CV
Education
| 2003-2005 | MA Fine Art (Painting) | City & Guilds of London Art School |
| 1993-1996 | BA (Hons) History of Modern Art | University of Manchester |
Professional Experience
| 2025-present | Founder and Director | Ellis Smith Projects |
| 2022-present | Co-founder and Director | Contemporary Art Academy |
| 2007-present | Founder and Director | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON |
| 2007-2017 | Co-founder and Director | Ellis Rumley Projects |
| 2006-2007 | Founder and Partner | CHARLIE SMITH london |
| 1998-2006 | Founder and Partner | Clapham Art Gallery |
Exhibitions: Curated
| 2025 | The Discontents: Part II | Vestry St, London |
| 2023 | Beyond the Gaze – Reeclaiming the Landscape | Saatchi Gallery, London |
| 2022 | DELTA GAMMA | Saatchi Gallery, London |
| 2022 | Ukraine Support Pledge (with Matthew Burrows MBE) | |
| 2021 | Hugh Mendes | A Retrospective: It was 20 years ago today… | 11 Dray Walk, The Truman Brewery, London |
| 2021 | Simon Keenleyside & Richard Moon | Primeval | 28 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London |
| 2021 | Sam Jackson | Collaborators | 28 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London |
| 2021 | Emma Bennett | All Aflame | 64 Charlotte Road, Shoreditch, London |
| 2020 | PROJECT PAPYROPHILIA | Online |
| 2019 | 10 Years | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2019 | Decreto 349 | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2019 | Archaeologies | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2019 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2018 | The Discontents | Art Bermondsey Project Space, London |
| 2018 | Mythos | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2018 | Transcript (with Hugh Mendes) | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2017 | In Memoriam Francesca Lowe | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2017 | Part III: Interiority | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2017 | Part II: The Turning World | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2017 | Part I: Street Semiotics | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2017 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2016 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London & Griffin Gallery, London |
| 2015 | Black Paintings | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2015 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley) | Art Bermondsey Project Space, London |
| 2015 | Das Unheimliche | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2015 | Die English Kommen! – New Painting from London | Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt |
| 2015 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London & Griffin, Gallery, London |
| 2014 | Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4’s New Sensations and THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley & Rebecca Wilson) | B1, Victoria House, London |
| 2014 | Cultus Deorum | Saatchi Gallery, London |
| 2014 | The Great War | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2014 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London & Griffin, Gallery, London |
| 2013 | Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4’s New Sensations and THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley & Rebecca Wilson) | B1, Victoria House, London |
| 2013 | Das Unheimliche | VOLTA09, Basel |
| 2013 | The Order of Things | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2013 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London & Griffin, Gallery, London |
| 2012 | Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4’s New Sensations and THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley & Rebecca Wilson) | B1, Victoria House, London |
| 2012 | Polemically Small (with Edward Lucie-Smith) | Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham |
| 2012 | The Id, the Ego and the Superego (with Marcela Munteanu) | Galerie Braubachfive, Frankfurt |
| 2011 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT presents: Polemically Small (with Edward Lucie-Smith & Simon Rumley) | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2011 | Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4’s New Sensations and THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley & Rebecca Wilson) | B1, Victoria House, London |
| 2011 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London & Griffin, Gallery, London |
| 2011 | Polemically Small & 3 Worlds in 1 (with Edward Lucie-Smith) | Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre, Klaipeda |
| 2011 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT presents: Polemically Small (with Edward Lucie-Smith, Max Presneill & Simon Rumley) | Torrance Art Museum, Torrance |
| 2010 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley) | Shoreditch Town Hall, London |
| 2010 | Young Gods | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2010 | New British Painting (with Pilvi Kalhama) | Gallery Kalhama & Piippo Contemporary, Helsinki |
| 2010 | Papyrophilia | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2010 | Demonology | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2009 | Future or Ruin | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2009 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley) | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2009 | New London School (with Simon Rumley) | Galerie Schuster, Berlin |
