacturers: NW London Tilers, Rennew Reclamation Yard
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Lead Architects: Lisa Chan, Shutian Zhou and Cong Ding.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f24c/9a95/7a01/645d/5d40/newsletter/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-1.jpg?1636495995)
Text description provided by the architects. Local Collective and Stigma Room – a collective of architects, artists, and researchers – have transformed a ground floor retail into a contemporary bathhouse in Notting Hill, London, for skincare brand Malin+Goetz and the Arts Council England.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography, Stairs, Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f26c/9a95/7a01/645d/5d45/newsletter/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-20.jpg?1636496051)
The pop-up gallery seeks to reclaim, re-energise, and re-imagine the UK’s high streets - post-pandemic - through a mixed-used strategy of introducing cultural programme into what is usually a consumption-led experience.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f250/9a95/7a01/645d/5d41/medium_jpg/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-11.jpg?1636496009)
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f257/9a95/7a01/645d/5d42/medium_jpg/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-15.jpg?1636496015)
The curation, “Zao Tang” (bathhouse in Chinese), stems from an ongoing exploration of the intersection between Asian identity and feminism, and the cultural charge of Asian bathhouses as a ground for social exchange. The gallery not only serves as a platform for creatives of colour and their works to reach a wider community, but also as an open invitation for communities and cultural organisations to connect through art, host activities in this public room, and reclaim ownership of our streets.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Image 15 of 15](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f222/9a95/7a01/645d/5d3c/newsletter/zao-tang-front-ele-local-collective-stigma.jpg?1636495945)
“We want to make art accessible for the public and blend it into people’s daily expression. Perhaps on your way to the post office or on your way back from a meeting, we hope there is always a social ground – your urban living room – where you can meet people, join a workshop, soak in art, celebrate diversity and feel connected.” - Lisa Chan, founder of Local Collective.
“We want to use the immersive art-viewing experience to activate community kinships through the physicalisation of social exchange. Use art to connect, give the city back to the locals.” - Shutian Zhou and Cong Ding, co-founders of Stigma Room.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f266/9a95/7a01/645d/5d43/newsletter/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-9.jpg?1636496041)
The reception of art is accentuated by the sequence and form of encounter as Local Collective and Stigma Room transform the gallery into a contemporary bathhouse that interweaves the self, community, and heritage. Mimicking the bathing ritual in Asian bathhouses, one is invited to first cleanse the self, washing off pre-conceptions and quotidian concerns through the viewing of Victoria Pham’s video portrait and Stigma’s pseudo-narratives. With the refreshing smell of bergamot by Malin+Goetz, one is then invited to join the others in the public bath for a collective reception and conversation on Hannah Lim’s re-appropriated snuff bottles, Yushi Li’s binary gaze, and Youngsook Choi’s collective grief. The exhibition is both intimate and social, drifting away from traditional art-viewing to an immersive cultural experience. Join the conversation at this public bathhouse, at 230 Portobello Road, London.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f23e/9a95/7a01/645d/5d3e/medium_jpg/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-2.jpg?1636495989)
“A diverse line-up of six emerging and established female East and Southeast Asian artists, working across a wide range of media, are selected to present a connective strength that speaks about the identity of Asian feminists, provide assurance to under-represented members of Asian communities of London, and invite all members to join in and celebrate cultural diversity.” – Lisa Chan.
![ZAO TANG Pop-up Gallery on Asian Arts and Feminism / Local Collective + Stigma Room - Interior Photography, Windows, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/618a/f27b/9a95/7a01/645d/5d46/medium_jpg/zao-tang-lc-x-stigma-hr-18.jpg?1636496050)