Auto Italia

Auto Italia began in 2007 in a squatted car garage in Peckham, before settling into a permanent home on Bonner Road in Bethnal Green in 2016. The organisation runs as a non-profit rather than a commercial gallery, building its programme around new commissions instead of resales, with particular attention to work at the intersections of queer studies and social change. The building holds two separate gallery spaces, allowing solo and group shows to run alongside each other through the same season. Early co-directors included Kate Cooper, Amanda Dennis and Rachel Pimm; the gallery is now led by director Maggie Matic, appointed in 2024. It holds National Portfolio Organisation status with Arts Council England and sits within walking distance of several other artist-run spaces around Cambridge Heath Road. Opening hours run Thursday to Sunday, early afternoon to early evening.