Empty, the space still acts as a museum; we decided to display (semi)permanent works from the collection, to keep special interventions or to commission new works for the building. Artists include Katinka Bock, Martin Boyce, Luis Camnitzer, Jason Dodge, Dora Garcia, Marie Lund, Benoît Maire, Kris Martin, Manuela Ribadeneira, Pietro Roccasalva, Adam Thompson, and Lawrence Weiner. Ruth Beale had been commissioned to design the furniture in the library.

We produce solo and group exhibitions. For the group exhibitions, we concentrate on exhibitions, often performative, which investigate the structures of presentation and dissemination of art, its narrative potential and links with history. All the solo presentations at DRAF are made and curated especially for the space. We invite artists to produce solo exhibitions that resonate, initiate dialogue, or sometimes argue with our space, history and philosophy. They range from ambitious environmental installations to long-term research in the artist’s archives. Invited artists included Jason Dodge, Nina Beier and Marie Lund, Damien Roach, Oscar Tuazon, Keren Cytter, Miriam Cahn, Lydia Gifford. The short-term interventions in the space are usually small or medium-size displays which address a particular formal, historical or conceptual issue. Exhibitions include works from our collection as well as new productions that do not necessarily enter the collection.

Our programme is densely articulated around live events in which discussions, performances and happenings play an important role: not as secondary material to temporary displays, but as an essential part and the direct outcome of our research. Danai Anesiadou, Nina Beier, Karl Holmkvist, Pierre Huyghe, Jiri Kovanda, Chosil Kil, David Medalla, Alexandre Singh, Cally Spooner, Eddie Peake are some of the artists who performed in our space.

The Curators’ Series supports international curators by commissioning special research-based projects. The series considers a curator as an author. This programme is not open to proposals: we specifically invite curators whose work we have been following and think should be presented in London. Curators must remain independent to propose the best projects. They are free to decide whether to use works from our collection.  Former curators include Cylena Simonds (UK), Raimundas Malasauskas (Lithuania), Mihnea Mircan (Romania), Mathieu Copeland (UK), Simone Menegoi and Chris Sharp (It and US). The 6th curator in the series is Mexican curator Pablo Leon de la Barra. His project will take place from June 2013.

The artworks commissioned do not automatically join the collection, although we also happen to commission works directly for our collection. The commissions cover most of our activities: we commission artists, curators, speakers, writers and designers for special projects and events. We are currently displaying in the library a tapestry commissioned in September 2012 by German artist Caroline Achaintre.