Charlene Prempeh, founder of the creative agency A Vibe Called Tech, steps into Olympia with a mission—to shift the paradigm. As its first Art Ambassador, she’s not just building an art program; she’s crafting a cultural vision rooted in inclusivity and community engagement.
Prempeh’s approach will inform this new chapter of Olympia: a venue where art and architecture collide, mirroring the varied histories and communities that make up London’s layered identities.
The regeneration of Olympia is one of the most ambitious cultural projects in the capital. The site will be home to a music venue, London’s largest purpose-built theatre in decades, two hotels, more than 30 restaurants and bars, a school, offices, and public spaces for visitors to enjoy.
Prempeh founded A Vibe Called Tech and, together with Creative Director Lewis Dalton Gilbert, brings an intersectional perspective to their projects. Since 2018, the pioneering Black-owned agency has collaborated with cultural powerhouses like Gucci, Faber, and Frieze, as well as leading institutions such as the RA, White Cube, and the V&A East.
With Olympia’s reimagining on the horizon, Prempeh is poised to establish it as London’s cultural heartbeat.
Hi Charlene, can we start with the story of how your appointment as Olympia’s first Art Ambassador came about? What discussions or opportunities led to this new collaboration, and what initially attracted you to the project?
Charlene Prempeh: I was inspired to take on the role of art ambassador because Olympia was always somewhere I came when I was younger, and it was a place that really struck in memory. When I heard that Olympia was going through a new phase, taking on a new guise and being reimagined as a new cultural hub, I really wanted to be a part of helping to shape its future. I was thrilled when the team approached me with the opportunity.
As Olympia’s first-ever Art Ambassador, what drew you to take on this role, and how does it align with your work at A Vibe Called Tech?
Charlene Prempeh: Our mission at A Vibe Called Tech is to use the richness of diverse cultures to inform strategic thinking across all audiences. At Olympia, I’ll be embracing the same approach to ensure the art strategy is shaped through an intersectional lens and will nourish all of the communities that Olympia serves.
The regeneration of Olympia is set to be one of London’s most ambitious projects. How will your role shape Olympia’s broader art strategy, particularly in terms of integrating public art and design into this multifaceted space?
Charlene Prempeh: Olympia feels like a space that is very much in transition, but as it develops, art and culture is going to be central to the DNA. My role is to help shape the broader art strategy for Olympia, advising on which institutions we should engage with and suggesting emerging and established artists to partner with. I also work with the team to look at Olympia’s existing collection of artworks and how we can make the most of the archive.
You’ll be hosting the first in a series of roundtables during Frieze 2024, starting with a conversation with artist Remi Ajani. Can you share more about your personal relationship with Remi and how it has influenced your own creative vision?
Charlene Prempeh: For my first creative roundtable, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect co-host than one of my favourite artists and a long-time dear friend, the brilliant Remi Ajani.
Remi’s works have pride of place in my home, and we had an amazing conversation about how abstract and physical structures shape our psyche. Her work deals with both colour and gesture and is deeply connected to identity and mythology. I love how she investigates how to make a work that allows viewers to connect with a shared emotional space.
The reimagined Olympia will include diverse creative outlets, from a 4,000-capacity music venue to lifestyle hotels and restaurants. How do you envision art and design interacting with these other elements to create a cohesive cultural hub?
Charlene Prempeh: We envisage art and design interacting with all elements of the reimagined Olympia, through ongoing programming, exhibitions and public art, all of which will aim to surprise and delight visitors.
A Vibe Called Tech approaches creativity through an intersectional lens. How will this perspective inform the projects and collaborations you plan to develop within Olympia’s art Strategy?
Charlene Prempeh: Diversity will be at the core of the strategy. To ensure we are including different voices and communities, we’ll look to balance small-scale installations, exhibitions and commissions that showcase experimental works from emerging artists with bigger scale immersive experiences and recognisable blockbuster works that will attract the broadest possible audience.
You’ve worked with renowned institutions like the RA and Whitechapel Gallery. How will your previous experiences and partnerships influence the art programming at Olympia?
Charlene Prempeh: Institutions continue to grapple with how they can support emerging works while maintaining necessary audience numbers. Working with the incredible curation and development teams internationally, we’ll be looking at where we can partner to collaborate on off-site co-presentations in the Olympia space.
With the London Design Festival pavilion and the “Off The Shelf” installation by Rio Kobayashi, Olympia has already begun its journey into the art world. How do you see this installation setting the tone for future art exhibitions and cultural conversations at Olympia?
Charlene Prempeh: The Rio Kobayashi pavilion embraces the journey of transformation already taking place at Olympia. It exists as a creative space in transition, offering a place where people, ideas, and even materials can meet and interact. Not merely just architectural, the space is multi-purpose, playing host to a vibrant hub of activity, something we hope to bring into all elements of future exhibitions.
Olympia aims to be a destination celebrating creativity in all forms. What strategies will you employ to ensure that public art and cultural programming here remain open, inclusive, and reflective of diverse communities and voices?
Charlene Prempeh: My vision for the kind of artistic direction for Olympia starts with imagining a future where the roundtables, for example, will be very specific and diverse. Art is something that can encourage wellbeing, and with Olympia being shaped around this overall ideal of delight, I want Olympia to feel like a space that families, individuals can come to and be surprised by.
The impact that art can have on community engagement and cultural conversation is incredible. Art permeates everything from mathematics to furniture making, to accountancy. There’ll be lots of different businesses here that are both creative and not and I want our art strategy to appeal to this broad spectrum of audiences.
©2024 Charlene Prempeh
Len is a curator and a contributing writer at Art Plugged, a platform for contemporary art; he also engages in web development, design, and marketing.
