We Know a Spot: Gallery Rosenfeld, Mayfair, London
3h
5 min read
by Manjari Sharma
a longing for home: ndidi emefiele | Gallery Rosenfeld | Mayfair
Sometimes you discover a place by accident, and sometimes a chance connection halfway across the world takes you somewhere unexpected. A conversation with the lovely Eirini Meze at an art event in Mumbai eventually put us in touch with Riccardo Freddo and the team at Gallery Rosenfeld, and led us to a beautiful little discovery in the heart of Mayfair.
By the time we walked through its doors, we knew almost immediately that we had After two years in the making, the gallery had opened its doors again in its new Mayfair location that felt like “closing a chapter and opening a new one to find our footing”, noted Jane Père, the new gallery manager.
It also happened to be the place where we would host Rooh’s first London Pop-Up.
After two years in the making, the gallery had opened its doors again in its new Mayfair location that felt like “closing a chapter and opening a new one to find our footing”, noted Jane Père, the new gallery manager.
There is something particularly fitting about this being the gallery’s first chapter in its new home.
This September, they chose to exhibit the work of Ndidi Emefiele, a Nigerian Artist from Northampton whose artwork plays on a juxtaposition of contemporary references with traditional brushstrokes. Her latest exhibition ‘A Longing For Home’, curated by Péjú Oshin acts as an emotional symbolic piece to the question of what returning back home truly means. Her work discusses nostalgia, the remembrance of her late sister, the naivety of childhood and the mischief of a college gossip session— all of it to say that the there is lies no linearity between grief and time;, one faces the risk and joy of meeting, parting and re-meeting their old spaces and dear ones again and again.
Upon closer inspection, I noted that Emefiele masterfully hides each of her protagonists from the viewer’s judging eye. By putting glass disks on one singular eye (honorary mention to the Sponge-Bob one!) often pencilling them into the camera of an iPhone in a masterful mirror selfie or the rim of someone’s glasses, she creates a boundary between your perspective and hers, perhaps indicating that she isn’t quite as ready to let go of her own take on her memories and hand them off to you just yet.
There’s a fascinating commentary with this being the first exhibit for the gallery’s new location, symbolising a tether to their own memories and nostalgia, a childhood innocence in their first years with a new team, and a stepping into a more mature decade. Ndidi’s work, acting as a “wardrobe of memory” of the adolescent milestones of a woman’s life as she first steps into adulthood, glimpsing into a gallery of her past years showcases the space’s own tethers to their history and their commencement into a newer time in their lives.
When I was speaking with Caterina Rosón, the Head of Sales, she remained enthusiastic for the future of Rosenfeld, going to lengths to describe the collaborators they have planned for the next few months including the works of Araminta Blue, an exciting artist who recently did a solo exhibition Venti Trasversali at the Civic Museum of Palazzo della Penna in Perugia this year, as well as travelling all the way to Miami, Tokyo and Barcelona in these next few months for their new exhibits.
Riccardo Freddo, their Head of Museums and Institutions however emphasised their primary focus on London stating, “We are Back!” and their vision to have a London footprint with their Mayfair location like never before.
Alongside their new space, in a true Longing for Home fashion, Freddo also talked to me about the Ian Rosenfeld Fund, a £7,500 annually awarded grant for artists who are at the beginning of their careers or with a few years of experience. He described the fund as a way for these artists to do “as they wish” with the money, there lies no expectation with them to produce work from it; stating Ian’s beliefs that artists must live, travel and pay rent to truly be able to make art they believe in. The gallery thus continues to support and back young developing talent to nurture them into artists that can have a true place to hone their craft and display their work proudly.
And then, on September third, Gallery Rosenfeld became Rooh’s for the afternoon.
With the charcuterie board in place and tens of glasses filled with prosecco, Daaman and I took a breath to glance at each other and register what was happening for the first time since we had made the leap to bring Rooh to London. We had curated a few events before this, but this one carried a different kind of weight.
By five pm, twenty-five complete strangers were interacting, mingling and getting to know Rooh for the very first time with wine glasses in their hands and the marvelous work of Ndidi Emefiele on the walls.; And by six pm, we exchanged another all-knowing look: it was a success.
As we all took in the exhibition while playing interactive games and watching the sun set through the glass windows, it was an evening to remember and one that felt distinctively authentic to both Rooh and the gallery and stitched our hope in bringing people together through good conversation, some wine and great art.
Towards the end of the event, I noticed a member who had been avidly socialising for a good few hours walking up to me as I asked if she was tired or needed a drink as she pointed out, “Well, if I get exhausted with socialising, I just remember there is all this art to look at! It takes the pressure off” which put an immediate smile on my face.
The art of handpicking tastemakers and putting them in spaces that feel as intellectually stimulating to them as their company was not a coincidence. We have always advocated for leading with one’s cultural tastes rather than solely looks. By being able to put your favourite song on your Turntable and your books on your Bookshelf, we believe in providing a more holistic profile of you that transcends far deeper than what you look like or where you work.
There’s a reason Gallery Rosenfeld became the setting for Rooh’s first London Pop-Up. Beyond the beautiful space and the art on its walls, there is something refreshing about a gallery that feels both deeply rooted in its history and genuinely curious about what comes next.
From the artists they choose to champion, the warmth of the team and their ambition for this new London chapter, we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on what comes next. And if you find yourself wandering through Mayfair, past its galleries, fashion houses, cafés and boutiques, we’d suggest taking the little detour.
Consider this one a Rooh-approved spot. EXHIBITION DETAILS
Ndidi Emefiele A Longing for Home
Curated by Péjú Oshin
Exhibition dates: 02.10.26 – 07.11.26 Opening: Thursday, 1 October · 6–8pm Gallery: Gallery Rosenfeld 9 South Molton Street, W1K 5QH
TLP x Rooh: We Know a Spot
A guide to the places, people and spaces we think are worth knowing about, from galleries and restaurants to hidden gems and cultural corners. Our little black book of spots we’ve discovered, loved, and think you should know too.
About the Author: Manjari Sharma is the Community Architect at Rooh She is also a writer and director based between Bombay and London, with a focus on female-led and queer storytelling across written, visual and physical mediums.
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