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In this edition of Creative Heads, Parasol Unit’s Founder and Artistic and Executive Director Ziba Ardalan looks back on 16 years of exhibitions, publications and educational events at her not-for-profit art institution and educational charity in London, explaining how her belief in art as an educational tool informed Parasol Unit’s direction.
Parasol Unit opened up its London exhibition space in 2004 on Wharf Road in East London. In its 16 years of operation, Parasol Unit gained international recognition for its forward-thinking exhibition programme, introducing a host of British and international artists to UK and London audiences. Parasol Unit showed 59 innovative and thought-provoking exhibitions, ran a strand of external artistic projects, awarded an annual art prize to a number of young artist graduates from various London art schools, and produced over 50 art publications. After closing the doors of its exhibition space in 2020, the foundation has repositioned its activities in favour of an international modus operandi, which means organising exhibitions and projects around the world as well as in the UK.
“It was a huge privilege to run Parasol Unit for all these years. Over the past couple of years I slowly thought, I've done my job. I’d love to do shows in smaller places. Whether it's a village in Engadin, whether it's going to be a tiny little town in Iraq, or it could be in Africa, or it could be maybe in Mexico. It really doesn't matter. I like to bring art in a meaningful way to an audience who really cares about it. We have a total commitment to artists and their creative endeavour, an attitude which leads to a singular relationship developing between each exhibiting artist and the foundation.”
