Ahmed Farooqui founded the Degrees of Freedom artist group in 2013 where he works collaboratively to explore the nature of public and hybrid spaces. In 2016 he set up Space 36 as an experiment in opening up a private domestic space to artists and visitors for discussion and art making in a convivial setting to see what sort of art and conversations emerge. 

Friends of interpretable spaces

Instigated and organised by Ahmed Farooqui for Degrees of Freedom in October 2018 as a mini-festival  at a historic site in Hackney (St Augustine’s Tower), bringing together 27 artists to explore concepts of space and place.  Works touched on ideas from Einstein, Foucault, Bachelard & Debord.  The festival sought to overcome the “banalisation” of the Tower as a familiar architectural presence, and encourage dialogue between  the local community and the fabric and history of the building. More here.

the truth detectives
Space 36

For the 2018 residency and exhibition at Space36, six artists were invited to turn their artistic gaze on themselves .  The challenge for each artist was to reflect on their own self, be as objective as possible while inevitably being fully immersed in the subject of their investigation.
More here

The Republic of Brexitopia
A degrees of Freedom Production
Instigated and organised by Ahmed Farooqui for the Degrees of Freedom artist group in September 2017, The Republic of Brexitopia is an imaginary country of the near future.  An international group of artists were invited to explore the forms that such a country might take and the forces that might shape it.  Using a mix of participative, performative and provocative strategies the artists addressed not just Brexitopia’s political and economic trajectory, but also the relationship between its citizens, the lure of exceptionalism, and the narrow line between optimism and delusion, utopia and dystopia. 

The participative nature of many of the works invited the visitor to reflect on the idea of human agency, suggesting that we don’t have to resign ourselves to the inevitability of this or that future, but that we can choose to be active agents in shaping the future we desire. More here.

Waiting to Exhale
Space36

Between February and June 2017 the residents of Space36 invited seven artists to develop site responsive artworks over a four month period exploring how their idea of home and belonging has been affected by Brexit.  Some of the artist originated in the UK while others were from EU countries but were resident in the UK.

The focus of the exhibition was on the personal rather than the political. Starting with their gut reaction to Brexit the artists explored different psychological aspects of Brexit and the feeling of dislocation and being unhomed.  They took apart some of the unconscious associations that we have with the idea of “home”, such as security, comfort and conviviality, to create psychological unease and make the audience look afresh at familiar objects, relationships and spaces.

The exhibition was open over the weekends of 10/11 and 17/18 June, 12-6pm. More here

The Secret Life of no:36
Space36

In January 2016, the residents of Space36 invited six artists to spend several months rummaging through the space, its history and the lives of its past and present inhabitants to fill the space with their “take” on anything they find.  The results were shown over the weekends of 11/12 and 18/19 June in an exhibition called The Secret Life of no:36 as part of the Crouch End Festival.

For the inhabitants of Space36 it was a suspenseful and scary prospect, giving up notions of privacy and personal space and allowing outsiders into their domestic lives. For artists and hosts like, it was an unique opportunity to explore the boundaries of what private really means -  a minefield of implied permissions, really personal spaces, forgotten histories, implicit tastes and beliefs.  More here

UNINVITED weekend
A Degrees of Freedom Production
Instigated and organised by Ahmed Farooqui for the Degrees of Freedom Collective in 2016, UNINVITED weekend entailed six artists transgressing six public art spaces in a spirit of joyous dissent and resistance.  Questioning the increasing privatisation and commercialisation of public spaces, each artist has chosen to pursue their personal vision within a different public art space to contest its meaning and challenge the boundaries of what might be tolerated without prior permission.

Special thanks to Loredana Denicola for the photography.

More information here

The Anti Gallery Gallery Show
A Degrees of Freedom Production



Instigated and organised by Ahmed Farooqui for the Degrees of Freedom collective in 2015, the Anti Gallery Gallery Show was an experiment in finding ways for artists to change their relationship with each other, their artworks and the public within a traditional gallery space so as to subvert its governing ethos- competitive individualism within a consumerist culture.

The Show was designed as a festival rather than a normal exhibition and aimed to create an ever changing, boisterous and engaging experience inside and outside the gallery space.  The ambition was to engage artists and visitors, make them think, play and take part in ways that are thought provoking as well as fun. 

Picked as among the top 5 shows in London in January 2015 by Time Out, Londonist, London Calling, Curious Duke Gallery, Ronorp.net, Nanapunk.tv, Best of London blog.

More information on the Anti Gallery Gallery Show
https://www.facebook.com/antigalleryshow2015

Monuments to Migration
Ongoing project

The proposal is to create a Monument to Migration in the Brick Lane area. Four possible designs are proposed: from the perspective of Migrants and the perspective of settled/indigenous communities. 

This installation was exhibited at the "About Brick Lane" exhibition at the Espacio Gallery, London 18-30th September 2014 and again as part of the"New Home" exhibition at the East London Arts Pavilion in Mile End, 1-2 February 2016 as part of a continuing conversation with the public.  I invite the public to give their comments, vote for which version of the monuments they think should be commissioned, and to come up with their own design for a Monument to Migration.

Criminal Conspiracy
A Degrees of Freedom Production
June 2014

Instigated and organised by Ahmed Farooqui for the Degrees of Freedom collective, the Take-over of the Old Police Station at New Cross, June 2014.

Installation- The Three Cage Problem.

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