THE ART OF WELCOMING

7th May - 8th September 2026

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair | 22 Hanover Square, W1S 1JP

CURATED BY MAYFAIR DESIGN DISTRICT

WHAT WE DID

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair and Mayfair Design District (MDD) have partnered to present a programme of curated exhibitions and cultural activations that blend refined hospitality with bold artistic expression. Together, these two leaders in art, design and culture position Mandarin Oriental Mayfair as a vibrant creative hub at the heart of London’s cultural calendar.

At the core of this collaboration is a vital question: Where is this art, culture, and fashion coming from? Who is making it - and who is supporting the growth of that talent?

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) is a charity dedicated to investing in the future of craft. Through funding training and education for talented and aspiring makers, QEST supports both emerging and established professionals to develop their practice and push creative boundaries. From awarding significant grants to makers at pivotal moments in their careers, to delivering programmes that drive diversity within the sector and inspire the next generation, QEST is building pathways to excellence and strengthening the future of the UK’s craft landscape.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Welcoming is one of the oldest human rituals, a gesture that defines how we connect, host, and belong. In the 18th century, the salons of Hanover Square elevated this instinct into an art form, opening private interiors to thinkers, artists, and society, and transforming homes into spaces of cultural exchange.

Today, The Art of Welcoming revisits this legacy through the lens of excellence in craft. Curated by Mayfair Design District, which has initiated and brought together this collaboration with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), a charity that champions and sustains excellence in craft across the UK, this chapter of The Living Square brings together 12 artists and makers who have received funding from QEST to support their training and education. The selected works explore how objects shape atmosphere, emotion, and the subtle rituals of hospitality. From tactile materials to quietly functional forms, the exhibition focuses on pieces that invite pause, comfort, and a sense of home.

Rather than staging hospitality as spectacle, the exhibition considers it as a sensibility. It unfolds through gestures: the threshold that receives, the object that soothes, the detail that signals care. In this context, excellence in craft becomes a language of welcome, where the hand of the maker translates into experiences of intimacy and belonging.

The Art of Welcoming reclaims hospitality as a cultural practice, positioning Mandarin Oriental Mayfair in continuity with Hanover Square’s salon tradition. Here, the hotel becomes a living salon once again, where guests are not only hosted, but gently drawn into a shared cultural moment shaped by design, materiality, and human touch.

ARTISTS: