An exhibition opened in Canary Wharf this week showcasing student art from the University of East London’s School of Architecture and the Visual Arts.

The exhibition, called ONE15, is by 15 MA in Fine Art students and is in the lobby of One Canada Square. Much of the artwork was made especially for the exhibition. It is the fourth time in the past eight years that Canary Wharf has exhibited work from one of London’s foremost art schools as part of its Sculpture in the Workplace programme.

Curator Ann Elliott said: “The exhibition is marked by its amazing diversity. The fifteen students represent many cultures; they all work cheek by jowl in relatively small spaces at the college opposite London City Airport, yet their work has remained highly individual. Some mix their own cultural identity with new experiences found in, what is to many of them, a foreign capital. Others draw our attention to what they find familiar in our own everyday environment – including Canary Wharf – but with a twist, to make us think differently.”

Sally Williams, Public Art Consultant at Canary Wharf Group said “East London is developing as a centre for culture and the arts and I am continually impressed by the quality and creativity of young and less-established artists working locally. Canary Wharf Group is proud to play its part by showcasing this work to a new and potentially influential audience.”

Some of the more intriguing art works include Flies, by Heather Langford, which depicts over thirty 30cm-long clear plastic house flies against the glass sides of the lobby and Cracked Earth by Elisabeth Bond, which uses huge woodcuts printed onto paper, and draws inspiration from the mudflats at East India Dock near Canary Wharf.

The exhibition is free and runs until 21 August 2009. Most of the art works on display are for sale.