NESSA'S SALON OF THE UNRULY

Rooted in the bohemian spirit of Soho and inspired by the artistic salons of Vanessa Bell (our namesake), Nessa invites you into a world where art, music, and mixology meet. Since the early 1900s, Soho has been a gathering place for London’s most unruly and brilliant minds—and we’re keeping that legacy alive.

On Thursday 29th January & 26th February, drop in from 8 pm as we showcase local musical talent and collaborate with Soho’s contemporary artists for evenings of open-format sounds and real-life conversations. Expect spontaneous Q&As, informal chats, and the chance to connect with the artists behind the work.

Sip on our signature cocktails—like the Boho Negroni, a bold twist on a classic, or Abstract 19, a drinkable homage to Vanessa Bell’s iconic Abstract Painting.

Feeling peckish? Book early or stay late—Nessa's kitchen is open for dinner or bar snacks (the double slider is a must), perfect for fuelling your night of creativity.

And if you’re a creative yourself, bring your sketchbook, journal, or anything that helps you capture the moment—there’s space here for your ideas, too.

Book a table for dinner HERE.

The Line Up: 26th February

Collective: HOPE 93 GALLERY

Hope 93 and the concept around the company focuses on striving for change, lifting others as we climb, and providing opportunities for everyone. Inclusion is at its heart, and being able to change the paths of people for the better. We are looking to reach, build, and connect communities using art as a starting point.

Check out their collaborations with BBC Radio, DAZED Media, and VOGUE .

Artist: Ana Benavides

A London-based artist whose emotionally resonant painting practice invites viewers into a deeply introspective and sensorial experience.

Having completed her MA at the Royal College of Art, Benavides approaches her work as a dialogue between the inner self and the canvas—an act of release, reconnection, and transformation.

Each composition is a visceral exploration of memory, emotion, and identity, offering a space for personal and universal reflection.

Rooted in intuitive mark-making and bodily gestures, her paintings are imbued with energetic and spiritual intensity. Her process embraces spontaneity and emotional vulnerability, often using rich textures and layered chromatic palettes to translate inner states and lived experiences into tactile, immersive environments.

The physicality of her work elicits a raw, primal response—an invitation to pause and feel deeply in a world that rarely allows it. Benavides’ work draws upon the organic rhythms and patterns of the natural world.

Nature becomes both subject and medium through which she explores broader themes of perception and transformation, infusing each painting with dynamism and depth.

She received her BA in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in 2018, followed by an MA at the Royal College of Art from which she graduated in 2023.

Her growing presence in the contemporary art scene includes recent group exhibitions such as The Consolation of Clinamen at Tabula Rasa Gallery (Beijing, 2023), Secret Gardens at Wilder Gallery (London, 2023), CACOTOPIA 07 at Annka Kultys Gallery (London, 2023), I Feel Everything All At Once at Natasha Arselan Gallery (London, 2023), and the forthcoming Group Show at Gallery T293 (Rome).

DJ: DEMI ABIOLA

West London hero Demi developed his signature sounds and broad set list over many years seeped in the London soul, hip hop, and house music scene.

Sharing music that is good for and nourishes the Soul, expect an eclectic mis of Funk, Disco, House, Hip-hop, RnB, Afrobeats, and Soul from new, old & upcoming artists.

The Line Up: 29th January

Collective: NIMI

Nimi is a social club with a mission to forge one million new friendships through shared cultural experiences and inspiring conversations. Our Secret Salon series spotlights emerging and established artists, offering our community rare opportunities to engage with creative voices in a relaxed and intimate setting.

Nimi partners with Nessa to present a special edition of our Salons, where Nimi curates diverse artistic voices, spotlights their stories in our signature fireside conversations, bringing together our community of culturally curious minds.

Hosted at Nessa, the event creates space for meaningful exchange, offering guests the chance to discover new artistic voices, connect with fellow culture-lovers in an intimate setting and enjoy thoughtfully curated music, crafted drinks, delicious bites prepared by Nessa.

Artist: ALINA R.J

Alina R.J is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, whose practice moves fluidly across performance, time-based media, visual arts and writing, with a growing focus on embodiment as a site of knowledge, memory and transformation.

In May 2025, during an artist residency in the Arctic, Alina developed and documented a series of moving image essays rooted in movement, deep listening, and sensory attunement to surrounding landscapes.

By integrating bio-spiritual elements and responding to sacred sites and liminal spaces, this project reveals an underlying synergy between place, spirit and the human journey.

Working in dialogue with silence, vastness and elemental forces, the project explores the body as a porous, responsive instrument — one that registers place not only intellectually, but somatically.

The Arctic environment became both collaborator and mirror, amplifying questions around presence, belonging, intimacy and the thresholds between inner and outer worlds.

Drawing on Eastern philosophies, Jungian psychology, meditative practices, and ancient cosmologies, Alina investigates contemporary conditions of fragmentation and information overload through embodied inquiry.

Her work invites a descent from mental abstraction into physical awareness, activating the body’s innate wisdom as a counterpoint to disembodied modes of living.

DJ: CALLUM HARRISON

You might have spotted local legend, Callum Harrison at Usher's secret Soho residency last year, or perhaps you heard him spin for Erykah Badu's quietly curated Soho gathering.

If you missed it, now's your time to catch the king of open format on the decks for the 2026 launch of Nessa's Salon of The Unruly - expect deep, melodic & ambient house for this session. He'll be on the decks from 7pm.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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