Zavier Ellis is a man who plays many roles in the art world: an artist, a curator and a gallerist. He shows contemporary art at his Hoxton gallery, Charlie Smith London. Winsor & Newton resident artist Mathew Gibson talks to Ellis about what his role entails.
Why “Charlie Smith”?
It relates to the name actually, it’s an often asked question. I didn’t want to use Zavier Ellis. It’s a family name: Charlie Smith is my maternal grandfather. I think it has a good ring to it, it works for me and I needed it to be genuine. I didn’t want to just pull something out of the air.
We’re here in your gallery in Hoxton, and you were previously located in Clapham. How important is a location to a gallery?
Very important. We experienced this in Clapham. We were developing the programme, showing high profile and progressive artists and were getting quite a following. I remember talking to an editor at Art Review about coming down for a show. “Clapham?” he said, “That’s zone two, isn’t it? We don’t do zone two.”
It’s evident having moved to Shoreditch that it is a “destination”. For example, today, a very good New York collector came in un-announced. He was bouncing around, going to White Cube; it’s clear he wouldn’t have just walked through the door if I was in Clapham.
Being in Shoreditch, if someone has a contemporary art map they can tick off the half dozen galleries to visit in a day, so footfall is good, and it’s next to the City.
What are the key functions of a gallerist?
The beginning of the process is selecting the artists. There should be a particular style so that people who come to my shows have an idea of what they are going to see. It is also devising an exhibition programme that has balance, in terms of the way exhibitions follow on. For example, at the moment we have a photography show, the last show was works on paper and the next show will be painting.
Then you have to find an audience, and in my opinion, doing fairs like the London Art Fair is the best way to achieve that. I’m going there to meet collectors. Different art fairs have different types of collectors; some are more international than others, some are more progressive and so on, but essentially I’m looking to meet collectors who get on with my artists.
Two things struck me about the artists at your gallery. The first is that they enjoy technique and have a good understanding of materials, and the second is that they share an emotional intensity of subject matter. Would you agree and does this reflect your own tastes?
Definitely. You need a gallerist/curator to find like-minded artists to provide for like-minded collectors. This relates back to the point about consistency in the artists and the programme. I do look for technique… it doesn’t mean it has to be polished or slick. I’m reluctant to use the word craft but it’s something along those lines. Of course, the technique isn’t enough by itself, and I do look for and enjoy some gravitas in the weighty, heavy subject matter. Working with artists like Emma Bennett, John Stark, Gavin Nolan, their work is very natural. They are dealing with big subjects that are emotional, but also philosophical and psychological. There is not a conceptual detachment, it’s jumping in and getting involved!
When would materials form part of your discussion with artists?
Quite frequently. The materials are the building blocks of the outcome. Emma Bennett, for example, uses oil paints combined with French enamel and varnishes, forcing reactions between the materials. Her work is quite polar. She quickly lays down a black background of combined materials, then works in the oil paints in a slower, more considered manner. John Stark is just a technical genius! Absolutely precise, he references 16th and 17th century paintings for their compositions and recently has begun researching the makeup of the paints used at the time. He wants quality paint, as do Sam Jackson and Gavin Nolan. He has an engagement with materials that are ongoing and an important part of his practice; he’s a user of Winsor & Newton Artists’ Oil Colour.
And when would materials form part of your conversation with buyers?
Again it depends on the artist. With John Stark, the quality of the surface and the quality of the materials he uses is clearly a feature and one that buyers would want to know about. It’s a question of production. With Emma Bennett, materials would form part of any early discussion with buyers: they will be curious about the use of French enamel. Gavin Nolan uses a lot of glazes; fine details are combined with physical gesture and the use of materials would also form part of a conversation with buyers.
We’ve talked about the gallery and its artists; can we talk now about your role as a curator? How would you characterise it?
For me, it’s not very different from that of a gallerist. There tends to be a theme. For example, I curated a show a couple of years ago called Future or Ruin, based on the rise of right-wing extremism during times of economic downturn. The artworks are chosen to illustrate this idea. It is different than, for example, an artist’s one-person show, when in effect the artist is curating his own show. When I am curating a show, I am doing much the same thing as I would at the gallery, but I don’t have the added burdens of the day to day running of the space. So I would consider the idea, how particular artists are going to work into that, and the dynamics of the space.
Charlie Smith London
336 Old Street
2nd Floor
London
EC1V 9DR
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7739 4055
[email protected]
www.charliesmithlondon.com
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 11am – 6pm, or by appointment
*Lead image: Zavier Ellis portrait photo