The Bomb Factory Archway

Our Mission

The Bomb Factory Art Foundation was founded on the premise that art, artists and creative culture offer significant value in our society.

Our mission is to support artists, cultural organisations and educational institutions to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in the viewing and creation of art. The Bomb Factory enables contemporary visual arts practice to thrive through the provision of affordable studio and exhibition space as well as a supportive network of artists where peer collaboration and critique is encouraged.

All resident artists support the organisation by contributing their skills and time to the public programme. Their engagement with learning and participation enables The Bomb Factory Art Foundation to demonstrate the social value of art.

Our Aims and Commitments

• To support artists through providing affordable studio spaces with an active creative community.
• To provide conditions in which artists from all backgrounds and at any stage in their career can thrive.​
• To encourage participation in the arts in the local and wider community by providing an active programme of exhibitions, screenings and performance events, workshops and community projects in our gallery and workshop space. ​
• ​​To provide an education programme enabling people of any age or background to participate and explore their creative abilities and understanding.
• To offer opportunities for the creation of work and exchange, as well as an introduction to the wider art community and networks through our outreach projects with local schools, colleges and institutions.
• To forge relationships with like-minded organisations both nationally and internationally, with the intention of fostering creative, dynamic and mutually beneficial collaborations.
• To create a sustainable arts-hub that serves the local and wider artistic community, and to encourage excluded groups and individuals to feel included.​​
• To take risks and challenge public and professional perceptions of what constitutes contemporary visual culture stimulating our audiences into experiencing all forms of contemporary art.

Our Achievements

Over the past five years, The Bomb Factory has established itself as an important fixture on the London Contemporary Art landscape whilst also becoming a valued and important resource for the local community. The Bomb Factory attracts visitors from all over London and beyond, who engage in our exhibition and education programmes. This includes art exhibitions, screenings, workshops, performances, poetry and music events, as well as talks and performance art open mics.

​The History

The Bomb Factory Art Foundation is based in a Victorian warehouse in Archway, north London. Over the years, the building has been used in a myriad of ways, most notably as a munitions factory during the second world war. The surrounding area at the top of Holloway was heavily bombed in an attempt to destroy the building. The Foundation's name derives from this moment in local history.

In 2014, the space was designated for development. In response to the growing need for affordable studio spaces for contemporary artists, along with the desire to establish a new arts centre and cultural hub in north London; artist and Archway resident Pallas Citroen applied to use the space to create.

Plans were formulated and work began, and The Bomb Factory Art Foundation formally opened its doors in January 2015. Since then, fellow arts groups Five Years gallery and J Hammond Projects moved into the neighbouring buildings over the course of 2016. The artists and Archway resident Pallas Citroen took the lead in developing the space as a creative hub.​