Chuck Achike’s ‘Crowded Spaces’ Was A Surreal Union of Senses

On the 7th and 8th of June, 1-3 Yorkton Street in Hoxton became a portal into the beautifully strange and immersive world of Chuck Achike, as he presented Crowded Spaces,  a two-day exhibition that masterfully blended digital art with sensory exploration. The Exhibition was an invitation to step inside Achike’s mind, where the lines between the visual, the tactile, and the edible blurred into one breathtaking experience.

Moulding the conversation of Crowded Spaces was Achike’s signature surrealism, the exhibition guided guests through a curated selection of digital works spanning 2024 to 2025. Each piece was born from initial sketches, then sculpted with precision using tools like Photoshop and Illustrator. But what elevated the show beyond the expected was the way each artwork was paired with a culinary creation, designed by Achike himself. Guests didn’t only observe the art; they had the opportunity to taste it, smell it, and feel it. The flavours, textures, and scents intertwined with the bold colours, dreamlike forms, and intricate layers of the works, creating an almost three-dimensional dialogue between the viewer and the art.

Among the standout pieces was Spaghetti Man, a striking self-portrait that epitomised Achike’s playful yet profound approach. In this work, Chuck depicted himself as a figure composed entirely of spaghetti strands, set in a domestic kitchen scene where spaghetti lay strewn across a table like an abstracted feast. It was daunting, uncanny, and strangely intimate. Chuck’s description of the piece stated “Spaghetti Man is what I became. A ghost inside the routine. My body knew the motions better than I did. Cooking, not creating. Responding, not feeling. It’s a portrait of me at my most disconnected—covered in the thing I once loved. A quiet scream behind the curtain”. The piece invited guests to question identity, consumption, and self-image through both sight and taste.

One of the most poignant works in Crowded Spaces was Chuck Achike’s The Way To Work, a hauntingly beautiful digital piece that distilled the quiet struggle of routine into a surreal dreamscape. The scene depicts a lone figure on a silent march: head bowed, eyes fixed on the ground, placing one foot in front of the other with mechanical resolve. Surrounding this figure is a candy-striped world of fantastical spires and whimsical architecture, a landscape so vibrant and strange it seems pulled from a half-remembered childhood fantasy. And yet, the figure remains unaware, or perhaps chooses not to see the wonder that surrounds them. In keeping with Achike’s sensory approach, the piece was paired with a challenging ingredient,  something intentionally difficult to swallow, forcing the viewer to confront their own discomfort. Just as the figure in the artwork trudges forward without engaging with their surroundings, guests were invited to reflect on the flavours they might instinctively reject.

One of the most widely celebrated and talked-about moments of Crowded Spaces across both days was the Flavour Taster Station, an interactive experience that captivated guests and became a highlight of the exhibition. Conceived and crafted by Chuck Achike, this sensory installation invited visitors to sample small, meticulously composed liquids, each built from unexpected combinations of ingredients and assigned a specific emotion as its title, from Longing and Melancholy to Elation and Nostalgia. Far more than a tasting, this was a moment of reflection and connection. Guests were encouraged to pause with each sip, breaking down the flavours into their components and sharing the emotions, memories, and sensations that arose. The experience turned the act of tasting into a dialogue between artist and audience, between flavour and feeling. Deepening the sense of intimacy and discovery that defined Crowded Spaces and leaving many guests with an emotional imprint as vivid as the art itself.

Among the standout works in Crowded Spaces were The City That Ate Me, The Exit Before Arrival, and The Water We Find, pieces that wove together Chuck’s lived experiences into imaginative worlds where dense cityscapes and barren deserts reflected the complexities of the human journey. Together, these works and their thoughtful pairings created a multi-sensory exploration of resilience, loss, and discovery.

Photography by Richie Mafwa

As evening descended, Crowded Spaces transformed once more. The gallery’s walls, still glowing with Achike’s vibrant works, became the backdrop for an exclusive private dinner that brought together some of the most dynamic figures in fashion, music, and culture on day one and the art and culinary world on day two. The guest list was a testament to the respect and admiration Achike commands: Wretch 32, Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas, Tolu Coker, Little Simz, Donna Wallace previously of Elle UK, and Kacion Mayers previously of Dazed, Jack Dempsey, Harriet Russell and more. Twenty guests on each day all gathered to celebrate creativity in its richest form.

The dinner began with a warm hum of conversation and the gentle pop of champagne corks, as guests mingled and reflected on the visual feast they had just experienced. The atmosphere was one of shared wonder and connection, as creatives from across disciplines found common ground in Achike’s vision.

Photography by Richie Mafwa

What followed was nothing short of masterful: a five-course meal, crafted by Achike himself and executed alongside his brigade from Pearly Queen, continuing the theme of sensory union. Each dish was a meditation on the artworks, transforming themes and textures from the digital canvas to the plate. As DJ PDR curated the soundscape, weaving complimentary tracks throughout the evening, guests were guided through another unforgettable sensory journey.

Crowded Spaces was a bold reimagining of how we engage with art, merging the visual with the sensory to create an experience that was as tangible as it was thought-provoking. The event’s seamless execution, led by producer Chloe Iyeh, created a space where artists, musicians, designers, and cultural figures could come together, interact, and connect over a shared exploration of creativity and emotion. In doing so, Crowded Spaces opened the door to a new, commendable way of experiencing art, one that dissolves the barrier between viewer and work, and that may well inspire the future of multi-sensory storytelling.