Sarabande Foundation Opens Its New Home in Tottenham

It is a mission that resonates deeply with our own commitment to supporting artists whose work challenges conventions, enriches visual culture, and opens up new ways of seeing the world.

Founded in 2006 by the late visionary Lee Alexander McQueen, the Sarabande Foundation is far more than an arts institution. Through scholarships, mentorship, and subsidized studio spaces, it provides artists with the support and stability needed to sustain ambitious creative practices over the long term. Its community spans a wide range of creative disciplines, but its ethos remains the same: to support artists with distinctive voices who aren’t afraid to take risks.

Following the Artists: A New Home in Tottenham

On July 1, Sarabande finally unveiled its new home in Tottenham, the culmination of nearly a decade of planning and restoration. Rather than opening in central London, the foundation chose to follow the artists, settling in a neighborhood that has become home to an increasingly vibrant creative community. Alongside affordable studios, the new space includes a public gallery, a café, and a year-round program of events, contributing to Tottenham’s wider regeneration while opening its doors to the local community.

The new home occupies two carefully restored Queen Anne townhouses dating back to the early eighteenth century. Their historic interiors now house studios, exhibition spaces, and communal areas, creating a place where artists can make work, exchange ideas, and connect with the public.

Restored through a philosophy of “arrested decay,” the buildings preserve the traces of their past rather than concealing them. Layers of eighteenth-century wallpaper, exposed horsehair plaster, and even scribbles left behind during nineteenth-century dinner parties remain visible throughout the interiors.

Today, the restored buildings are home to 14 affordable artist studios—offered at just £1 per square foot—alongside the House of Bandits gallery, its permanent café, and shared spaces that encourage artists and the local community to come together.

Before the artists moved in, Sarabande commissioned artist-in-residence John Spyrou to photograph the spaces after the restoration.

The Opening: La Benedición

To mark the opening of its new home, Sarabande commissioned PhotoVogue multidisciplinary artist Victoria Ruiz to present La Bendición, a performance and procession where sound, ritual, and the body converge. Guided by live samba percussion, performers in Ruiz’s sculptural garments brought the language of carnival into ceremony, culminating in a collective cleansing with water from Lourdes, France. The performance was documented by photographer Elif Gönen.

La Benedición by Victoria Ruiz