Nabila Bulbul in Conversation with Director & Co-Founder of Palmer Gallery, Will Hainsworth
Opening their doors today, Palmer Gallery is launching its inaugural exhibition: Field of Difference. The creation of art historian Lucas Giles and art advisor Will Hainsworth, Palmer Gallery is dedicated to identifying and developing the strongest emerging artistic talent. With a focus on spotlighting cross-disciplinary artists working across mediums such as painting, sculpture, video, performance, light and sound installation, the former factory space is soon to be an all-immersive and sensorial experience. The freedom that comes with multi-disciplinary practices is at the heart of the gallery’s core mission too, providing artists the space to express and experiment, whilst supported by a community-driven ethos that fosters collaboration and creative exchange.
Will Hainsworth and Lucas Giles, Co-Founders of Palmer Gallery, 2024. Photo Courtesy: Palmer Gallery.
Nabila Bulbul: Congratulations on the official opening of Palmer Gallery! Can you start by telling me about yourselves and your background?
Will Hainsworth: We’re both Londonders and grew up near the gallery, in Maida Vale. I’ve got an art industry background, working across most areas of galleries operations in London and New York, as well as undertaking advisory work both for companies and independently. I’ve also been collecting art by emerging artists for the last four years or so - including works by Flora Yukhnovic, Jade Fadojutimi, Sarah Cunningham, Sahara Longe, and Jennifer Carvalho.
My business partner Lucas has an academic background, having completed a BA at Warwick, MA at Duke, North Carolina, and a PhD from Cambdige, all in Art History. We think this combination of industry and academic experience is a nice foundation for a young contemporary gallery.
NB: What is the story about the founding of Palmer Gallery and the vision you had for it?
WH: I was working as an independent art advisor and Lucas had just come back from Cambridge. We both agreed that there was an exciting and vibrant contemporary art community in London and that there was room for a gallery that focused on combining more experimental practices with work that’s traditionally been deemed more ‘accessible’, like painting. Whether that be through showcasing cross-disciplinary artists in solo shows or putting on group shows with artists who work with different media.
NB: What do you think sets Palmer Gallery apart from other art galleries opening across London today?
WH: One of the things that might set us slightly apart is that we like the idea of group shows being artist-led. So we pick someone we find very interesting and ask them if they have any friends who they would like to work with, or artists they like that might combine well with what they’re doing. In our planning so far, this has often led to the inclusion of sound, video, performance, or installation artists that may not get as much chance to have gallery shows, because their practice is more esoteric. I’m sure there are other galleries that operate like this, but it still seems to be an undervalued way of finding great people, because nobody understands the emerging art world better than young artists.
Palmer Gallery Entrance, 2024. Photo Courtesy: Palmer Gallery.
NB: Palmer Gallery emphasizes a cross-disciplinary approach to art, incorporating mediums across painting, sculpture, video, performance, and installation. Why was this cross-disciplinary focus of particular interest to you?
WH: I think we’ve both found ourselves gravitating towards this kind of work more and more over recent years. Running a gallery that exclusively shows painting would, to us, feel like a bit of a waste of potential, especially as you can show painting alongside all kinds of experimental media, and that usually doesn’t detract from it. Also, I think we both find that artists who work across different disciplines are the kind of people who are able to find infinite sources of fascination in life. They want to learn about everything and discover new skills and ideas and have that unchecked curiosity and enthusiasm which is great for an artist. I think we tend to find that quality quite magnetic.
NB: Could you walk me through your curation process? How did you come to select the artists and exhibitions that align with the gallery's mission and ethos?
WH: My advisory work has meant that I’ve been paying attention in the emerging art world for some time, going to endless shows, degree shows, and fairs - which resulted in a list of artists I wanted to work with. Other than that, there is the aforementioned option of asking artists who they want to work with. Luckily Lucas and I have similar tastes and tend to agree on who we want to show (a bit of disagreement is always good, too). We also tend to think about personality a lot as well, and whether we really warm to this person, as it’s important to work with kind people.
NB: The gallery is housed in a historic former-factory space. Has this unique setting influenced the atmosphere, programming and curation of the gallery?
WH: We think the factory history of the building is a nice way of couching the idea of cross-disciplinarity: factories bring different components together to create something whole which is bigger than the sum of its constituent parts. Cross-disciplinary artistic practices are normally doing the same thing. It’s quite rare to see an artist working across different media but making work that is completely siloed.
Palmer Gallery Interiors, 2024. Photo Courtesy: Palmer Gallery.
NB: Tell me a little bit more about what visitors can expect from your inaugural opening show, Field of Difference.
WH: Field of Difference basically sets the stage for the gallery programme to come. There’s a range of work being presented ranging from painting and sculpture to video and sound installation.
NB: The opening show has 11 artists! Tell me a little bit about them and their different practices.
WH: To pick two artists I’m particularly fond of: there are paintings by Jennifer Carvalho, who hasn’t shown work in London since she had a sell-out Frieze booth two years ago. And there’s an amazing immersive sound/sculpture installation by Gusty Ferro from the RA Schools; it involves a post-industrial techno soundscape that is hooked up to a strobe that lights a concrete and steel sculpture in a walk-in cupboard. It’s quite ravey, like something you’d find in a club in Berlin.
NB: How did you ensure cohesion and synergy among such a diverse and vast range of artists & artworks within the exhibition?
WH: There are a few threads, both visual and theoretical, that run through all of the artists in the show. There is a focus on displaced individuals - people who are living somewhere other than where they’re born - whose work engages this feeling of dislocation. And there is a focus on, and concern with, the past and its effects on the present. But ultimately we didn’t worry too much about curatorial cohesion with this show, because it’s called Field of Difference, as is ultimately about celebrating the abundant mix of artistic creativity we have around us.
Francisca Sosa Lopez, Lucia Maria, 2023. Photo Courtesy: Palmer Gallery.
NB: For now, Palmer Gallery is not representing any artists. What were the motivations behind this choice?
WH: We think a lot of younger galleries don’t offer enough to young artists when they start to represent them. They end up clipping the artists' wings, shutting down avenues for collaboration while benefiting from the reputational boost of being a gallery which represents artists. We want to represent people eventually, but are happy to wait until we’re able to offer more value to the artist.
NB: You’ve expressed an interest in collaborating with other creative industries such as food and fashion. Tell me a little bit more about that.
WH: We have this amazing space above the gallery which is perfect for dinners and parties. We have lots of friends who work in the restaurant industry in London or fashion or film/TV. We want to engage and bring together different cultural communities and put on events that aren’t just for seasoned collectors, but for people who are interested in all sorts of things.
Albano Herandez, P23.65, 2023. Photo Courtesy: Palmer Gallery.
NB: You’re doing everything by yourself to open the gallery! What have been some highs and lows during this process?
WH: One of the highs is that you really get to know your business: everything is the responsibility of the directors, so there’s nothing we get to delegate and not think about. So we’re across everything and constantly learning. No lows so far!
NB: How do you hope to see Palmer Gallery evolving in the future?
WH: I think we want to help build a genuinely engaged community of artists, collectors, and culturally minded people who resonate with what the gallery is all about. Then we can think about expanding the project to incorporate representation and art fairs while trying to retain that community feeling.
Many thanks to Will Hainsworth and Lucas Giles on behalf of MADE IN BED.
Palmer Gallery has their inaugural opening on 7th March 2024 with the exhibition Field of Difference (8th March - 6th April 2024). To find out more, visit their website or connect via Instagram.
Nabila Bulbul
Editor in Chief, MADE IN BED
