MOT is a contemporary art gallery in east London run by Chris Hammond.
The MOT gallery was founded in 2002 by Chris Hammond, Floyd Varey and Mally Mallinson.[1] It is run as an "independent space and curatorial project".[1]
In August 2002, as the first of two projects taking place during that summer, Louise Harris showed new works, which addressed a subject via a particular medium, including watercolours of blondes, landscape images made from felt and abstract collages with paper on the theme of sex.[2]
In 2005, Hammond curated Shezad Dawood's Paradise Row.[3] Dawood bought a run-down Georgian house in Paradise Row, Bethnal Green and renovated the property with the interior being white throughout. It was then put up for sale through an estate agent, Blake Stanley, the result being simultaneously an art exhibition and a conventional property vending.[3] Hammond said, "Fantasy is really important, both in terms of architecture and where you want to live. Architecture is all about a projection of where you want to live, it's about imagining space that doesn't actually exist yet."[3] Although the initial idea was a hoax to confuse the estate agent as to the nature of the enterprise, he took to it as a good marketing venture to local creatives and a novel way to enhance his new business.[3]
In December 2006, the PM Gallery in Toronto, Canada, presented Bubble & Squeak, curated by London-based Shai Ohayon, to showcase artists who had been exhibited at MOT.[4]
In 2007 Iwona Blazwick chose Elizabeth Price's film At the House of Mr X (2007), shown at the gallery, for her most significant show and artist of the year for Frieze magazine.[5]
Artists exhibited at the gallery include Jeremy Deller,[1] Liam Gillick,[1] Martin Creed,[1] Martin Kippenberger, Simon Patterson, Sarah Lucas, Matthew Collings, Matthew Higgs, and Mark Wallinger.
It received funding from the Arts Council of England.
The gallery address is Unit 54/5th floor, Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Road, London E8 4QN. It is housed in Regent Studios, which is also home to the Transition Gallery and Five Years Gallery. The nearest tube station is Bethnal Green.