THE TAGLI Founder Dimitrios Tsivrikos sat down with Gasworks Director, Alessio Antoniolli to discuss the organisations mission, residency program and the pivotal role of community and transparency in achieving success.
Established in 1994, Gasworks is a non-profit contemporary visual art organisation working at the intersection between UK and international practices and debates. They provide studios for London-based artists; commission emerging UK-based and international artists to present their first major exhibitions in the UK; and have developed a highly-respected international residencies programme, which offers rare opportunities for international artists to research and develop new work in London. All programmes are accompanied by events and participatory workshops that engage audiences directly with artists and their work.
DT: Thank you very much for having us can you please introduce yourself?
AA: Hi, I'm Alessio Antoniolli, I am the director of Gasworks and the Triangle Network. I've been with the organisation for 25 years, which makes supporting artists an integral part of my life's journey! But it's not just been about giving something to artists, I've also got a lot from it myself, like the pleasure, the excitement, the stimulation of working with and being surrounded by creative people. What is particularly key about Gasworks and the Triangle Network is our international nature, in essence it's about hope and about opening horizons and thinking beyond the local. And, to use the privilege of interacting with people from different cultures and from different parts of the world to learn about how to be in the world. It's been 25 years of huge privilege.
DT: What would you say is like the main mission when it comes to the residency programme?
AA: It's an opportunity for artists from very different parts of the world to become part of and have access to London's diverse community. Artists stay here for three months, and during this time Gasworks is an anchor, but it's the city's resources, diversity and networks that make the residency very special and the reason so many artists want to come here. For many residency artists it's their first visit to London, so there's a lot to discover and there's a lot to get to know. And what we try to do is mediate that encounter, support them throughout but also give them a place and a space, through the provision of a studio, where they can create something in response to the stimulations, the conversations and all those ideas they come across during their time here. This is why all residences end with an open studio, not an exhibition. It's because we encourage experimentation, we want the residents to be led by process, not product. This is important to us and it's the reason we want to keep the residencies as open as possible. In a place like London, which is so dominated by money and the commercial art sector, protecting the process-led ethos of the residency is paramount for us. With this in mind, the open studios become a 'calling card' for the artists and are a brilliant opportunity for the public to meet them, see their process and be part of the conversations.
DT: How does Gasworks and the Triangle Network actually create communities and/or networks? How do you build bridges with your London community beyond your immediate artistic family? What would you say is your contribution to your local community?
AA: It's something that has evolved since the beginning of Gasworks, almost 30 years ago (next year will be our 30th anniversary). Gasworks started as an artist run space and it didn't have any public funding. It was literally a talent incubator where artists were supporting each other and making work. Very soon after I joined, we successfully applied for public funding from the Arts Council. That was a big shift for the organisation, because
with public funding came public responsibility and we started to think about how our activities can support artists and bring them closer to audiences. We worked to become a space for dialogue between artists and the wider community around us, we wanted to make our exhibitions programme more accessible by hosting events, breakfasts and - fast forward to now - hosting a participation artist in residence every year whose purpose is to
make art in partnership with our community. Funding has helped the organisation to become more porous, allowing what happens inside the building to spill out and reaching as many people as possible, but also the inverse: allowing our local community to be affected by what happens inside the building. Lambeth, the borough we're in, is one of the most international and diverse places in the world, making Gasworks perfectly at home with its international programme. We've always seen our location as an opportunity to make our visiting artists feel at home in London, but also to keep Londoners connected with their roots, wherever they might be. And it's exciting to connect people and places as it's a way to make art more accessible.
DT: Are there any specific success stories of past residency artists who have achieved significant recognition or milestones after being here? Please feel free to provide your own definition of success.
AA: That clarification of success is important. Success means something different to different people. There are artists that had a residency or exhibition here who are now working with important commercial galleries. Take for instance Lynette Yiadom-Boakye who had her first solo show at Gasworks and is now a huge superstar (and deservedly so!) also Lisa Brice, who had her residency with us the same year that I started, but also Alexandre da Cunha, Hew Locke, Portia Zvavahera, Kudzanai Viole Hwami, Ibrahim Mahama and many many more... It feels so wonderful to have played a small part in their professional development and it's humbling to hear that celebrated artists remember Gasworks with such huge affection. But success is not necessary a popularity contest or simply measurable with financial gain. Some of our alumni have key roles as educators or have gone on to start residency programmes in their own country, using their experience and role as amplifier to support their peers. Significantly many of these have remained connected to Gasworks by joining the Triangle Network, which functions as a support system for grass-roots organisations.
