Visual poetry exhibitions open for summer at Notting Hill’s Bouda Gallery

Two new visual poetry exhibitions are opening at the Bouda Gallery in Notting Hill in the coming months, marking the start of the gallery’s first summer artistic residency. Organised by the Czech Centre London, the exhibitions feature works by UK-based poets, writers and performers, and aim to create a space for local artistic engagement and experimentation. The programme will start in July with Poet Peasant by SJ Fowler, followed by The Sun Can Be by the IPLA Collective, which runs from August.

The Bouda Gallery is a small but visible space situated on the side of the centre’s building, where the well-known Notting Hill Books once stood. According to organisers, the space continues the legacy of the former store by offering a “safe and formative space for the local artistic community”.

The first of the two exhibitions is a solo show by poet and artist SJ Fowler. Known for his multidisciplinary approach, Fowler’s work often explores the boundaries between poetry, performance and visual art. Poet Peasant presents a series of text-based works that reflect his ongoing interest in language, form and political commentary.

The Sun Can Be, a group exhibition curated by the IPLA Collective, brings together contributions from multiple artists working at the intersection of poetry and visual expression. The group, which focuses on interdisciplinary practices, presents works that investigate the materiality of language and the visual dimensions of poetic form.

While the exhibitions are not explicitly Czech in content, their presence at the Czech Centre’s Bouda Gallery reflects the institution’s broader mission to encourage cultural dialogue and artistic innovation, supporting the local creative community in London by providing space for experimental and non-traditional art forms. 

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Poet Peasant is on at Bouda Gallery from 11^th July until 2^nd August 2025. Entry is free. For further information, visit the exhibition’s website here.

The Sun Can Be is on at Bouda Gallery from 9^th August until 5^th September 2025. Entry is free. For further information, visit the exhibition’s website here.