London Grilling: Frederique Feder & Helen Pilkington

Now you see them, now you don’t – the best thing about the rise of pop-up galleries in London is that the capital’s art scene is always fresh and exciting, the downside is that if you blink you might miss your chance to peruse the coolest collections in town.

Last week the London Living editorial team were excited to stumble across a particularly interesting pop up called Soul Journey, at Boo’s Closet in Notting Hill. We were even happier to note that the exhibition had just been extended until the 31st October!

We had a chat with the artist duo Frederique Feder & Helen Pilkington to find out more about their background, career path and what they love most about London in this week’s London Grilling.

Tell us a bit about yourselves; where you are from, how did you meet and when did you start to work together?

Frederique: I’m French -British, London based, born Parisian. I’m a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, actress and a children’ s book published author.

Helen: I’m born in Shropshire. Fred and I have both been Londoners for 25 years. We met many years ago through common friends in the South of France.

Frederique: The story of our collaboration began through our love of 70’s fashion a few years ago. We wanted to create a capsule collection. Helen is an amazing shoe designer. And both my parents had a fashion label in Paris during the late 60s -mid 70’s, so the love of fashion brought us together, I guess.

What has been your professional journey up to this point?

Helen: I originally trained as a shoe designer at Cordwainers College, working for Bella Freud and briefly under Tanya Sarnes umbrella, later moving into fine art, achieving both BA and MA at CSM. I consider herself a modern day rag picker. Scouring both the domestic and urban spaces I inhabit, I trace, find and chooses materials that informs the basis of my practice.

Frederique: My training began at the Atelier Montparnasse and Atelier Les Belle Feuilles in Paris. Followed by two years in New York at The Art Students League where I studied with Hananiah Harari (himself a former student of Marcel Gromaire, André Lhote and Fernand Léger), before moving back to Paris where I focused primarily on portraiture.

Alongside a career in fine art, I’ve also worked as a film actor in films such as Krzysztof Kieslowski’s, Three Colours Red, and the Spanish cult Action Mutant by Alex de Iglesia. In 2018 Agnes b. curated my first photographic solo show in France. In March 2020 my multidisciplinary art installation The No More Manifesto was exhibited at the Saas Gallery in London and supported by Woman’s Trust UK.  Later in 2020 my photographic work was selected for the Royal Academy of Art’s Summer exhibition by OBE RA winner of the Golden Lion in Venice Biennale artist Sonia Boyce.

Tell us a bit about your current show at Boo Closet

Frederique: The show is located on 198 Kensington Park road W11 1NR at the iconic reconverted Boo’s Closet Art Gallery. Anyone can visit everyday from 10-6pm (closed on Monday). The exhibition is free. All the work exhibited is for sale. The show is called Soul Journey because it's literally what we wanted to show in this exhibition how we all travel through life.

Helen: We also made a little play on words, Soul Journey as opposed to Sole Journey …The inspiration to join our work together came after a very dear friend close to our heart passed away in 2019 much too soon. Unable to both say our goodbye we decided to film collaboratively his shoes to try to recreate a moment of intimacy by lacing and unlacing them exactly as he had, retracing the groove embedded in the leather by his repetitive action. The piece, a colour film or 25m23s is entitled THE EMBRACE.

How long does it take you to create and curate your work for an exhibition like this one?

Frederique: If you include the filming - for example the footage of the art film I did, entitled IMPRINT, it was filmed over 1 year between 2017 and 2018.

Helen: Yes, although my pieces (the shoes and the soles prints were created in 2022, the process began much earlier too, so maybe let’s say 5 years!

Is there one piece that you are particularly proud of in this show?

Frederique: I think a photo I took by night near Oxford Street, titled: ‘Night Soul’. Firstly, because it’s the most recent photo taken in this exhibition and I tend to like the last work I’ve done and secondly because that night, I managed to capture exactly what I wanted to express at that time in my life. A feeling of both solitude and resilience.

Helen: The large photo titled ‘Gervais Dust’. Within the image there are many symbols, including the cruciform which reoccurs in my work. The film too which connects us and many people visiting as its based was a common friend we loved.

Frederique: Yes, I’m also really attached to our collaborative film THE EMBRACE. There’s something meditative about it which both soothes and reassures me. Our friend, who meant a lot to me, is still closely felt.

What do you most like about exhibiting your work in London?

Frederique: The proximity with various people, locals and just people passing by. Notting Hill is great for that. It’s like a village full of creatively highly aware people. A community where everyone knows everyone. It’s quite eccentric here and very lively. The Portobello market just around the corner is key to the creative vibe. This humane exchange after such a weird two years of isolation feels extremely warm.

Helen: Yes, It’s a melting pot of individuality and culture here which makes it creative and very interesting.

Do you have any other shows popping up in the near future?

Helen: Our next project which will be more of a multidisciplinary art installation.

Frederique: A lot of needlework and sewing coming next! We are also exploring the idea to maybe work together on a digital project.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Helen: In 10 years, based somewhere in the sun, still collaborating on some projects, woman supporting woman.

Frederique: Living in the sun, not too far from the sea please! Still being curious about life. An open house with animals and a big art studio. Family and; friends around. Doing independent feature films … writing children’s book… capturing images daily… exhibiting.

Helen: Yes, and having a small exclusive shoe brand combining both art and fashion.

Where is your favourite place to eat and drink in London?

Helen & Frederique: Coffee Plant for coffee, Bar Bruno for a real English breakfast in Soho, Taqueria, Tomkotsu, E&O and Santini!

What would be your perfect London day?

Helen: A Holland Park dog walk, visiting galleries on a sunny autumn day, having time for friends. Having no plans walking from one end of Portobello to the other on a Friday and bumping into friends and neighbours.

Frederique: A Sunday pub lunch at the Surprise in Chelsea followed by a stroll in nature with family and friends followed by a leisurely afternoon tea at Chelsea Psychic Garden lying in the grass smelling the scents doing nothing, just enjoying the moment. Later watching a good film at the Everyman. Still capturing images on the go.

Final thoughts?

Helen: Coming out of the trauma of lockdown it was really a gift to collaborate on this show together and to focus on matters that matter to us both, unity, humanity and tenderness rather than separation and fear.

Frederique: Yes, in a way this exhibition is a reconnection to life and showing the resilience but also an homage to the people we loved who are not with us anymore but whom we still cherish, and whose souls are still accompanying us on our daily journey.