DT: Evidently, from your record diversity is a part your DNA. However, it will be lovely to hear it from yourself elaborating upon the importance of diversity at Gasworks
AA: It's impossible to talk about Gasworks without talking about its international connections. The fact that each year we do residencies with artists from Bolivia, Peru, South Africa, Kenya, Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand etc… gives you a sense of where our mind has been and where our thinking is going. Diversity and inclusion are intrinsic to who we are as a cross-cultural and cross-national organisation and network. It really is in our DNA! That's not to say that we don't have blind spots and that we shouldn't work to actively improve things. It's important that who we are and what we do reflects society, and to do so we need to ensure we allow society to enter the arts. We take this responsibility very serious. This is why we constantly reassess our organisation and our programmes regularly. Things that didn't seem important 20 years ago are extremely urgent now. We tend to look at artists and our audiences for guidance as this is a living, never-ending process that involves having all our structures and policies up to date, but also involves keeping our eyes and ears open and not being scared to change. It's always reassuring when we cross-check ourselves against our policies and goals, we find that we are compliant without trying. There's something quite organic about our processes, which is very different from
being an organisation that does things just to tick the boxes.
DT: Regardless of your incredible success, I am certain there are a few hurdles to overcome? What is your recipe for success while enduring the various organisational and structural obstacles?
AA: For me, the key word is transparency. When we publish open calls for residencies, we tell artists exactly what the residency will involve. They know before they even come here, what their bedroom looks like, they know what their studio looks like, they know how much budget they have, how much they don't have, what we can give and what we can't. We use the same transparency when talking to audiences or when communicating to our supporters and patrons. Alongside transparency, a lot of our work is about managing expectations. We try to be as clear as possible as to what we can offer and what we can't do. This does not mean that we are not ambitious, we always want to aim higher, but it still needs to be realistic. The same goes for our small team. Our success is the result of joined up thinking and people working together towards a common aim. We work very hard as individuals and I find that when we join forces we can achieve so much more, weather it's with the rest of the team, the artists, patrons and funders are partner organisations. I think it's this clarity that attracts people to Gasworks. Patrons, for instance, come to us because of they are interested in artists and want to meet them and this is exactly what they find when they come here.
DT: You mentioned the word, patron. Can you give us a definition, who is a patron?
AA: A patron, in my mind represents a person that offers a spectrum of support. It's a person that is interested in what Gasworks does and what it represents. Some go on to be supporting financially, some give more, other give less, but they are all ambassadors, they're connectors and amplifiers. As a non-profit we rely heavily on the financial support of our patrons, but our most dedicated patrons are those who join us as a family member, they become a part of Gasworks and come to see us, visit artists in their studios, etc. Supporters become our patrons because they're interested in artists and they see us as a place where they can learn, discover and champion new talent.
DT: How can someone get involved to really support Gasworks and its artists?
AA: In many cases supporters start by joining our patrons' scheme at a level that suits them. This is fairly standard, but through conversations and attendance to events, the type and level of engagement changes. Some support residencies as individuals or groups, others focus on supporting commissions. As they get to know us better, they tend shift their focus on supporting areas where they feel they can make more impact. For instance, over the years we purchased the Gasworks building and a house where our visiting artists and residents stay. These enormous projects would have been impossible without the incredible support of our patrons, trusts and foundations as well as donations from artist alumni. Some of our patrons have been supporting us for years, which is something I value enormously and really does feel like they're part of the family. Supporting Gasworks is probably not going to land anybody in the society pages of Vanity Fair, but it's going to provide access to a world of emerging artists and, together we can support them at a time in their career when help is crucial and can literally be a make-or-break situation. Once patrons know us so intimately it becomes less about the list of benefits and more about joining forces to allow talent to have the opportunity and visibility it deserves. This is why many of our supporters are collectors who are keen to be in touch with emerging practitioners and visit us regularly to access emerging artists from all over the world. It's amazing to think that you may have supported an emerging artist with a modest donation and years later you see the same artist flourishing. I can't think of many other things that are more rewarding.