In June 2018 the Contemporary Art Society and Art Night co-commissioned Prem Sahib to create a pavilion in Vauxhall Park for Art Night 2018. Sahib’s commission, 500 sq ft, was a large-scale sculpture based on the floorplan of a standard new-build one-bedroom apartment, referencing the changing character of the local area around the Park. Made from modular sheets typically used for changing room cubicles, the maze-like structure was inspired by the nearby Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens (1732– 1859), whose pavilions and walkways were transformed into notoriously transgressive spaces after dark. The pavilion also alluded to contemporary gay nightlife, particularly Vauxhall’s well-known club scene.
Subsequently, two works by the artist have been gifted to Tate’s collection through the Contemporary Art Society: Do You Care? We Do consists of 12 lockers from the former Chariots Spa in Shoreditch, another rapidly changing area of London. Chariots was a gay sauna that closed in 2016 to make way for a luxury hotel development. The sauna functioned as a meeting place for the local gay scene, not only for cruising but also as a place of seclusion and safety. . The acquisition of Sahib’s work is the first for a UK museum.