| 2008 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley) | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2008 | Hugh Mendes: an existential itch (with Simon Rumley) | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2008 | The Past is History (Part 2) (with Simon Rumley) | Changing Role Gallery, Rome |
| 2008 | The Past is History (Part 1) (with Simon Rumley) | Changing Role Gallery, Naples |
| 2008 | New London School (with Simon Rumley) | Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles |
| 2007 | THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (with Simon Rumley) | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2006 | New Figurative Realism | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2005 | Young Gods edition III | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2005 | Hand in Hand we Walk Alone | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2004 | Young Gods | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2004 | Forever Beautiful | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2003 | Young Gods | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
Exhibitions: Artist
| One Person Exhibitions | ||
| 2026 | The Power & The Glory | South Hill Part Arts Centre, Bracknell |
| 2025 | Sites of Conflict | Torrrance Art Museum, Torrance |
| 2024 | Revolt Repeat | Gramercy Park Studios, London |
| 2024 | Flying Leaps | City Streets including Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield |
| 2014 | Type 1 Zealotry (curated by Edward Lucie-Smith) | Cock ‘n’ Bull Gallery, London |
| 2000 | New Paintings | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| Selected Group Exhibitions | ||
| 2026 | Resolution (curated by Max Presneill & Tania Salha) | Thames-side Studios Gallery, London |
| 2025 | The Discontents: Part II (curated by Zavier Ellis) | Vestry St, London |
| 2025 | Touch not Touch (curated by Tony Benn) | Vestry St, London |
| 2024 | The Contemporary British Painting Prize | Huddersfield Art Gallery Curates at Yorkshire Artspace, Sheffield |
| 2024 | The Contemporary British Painting Prize | Thames-side Studios Gallery, London |
| 2024 | Our Archaic Future | Blond Contemporary, London |
| 2024 | The Contemporary British Painting Prize | BayArt, Cardiff |
| 2024 | Spectrum (curated by Hanna ten Doornkaat & Buffy Kimm) | White Noise Projects, London |
| 2024 | Sometimes Always (collaborative paintings with Sam Jackson) | Gramercy Park Studios, London |
| 2024 | Whitstable Arts Festival | Horsebridge Arts Centre, Whitstable |
| 2024 | Chronology (with Sam Jackson) | Michele Mack Gallery, New York |
| 2024 | Art Through Time: Contemporary Reflections (curated by Virginia Damtsa) | Alon Zakaim Fine Art, London |
| 2023 | In It For The Long Haul (curated by Robert Curcio) | Lichtundfire, New York |
| 2023 | Dirty Synth (curated by Tony Benn) | The Globe Tavern, London |
| 2023 | PREVIEW | Gramercy Park Studios, London |
| 2022 | DELTA GAMMA | Saatchi Gallery, London |
| 2022 | And Now the Good News: Works from the Nobel Collection (curated by Christoph Doswald) | Pera Museum, Istanbul |
| 2021 | Repetition (with Graham Dolphin & Sam Jackson) | The Depot x CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London |
| 2020 | PROJECT PAPYROPHILIA | CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London (Online) |
| 2018 | The Discontents (with Matthew Collings, Tommaso Corvi-Mora, Matthew Higgs, Max Presneill) | Bermondsey Project Space, London |
| 2018 | Sawdust and Sequins: The Art of the Circus (Fiona Robinson & and Nathalie Levy) | Royal West Academy, Bristol |
| 2018 | Face Value2 | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2017 | In Memoriam Francesca Lowe | Old Truman Brewery, London |
| 2017 | Political Gestures | Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt |
| 2017 | Expressive Gestures | Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt |
| 2017 | Back to Basics: Text (curated by Artemis Potamianou) | ENIA Gallery, Pireas |
| 2016 | Black Paintings (curated by Heike Strelow) | Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt |
| 2016 | Semiotic Guerrilla Warfare part III (curated by David Hancock) | Dean Clough, Halifax |
| 2015 | Semiotic Guerrilla Warfare part I (curated by David Hancock) | Paper, Manchester |
| 2015 | An Odyssey | Torrance Art Museum, Torrance |
| 2015 | Cult of the Concrete (curated by Alexis Milne) | Joey Ramone Gallery, Rotterdam |
| 2014 | The Opinion Makers 2 | Londonewcastle, London |
| 2014 | Cultus Deorum (curated by Zavier Ellis) | Saatchi Gallery, London |
| 2014 | Cathal Smyth: A Comfortable Man (curated by MC Llamas) | Wilton’s Music Hall, London |
| 2014 | WATCHMEN: Surveillance and The Flâneur (curated by Max Presneill and Lisa DeSmidt) | Torrance Art Museum, Torrance |
| 2014 | Stations of the Cross: Above and Below | St Marylebone Parish Church, London |
| 2013 | First Come First Served | Lion and Lamb, London |
| 2013 | London Absrakt | Galerie BRAUBACHfive, Frankfurt |
| 2013 | Macmillan De’Longhi Art Auction | Royal College of Art, London |
| 2013 | I Love You Because (curated by Chloe Mortimer & Harry Pye) | A-side B-side Gallery, London |
