Cognito: The new arts collective breaking the mould in Ipswich

It has always been a challenge for young and emerging artists to find venues to exhibit their work without breaking the bank, and in a tough economic climate, these challenges have only increased. However, instead of sitting around complaining about these issues, as so many often do, one group of entrepreneurial artists in Ipswich decided to take action and create their own platform.

Jordan Gardiner

Foundation and formation

Cognito are an emerging arts collective based in Ipswich, headed up by two local artists: Leo and Maxwell. Despite only launching a year ago, they have quickly cemented themselves at the forefront of experimentation and community building in Ipswich.

Their first event at The Hive in April 2024 brought together a group of young artists from their immediate circle, with the simple intention of creating an exhibition to share their work with the wider community.

Jordan Gardiner

Each event has featured a whole host of diverging and distinct art forms, from traditional paintings to short films, improvised visuals, live music, and light installations. Their vibrant and joyful events are a uniquely engaging experience.

Imagine if a house party collided with an art exhibition whilst stumbling through a festival field, collecting a few musicians along the way. Immersive, inventive, and often participatory, Cognito have pioneered a much-appreciated injection of inclusivity and playfulness into the local art scene.

Anonymity and impact

A core component of Cognito is anonymity. So, unlike traditional exhibitions, where the art is accompanied by a name tag and a long description, they believe the work should speak for itself. By removing the names of the artists, they aim to reduce audience preconceptions and create a space for artists to experiment with new approaches and topics without fear of judgement.

The benefit of sharing artwork anonymously is that it has opened up a whole range of approaches. Artists who have always worked with paint have found themselves experimenting with sound and light. Writers whose occupation was constructing text have combined language with visual forms. Work created by an artist in their youth has been unearthed, re-displayed, and rediscovered by a new appreciative audience.

Antonia Cook

When an artist creates a new piece of work, its impact can be tempered by the intensity and duration of the creation process. Artists put hours, days, weeks, and sometimes even months of their lives into crafting their work.

Perhaps they have simply seen it too often to be able to properly appreciate its value, or maybe it holds memories that they would rather leave behind. Old work can become fresh in a new space when encountered through unfamiliar eyes. Cognito’s group exhibitions have given many a long-forgotten painting a new lease of life in its welcoming embrace.

Alternative community venues

All of their exhibitions have taken place in beloved community spaces across Ipswich. Firstly at The Hive on Norwich Road, and most recently at CHIp Studios on Turret Lane. Events are always free to enter, free to submit work, and operate on an open-access policy.

Put simply, all are welcome to soak up the creations as a member of the audience, display work as part of the show, or maybe even join in one of their improvised music jams, which often take place at their events.

From novices just starting out, through to professional practising artists, you never know what you’ll encounter, and that is the immense joy of a Cognito exhibition.

Jordan Gardiner

Ethos and inspiration

The founders of Cognito are practising artists themselves, though both have taken different routes to their current destination. Maxwell went to university in London to study photography, while Leo has developed his craft in his hometown.

Both artists share a deep fascination with the relationship between ecology and technology, and state this is a significant, though perhaps not explicitly labelled, aspect of Cognito’s ethos.

Jordan Gardiner

Maxwell framed the experience of attending their events – with a multi-sensory combination of light, sound, and word – as potentially fulfilling "a primal need for connection through creation," drawing a parallel to ancient, nature-connected rituals, such as dancing around the fire.

With the focus firmly on the creation, rather than the creator, the huge impact they are making locally can be attributed to the organic way they have developed and the inclusive, open-access approach they have embraced.

Thriving on word-of-mouth and a sense of mystery, it's refreshing to discover a group of thoughtful, innovative, and unpretentious young artists bringing a different perspective to what it means to be an artist in Ipswich today.

Want to get involved?

The next event will be held on Saturday, 28 June at CHIp Studio on Turret Lane. For submissions or enquiries, search cognito.av on Instagram.