London Creates: Creative campaign launch to celebrate the city's enduring artistic significance

11 October 2023

Leading figures within London’s creative industries, including Lisson Gallery, championed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have united to launch a new campaign – London Creates – on 11 October to celebrate the city's significance in the world of art and culture. Marking the 20th anniversary of Frieze London, London Creates highlights the capital’s world-leading cultural and creative industries following a challenging few years due to the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living.

“Creativity is built into the fabric of our city.” says Justine Simons OBE, London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries. “Our artists, the diversity of voices here and the infrastructure that underpins them is what makes London such a dynamic creative capital. We are proud that artists are at the heart of our city, with hundreds of museums and galleries, leading international auction houses, commercial galleries, affordable studio spaces, and major public art commissions such as the renowned Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. We want to welcome everyone to experience our city afresh and will continue to do all we can to support our creative industries and help them thrive as we build a better London for all.”

Culture in London contributes £58 billion a year to the UK economy, with 1 in 7 jobs in the creative sector. The knock-on impact of the creative industries on tourism, hospitality and trade accounts for a significant proportion of prosperity that the whole country benefits from. 39% of leisure tourists say the cultural experiences offered by the capital is a key driver for visiting and, earlier this year, London was voted both the best place in the world to study the arts and the most artistic city in Europe.

The UK remains the second largest art market in the world, just behind the US, constituting 18% of sales globally – larger than the rest of Europe combined. Wider economic and political pressure has done little to dent sales in the UK, which maintained their momentum with a rise of 5% to $11.9 billion in 2022.

This success is part of a much wider creative ecosystem in London. The capital has more than 200 museums and 800 art galleries, most offering free admission. London is also a city for artists, with the greatest concentration of artists of any city in the world. It is a platform for new voices where young artists can make their mark, with outstanding emerging talent coming out of prestigious arts universities including the Royal College of Art, UAL, Goldsmiths and Central Saint Martins.

London is a city of constant renewal with new gallery openings, new cultural sites and major redevelopments: the recent reopening of the National Portrait Gallery; the complete rehang of Tate Britain; and the opening of the new Young V&A, as well as the new Roundhouse Works creative studio workspace for young people and many other new galleries opening across the city. The first spaces at East Bank, the largest new culture and education district in over 150 years, have opened this year at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, promising to transform the city for a new generation.

The initial focus of London Creates is on London’s visual arts sector, with the ambition to extend to other areas of the arts in which London leads – fashion, film, theatre and music.

For Frieze London's 20th anniversary, Lisson Gallery presents a solo booth at the fair by Van Hanos. Read more here.

Read more about the campaign on The Evening Standard here.