Charlotte Cooper's Hogarth's House Residency Exhibition to Open
Artist draws on the building's past and its connection to the Foundling Hospital
Charlotte Cooper (left) and a portion of her work for the exhibition (right)
November 4, 2025
A new exhibition opening this month at Hogarth’s House in Chiswick marks the culmination of artist Charlotte Cooper’s year-long residency at the historic site. Titled Eye, the Witness, the exhibition runs from 25 November 2025 to 10 May 2026 and explores themes of relational history, perception, and psychological repair through printmaking and installation.
Her work aims to respond directly to the layered history of Hogarth’s House, once the home of painter and satirist William Hogarth. Drawing on the building’s past and its connections to the Foundling Hospital—where Hogarth served as a governor and fostered children—the exhibition reflects on the bonds between individuals and their environments, and the traces left by those relationships over time.
The exhibition includes two central works informed by psychological studies of infant-caregiver interaction. One is animage piece that focuses on the eyes of two subjects during a behavioural experiment. The other is a cascading installation of patchworked prints, suspended from a single hook, which evokes the unseen support structures that shape human development. Both works are made from mulberry paper, referencing the ancient mulberry tree that still grows in the garden of Hogarth’s House and symbolising continuity across generations and species.
The artist’s practice combines traditional printmaking techniques—such as monotype, lithography, and etching—with sculptural forms and digital animation. Her work often engages with psychoanalytic theory, particularly the concept of co-creation and shared subjectivity as explored by feminist theorist Bracha L. Ettinger. In this context, the “eye” becomes both a witness and a mirror, shaped through encounters with others.
The exhibition also reflects on Ms Cooper’s visit to the Foundling Museum, where she was struck by the fabric tokens left by mothers who gave up their children. These tokens, and the stories they carry, inform the emotional and material textures of the work on display.
Hogarth’s House, managed by the London Borough of Hounslow, has been open to the public since 1904 and continues to serve as a cultural and historical site. Recent improvements funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund have enhanced both the interior displays and the surrounding garden, which now includes the Weston Studio for learning and exhibitions.
Eye, the Witness opens with a private view on Thursday 27 November from 6–8pm. The exhibition is free to visit and open Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 5pm. Hogarth’s House is located on Hogarth Lane, Great West Road, W4 2QN.
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