| 2013 | Photo & Print | Charlie Dutton Gallery, London |
| 2012 | Alter | VEGAS, London |
| 2012 | Contemporary Visions | Beers.Lambert Contemporary Art, London |
| 2012 | The Impossible Heap | Galerie8, London |
| 2011 | London International (curated by Edward Lucie-Smith) | Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre, Klaipeda |
| 2011 | The Future Can Wait presents: Polemically Small (curated by Zavier Ellis, Edward Lucie-Smith, Max Presneill & Simon Rumley) | Torrance Art Museum, Torrance |
| 2011 | Polemically Small (curated by Edward Lucie-Smith) | Garboushian Gallery, Beverley Hills |
| 2011 | Stockholm Syndrome (curated by Alexis Milne) | Studio B3.2, London |
| 2010 | Rizing Stars of Bethnalhem | High Roller Society, London |
| 2010 | PressArt: Die Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel | Museum der Moderne, Salzburg |
| 2010 | The Term “Reality” | Paul Stolper, London |
| 2008 | Kappelmeister Pulls a Doozy | Seven Seven, London |
| 2008 | Swap Meet | Raid Projects, LA |
| 2007 | Dorian Gray Project: Happy Days (curated by Infinity Bunce & Katherine Lubar) | John Jones Project Space, London |
| 2006 | Obsession (curated by Robin Mason) | Sartorial Contemporary Art, London |
| 2006 | Wish You Were Here | A.I.R. Gallery, New York |
| 2006 | The Mouse That Roared (curated by Kieron Dennis) | Project 133, London |
| 2006 | The Circus Show (curated by Marcus Cope & Stephanie Moran) | Three Colts Gallery, London |
| 2005 | Young Gods edition III (curated by Zavier Ellis) | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2003 | 100 Sale of the Century | The Arts Theatre, London |
| 2003 | Gallery Artists 2002-2003 | Clapham Art Gallery, London |
| 2003 | 100 | Studio Voltaire, London |
| 2002 | SV Open | Studio Voltaire, London |
| 2000 | 14×14 | Mafuji Gallery, London |
Collections
| Beth Rudin DeWoody, West Palm Beach |
| Julian & Stephanie Grose, Adelaide |
| Werner Grub, London |
| Ann Lewis, Sydney / New York |
| Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel, Zurich |
| Soho House, London |
| Soho Warehouse, Los Angeles |
| 180 The Strand, London |
| Private collections in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, United Kingdom & United States |
Bibliography
| 2024 | ‘The Contemporary British Painting Prize 2024’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2022 | ‘And Now the Good News: Works from the Nobel Collection’, Exhibition Catalogue, Pera Museum, Istanbul | |
| 2018 | ‘FaceValue2’, Exhibition Catalogue, Jealous East, London | |
| 2016 | ‘PressArt: Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel Vol. II’, Stämpfli, 2016 (ISBN 978-3-7272-1459-2) | |
| 2011 | ‘London International’, Exhibition Catalogue, Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre, Klaipeda | |
| 2010 | ‘PressArt: Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel’, Stämpfli, 2010 (ISBN 978-3-7272-1134-8) |
Publishing
| 2021 | ‘A Retrospective 2001-2021 – Hugh Mendes’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2021 | ‘Collaborators – Sam Jackson’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2020 | ‘Autorretrato: The Female Gaze – Hugh Mendes’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2020 | ‘Bleeding for the light – Barry Thompson’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2020 | ‘Volcano Lovers – Emma Bennett’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2020 | ‘Downstream – Dominic Shepherd’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2020 | ‘Chronicles – Sam Jackson’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2016 | ’RUN TO ME | Sam Jackson & Derek Ridgers’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2015 | ’Young Gods’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2016 | ‘John Stark’s DoL Po’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2014 | ‘100 London Artists: Volume 2’, iArtBook with Edward Lucie-Smith | |
| 2014 | ‘Young Gods’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2013 | ‘100 London Artists: Volume 1’, iArtBook with Edward Lucie-Smith | |
| 2013 | ‘The Future Can Wait’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2012 | ‘THE FUTURE CAN WAIT’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2011 | ‘The Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4’s New Sensations and THE FUTURE CAN WAIT’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2011 | ‘Apiculture – John Stark’, Exhibition Catalogue | |
| 2008 | ‘THE FUTURE CAN WAIT’, Exhibition Catalogue |
Selection Committees & Advisory Roles
| 2022-present | SOLO Contemporary, British Art Fair, London (Curator) | |
| 2024 | Whitstable Arts Festival (Consultant) | |
| 2024 | The Other Art Fair, London (Selection Committee) | |
| 2015-2024 | London Art Fair, London (Selection Committee) | |
| 2023 | Big Walls and Windows 2023, Camberwell College of Arts, London (Selection Committee) | |
| 2020-2021 | Art Gazette (Associate Curator) | |
| 2020 | RWA Annual Open, Royal West Academy, Bristol (Selection Committee) | |
| 2018 | Emerge, United Kingdom (Selection Committee) | |
| 2016 | Anthology, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London. Winner Eva Masterman (Curator) | |
| 2015 | Anthology, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London. Winner Beatrice Haines (Curator) | |
