Tai Shani puts on a show for the Contemporary Art Society, raising over £53,000 for the charity

Turner-prize winning artist Tai Shani took over Cromwell Place in Kensington on 26 October 2021 for a spellbinding performance and dinner to raise funds for the Contemporary Art Society. Attendees included Muriel and Freddy Salem; photographer Ori Gersht; Director of Hepworth Wakefield, Simon Wallis; Director of the Hayward Gallery, Ralph Rugoff; collector and philanthropist Valeria Napoleone and twin sister Stefania Pramma; and Lord and Lady Deighton.

Tai offered two large watercolours for sale and created a special edition of 10 hand-collaged works, helping to bring the total raised over the evening to over £53,000. All proceeds from this event directly benefit the charitable mission of the Contemporary Art Society, supporting museums across the UK by donating great works of art.

Tai Shani presented the two episodes from her The Neon Hieroglyph work, performed by actor Molly Moody in a mesmerising Roksanda dress. Live music was performed by musician Maxwell Sterling to his own original composition in what was the inaugural performance in the Lavery Studio at Cromwell Place. Later, guests went down to the Pavilion Gallery to enjoy a dinner created by internationally recognised chef and restauranteur Ollie Dabbous.

Previous Artist’s Tables have been hosted by artists including Grayson Perry, Edmund de Waal, Antony Gormley, Isaac Julian, Michael Landy & Gillian Wearing, Haroon Mirza, Conrad Shawcross, Do Ho Suh and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

Tai Shani is an artist living and working in London. She is the joint 2019 Turner Prize winner together with Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock and Oscar Murillo. In 2019 Tai was a Max Mara prize nominee. Her work has been shown at Turner Contemporary, UK (2019); Grazer Kunst Verein, Austria (2019); Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Italy (2019); Glasgow International, UK (2018); Wysing Arts Centre, UK (2017); Serpentine Galleries, London (2016); Tate, London (2016); Yvonne Lambert Gallery, Berlin (2016) and Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2016).