Join us at the historic Fitzrovia Chapel for an exhibition exploring the themes of attention, compassion and curiosity.
In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World
at the Fitzrovia Chapel
8 January–9 February 2025
In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World presents a selection of paintings, sculptures and video by UK and international contemporary artists from the David and Indrė Roberts Collection, including Etel Adnan, Phyllida Barlow, Miriam Cahn and Paula Rego.
The works are displayed in the context of the historic Fitzrovia Chapel, originally built as part of the Middlesex Hospital, and for decades used as a place of respite, prayer and contemplation for medical staff, patients and visitors alike.
The exhibition asks us to reimagine the idea of attention as an open-ended practice tied to compassion, curiosity and care. It draws on the chapel’s heritage as a place of sanctuary and reflection, encouraging audiences to explore attention not as rigid focus but as a receptive, dynamic engagement with the world, inspired by the philosophy of Simone Weil.
★★★★ Everything here is affected by the context, moreover, so that one feels the art connect with bodies and mortality in some fundamental way.
— The Observer, January 2025
Phyllida Barlow, Untitled: disaster 5, 2010. In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World at the Fitzrovia Chapel, 2025. Courtesy the Roberts Institute of Art and the David and Indrė Roberts Collection. Photography: Tom Carter
Rachel Kneebone, Trilogy (1) Silence cannot do away with things that language cannot state, 2006. In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World at the Fitzrovia Chapel, 2025. Courtesy the Roberts Institute of Art and the David and Indrė Roberts Collection. Photography: Tom Carter
Through these diverse works, and their setting, the exhibition celebrates how attention can help us to remain open and receptive, rather than always seeking solutions and answers. As Simone Weil suggests, complete understanding of anyone or anything will remain elusive, but the practice of attention can allow for a journey of ongoing discovery and connection with the world and others around us.
- Etel Adnan
- Emmanuel Awuni
- Phyllida Barlow
- Gabriella Boyd
- Berlinde De Bruyckere
- Miriam Cahn
- Rachel Kneebone
- Paula Rego
- Anj Smith
- Eve Sussman
- Cathy Wilkes
Installation views
In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World at the Fitzrovia Chapel, 2025. An exhibition conceived and curated by the Roberts Institute of Art. Photography: Tom Carter
Alongside the exhibition there will be an accompanying public programme which will further explore the exhibition's themes.
10 January, 12pm
Curator’s Tour
with RIA curator Yates Norton (no booking required)
23 January, 7pm
Panel Discussion: The Politics and Poetics of Attention
with Emmanuel Awuni, Anj Smith and Molly Case, chaired by Lynne Segal
30 January, 7pm
An Evening of Music
with Violinist Angharad Davies
7 February, 7pm
In Conversation
with Rachel Kneebone and Marina Warner, chaired by Yates Norton
Book your tickets here.
Kate Davies, RIA Director says: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Fitzrovia Chapel to curate and present a selection of works from the David and Indrė Roberts Collection around themes of care, compassion and curiosity. Through the works on display we explore how artists respond to materials, the challenges of human experience and find new ways through their practice to connect to others and the world around us. The setting of the chapel could not be more fitting and we hope the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity for contemplation, wonder and a fresh perspective.”
The Fitzrovia Chapel Director, Madeleine Boomgaarden says: “The themes of personal reflection and marvel embedded in this show fit perfectly with the chapel's history as a place of sanctuary, prayer and contemplation while it was part of the Middlesex Hospital - and to this day. We're delighted to partner with the Roberts Institute of Art in showing these exquisite and thoughtful objects in the calm of the chapel.”