The Artist Taxi Driver and his latest stunt

A new exhibition curated by internationally renowned performance artist and minicab driver, Mark McGowan, aka The Artist Taxi Driver, is set to open in South London.

Bethlem Gallery in Beckenham, will host Bethlem Live Lounge – a 90s-style studio experience – from May 8, until July 13.

But, like many of McGowan’s previous projects, this exhibition is more than it seems, offering visitors the chance to make their own art. 

McGowan, 59, grew up in a working-class family on the North Peckham Estate in the 1970s.

He records videos on his iPhone – short rants about politics, social and current affairs, and uploads them to YouTube, where he is better known as ChunkyMark, the Artist Taxi Driver. The first videos appeared in 2010, and were watched by only a few hundred people. 

Now, McGown has 62.7 thousand subscribers on the platform and his videos – filmed in the backseat of his taxi – have included interviews with political figures including George Galloway.

For his latest creation, Bethlem Gallery has been transformed with wall hangings, sofas, rugs, a piano, drums, digital musical equipment and a wardrobe transformed into a giant speaker. 

Visitors will be able to mix or make music and visuals with an immersive recording studio, a DJ booth, projections, and an array of musical instruments. 

As well as being able to drop by anytime during gallery opening hours, there will be a series of workshops visitors can book, scheduled performances and a Bethlem Live Lounge festival that will take place on June 8.

Throughout the summer, the exhibition will use works made by visitors’ to create an album.

The title of the album has already been chosen, Melancholy and Madness, and will include a collaboration between The Artist Taxi Driver, producer Gawain Hewitt, musician Nitin Sawhney and Bethlem artists and choir members.

Melancholy and Madness will be released as a limited-edition vinyl album after the exhibition closes.

The inspiration behind McGowan’s project is more than just entertainment.

Previously a patient in Bethlem Royal Hospital, the home turf of Bethlem Gallery and the world’s oldest psychiatric institution, McGowan wants to use his platform to raise awareness around mental health.

McGowan said: “Melancholy and Madness has been designed to own negative tropes and reclaim ‘madness’ as a description of a state that we can all experience at points in our lives. 

“It is not an identity, and creating a piece of music reflects the fluctuating nature of such an experience. 

“The album is something we hope that everyone can relate to in some way. The idea of mental health only applying to people in hospital is untrue. 

“Without underestimating the impact of mental ill health, which I know from my own experience can be devastating, it is true to say that we all have highs and lows, and exploring how this might sound through music is a way to make us think about those states in a different light.”

Bethlem Live Lounge is open to the public until July 13, at Bethlem Gallery in Beckenham. 

Pictured top: Bethlem Live Lounge artwork (Picture: Bethlem Gallery)