CURATION
FACING THE ROOM
FLEET STUDIOS 27TH FEBRUARY - 8TH MARCH 2025
AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 2025, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF CURATING PURETEE PHILLIP'S SOLO EXHIBITION, FACING THE ROOM, AT FLEET STUDIOS. THE SHOW FEATURED A STRIKING MIX OF BACONESQUE PORTRAITS, INCLUDING WORKS FROM HER LIVE PAINTING SESSIONS AS WELL AS PIECES DEVELOPED IN HER STUDIO. EACH LIVE PAINTING CAPTURED FLEETING MOMENTS OF EYE CONTACT, DIALOGUE, AND SHARED ENERGY WITH PARTICIPANTS, WHILE THE STUDIO WORKS EXPANDED ON THESE ENCOUNTERS, EXPLORING THE EMOTIONAL DEPTH AND HUMAN PRESENCE THAT DEFINES HER PRACTICE.
AS CURATOR, I WORKED CLOSELY WITH PURETEE TO SHAPE THE EXHIBITION WITHIN FLEET’S SPACE, ENSURING VISITORS COULD EXPERIENCE BOTH THE IMMEDIACY OF HER LIVE WORK AND THE REFLECTIVE DEPTH OF HER STUDIO PIECES. THE EXHIBITION’S MESSAGING—ROOTED IN HER ARTIST STATEMENT—CENTRED ON TURNING ISOLATION INTO CONNECTION: BY INVITING PEOPLE INTO HER PROCESS, SHE TRANSFORMS ART FROM A SOLITARY PURSUIT INTO A SHARED, EMPATHETIC EXPERIENCE.
THE OPENING ON 27TH FEBRUARY OFFERED AN EVENING OF ENGAGEMENT AND CONVERSATION, ALLOWING THE AUDIENCE TO STEP INTO THE ROOM, BE SEEN, AND BECOME PART OF THE WORK. CURATING FACING THE ROOM WAS DEEPLY REWARDING, AND IT WAS INSPIRING TO WITNESS VISITORS RESPOND TO PURETEE’S POWERFUL EXPLORATION OF PRESENCE, EMPATHY, AND BELONGING ACROSS BOTH LIVE AND STUDIO WORKS.
MOMENTUM
FLEET STUDIOS 29TH JANUARY - 7TH FEBRUARY 2025
IN JANUARY 2025, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF CURATING MOMENTUM, THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR AT FLEET, CELEBRATING THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY SINCE THE SPACE LAUNCHED IN JUNE 2024.
AS CURATOR, I WORKED TO SHAPE THE EXHIBITION SO THAT VISITORS COULD ENGAGE WITH THE VARIETY OF APPROACHES AND MEDIUMS ON DISPLAY, FROM PAINTING TO MIXED MEDIA. THE PRIVATE VIEW ON 29TH JANUARY, WITH DRINKS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY TWO TRIBES BREW, SET THE TONE FOR A WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION OF CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, AND COMMUNITY. CURATING MOMENTUM WAS DEEPLY REWARDING! IT WAS INSPIRING TO SEE THE WORK OF OUR RESIDENT ARTISTS CELEBRATED TOGETHER IN SUCH A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
THE SHOW BROUGHT TOGETHER A DIVERSE AND TALENTED GROUP OF STUDIO RESIDENTS, INCLUDING JOSEANE CABRAL, OLUWASEMILORE DELANO, ERDEM KUSLU, CARO LESTON, FAROUK ALAO, GEORGE AYDIN, ROSE TOTHILL, OMNEYA ABDULRAHMAN, FABIANA SIMOES, EMILY STANISLAVJEVIC, AND LOUISE HAPTON. EACH ARTIST PRESENTED WORK REFLECTING THEIR INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE, RESULTING IN A RICH AND DYNAMIC EXHIBITION THAT HIGHLIGHTED THE BREADTH OF CREATIVITY FLOURISHING WITHIN FLEET.
TRIPLE VISION DOUBLED
FLEET STUDIOS 20TH - 25TH FEBRUARY 2025
IN FEBRUARY 2025, I ALSO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF CURATING HELENYA APOSTOLOU’S SOLO EXHIBITION, TRIPLE VISION, AT FLEET STUDIOS. FOLLOWING ITS SUCCESS IN 2024, THE IMMERSIVE, LIGHT-REACTIVE SHOW RETURNED FOR A NEW AUDIENCE, OFFERING VISITORS A MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE
WHERE PERCEPTION OF COLOUR, SPACE, AND FORM CONSTANTLY SHIFTS.
AS CURATOR, I WORKED CLOSELY WITH HELENYA TO REALISE THE INSTALLATION WITHIN FLEET’S UNIQUE SPACE, ENSURING THE LIGHTING, LAYOUT, AND FLOW COMPLEMENTED THE TRANSFORMATIVE NATURE OF HER WORK. THE EXHIBITION EXPLORED THEMES OF TRANSFORMATION AND SUBCONSCIOUS STATES, CREATING A CAPTIVATING ENVIRONMENT FOR VISITORS TO ENGAGE WITH HER MESMERIZING PRACTICE.
THE PRIVATE VIEW ON 20TH FEBRUARY SET THE TONE FOR AN ENGAGING WEEK OF PUBLIC VIEWING, WITH DRINKS PROVIDED BY TWO TRIBES BREW. CURATING TRIPLE VISION WAS A DEEPLY REWARDING EXPERIENCE, AND IT WAS INSPIRING TO SEE VISITORS INTERACT WITH THE WORK AND RESPOND TO ITS DYNAMIC, EVER-CHANGING QUALITIES.
ARCHIVE
07767846475
DUNDAS STREET GALLERY 2018
IN JANUARY 2018, I CO-CURATED AND EXHIBITED IN THE SELF-ORGANISED GROUP SHOW 07767846475 AT DUNDAS STREET GALLERY IN EDINBURGH ALONGSIDE KIT MARFLEET, DAN HOTZ, NIKA WEBSTER, AND OTHERS, LED BY OSCAR GILBERT (FOUNDER, OTP COPENHAGEN).
OVER FOUR DAYS, WE SHOWCASED AND SOLD ARTWORKS, PRINTS, AND CLOTHING MERCHANDISE, MANY OF WHICH SOLD OUT. EXPERIENCES LIKE THIS, AND OTHER STUDENT-LED EXHIBITIONS DURING MY TIME AT UNIVERSITY, WERE PIVOTAL IN SHAPING MY JOURNEY. THEY GAVE ME INVALUABLE LESSONS IN CURATION, EXHIBITION-MAKING, AND EVENT PLANNING, WHILE ALSO SHOWING ME HOW ART COULD EVOLVE INTO A VIABLE AND VARIED CAREER PATH. ABOVE ALL, THEY REMAIN SOME OF MY FONDEST AND MOST JOYFUL MEMORIES - COLLABORATING WITH FRIENDS, CREATING SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH, AND SEEING IT SO WARMLY RECEIVED.