| 2014 | The Other Art Fair, London (Selection Committee) | |
| 2014 | Anthology, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London. Winners Florian Heinke & Ben Woodeson (Curator) | |
| 2013 | Griffin Art Prize, London (Selection Committee) | |
| 2013 | Anthology, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London. Winner Robert Crosse (Curator) | |
| 2012 | 20/21 London Art Now, Lodge Park, Cheltenham (Selection Committee) | |
| 2012 | Griffin Art Prize, London (Selection Committee) | |
| 2012 | Outside the White Cube, Bermondsey Project Space, London. Winner John Williams (Selection Committee) | |
| 2012 | Anthology, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London. Winner Eric Manigaud (Curator) | |
| 2011 | Video in Britain Today (curated by Edward Lucie-Smith) (Consultant) | |
| 2011 | Anthology, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, London. Winner Tom Ormond (Curator) | |
| 2009 | Vauxhall Collective Style Council, Whitstable Biennale, Whitstable. Winner Katie Paterson (Selection Committee) | |
| 2008 | Vauxhall Collective Style Council, Hayward Gallery, London. Winner Matthew (Selection Committee) |
Lectures, Seminars, Symposiums & Talks
| 2023 | Talks Special Live with Sam Jackson, GIANT Gallery, Bournemonuth | |
| 2023-present | Talks Programme, Contemporary Art Academy (online) | |
| 2022 | Lunchtime Live: Zavier Ellis, Masterpiece Art Fair (with Dr. James Hicks) | |
| 2022 | Professional Practice, Contemporary Art Academy (online) | |
| 2022 | Professional Art Practice, Arts University College at Bournemouth | |
| 2022 | InPractice: Building and Retaining a Career after Art School (with Paul Benney, Rebecca Riegelhaupt & Gavin Turk) | |
| 2021 | Creating During Crisis (with Matthew Burrows), London Art Fair | |
| 2018 | Professional Art Practice, Chelsea College of Arts, London | |
| 2018 | Aesthetica Magazine – Future Now Symposium, York | |
| 2015 | Curatorial Practice, The Arts University College at Bournemouth | |
| 2014 | Professional Art Practice, The Arts University College at Bournemouth | |
| 2013 | Professional Art Practice, Griffin Gallery, London | |
| 2013 | Demystifying the Gallery System, King’s College, London | |
| 2013 | Professional Art Practice, The Arts University College at Bournemouth | |
| 2011 | Professional Art Practice, The Arts University College at Bournemouth | |
| 2009 | Professional Art Practice, City & Guilds of London Art School | |
| 2008 | Professional Art Practice, City & Guilds of London Art School |
Bio
Zavier read History of Modern Art at Manchester University (1993-1996) before undertaking a Masters in Fine Art at City & Guilds of London Art School (2003-2005). He lived and worked in London from 1998 before moving to Windsor in 2015.
Zavier is the founder and director of CHARLIE SMITH LONDON. Initially curating independent exhibitions and participating in selected art fairs, the gallery ran a programme in a space above The Reliance pub in Shoreditch between October 2009 and January 2021, presenting exactly 100 shows and achieving cult status whilst doing so. CHARLIE SMITH LONDON currently presents a permanent programme in Soho, London in combination with curated off-site exhibitions.
Zavier is also co-founder and co-curator of the 10-year project THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (2007-2017), an independent museum-scale exhibition that was initiated to support emerging to mid-career artists. THE FUTURE CAN WAIT was the largest exhibition of its kind globally and was organised in partnership with Saatchi’s New Sensations between 2011 and 2014. He also curates an annual exhibition called Young Gods, which is his personal selection of London graduates and postgraduates. In response to global events in recent years Zavier launched the online work on paper initiative PROJECT PAPYROPHILIA during the Covid pandemic; and the Ukraine Support Pledge with Matthew Burrows MBE to raise funds by selling artwork for the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. In 2022 Zavier co-founded the online educational project Contemporary Art Academy with former Elephant Academy manager Mathew Gibson.
Zavier has curated exhibitions internationally including in Berlin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Klaipėda, London, Los Angeles, Naples and Rome; and continues to place work in notable collections globally. Known as an acute talent spotter Zavier has identified and exhibited a number of important young artists directly from art college who have gone on to considerable success with galleries, museums and collectors.
As an artist Zavier has exhibited widely including Museum der Moderne, Salzburg; Pera Museum, Istanbul; Saatchi Gallery, London; Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles; Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre, Klaipėda; Royal West Academy, Bristol; Dean Clough, Halifax; Paul Stolper, London; Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt; Raid Projects, Los Angeles; and ENIA Gallery, Pireas. His work is placed in prominent private collections including the seminal Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel, Zurich; Beth Rudin DeWoody, West Palm Beach; and Soho House, London and Los Angeles.
For an overview visit ellissmithprojects.com.