Ben Hayward

What’s on display here is the beginning of a new public gallery, called the Emerald Gallery, which looks to provide meaningful art experiences for those that don’t often engage in art as a result of the largely-masked classism embedded in art spaces and the structures that dictate them. Emerald Gallery looks to instil our audience with the skills and tools necessary to valuably engage with art and have the personal relationship with artworks that is so fundamental, yet absent, within the current white cube format. While at first glance, glamourous and mystical, the art industry (not world!) is laced with oppressive practices, which the Emerald Gallery looks to replace with a kinder and more accessible attitude towards curation, in hopes that alongside other like-minded art organisations, we can inspire change in the industry’s conduct.

The work on this webpage evidence the first output of the Emerald Gallery, which looks to establish the gallery’s identity and mission. ‘The Walls Are See Through’ and ‘Luther at Erfurt: Showing What You Can’t See’ are both products that delve into the role of art interpretation and how it can be communicated to the audience across different platforms. As inaugural products in their respective medium, they also act to set up objectives of the gallery; to remove classism for art spaces/practices and facilitate valuable art experiences for everyone; to improve the access to, quality of and representation in art education; to actively decolonise art spaces/practices, detaching them from western and colonial perspectives.

I hope from this limited depiction of the gallery and its initial output that you understand and believe in our mission. Any way that you can support and participate in the Emerald Gallery is incredibly appreciated.