Space To Shape And Create

For many early-career artists, the challenge isnt just creating the work its finding the time, space and support to do so without the pressure of having to sell their next piece.

Thats the reality Emma Menell encountered firsthand during her years running Tyburn Gallery in London. And it is what inspired her to create the non-profit Tyburn Foundation and establish an artist residency initiative.

Starting next month, the initiative will partner with two notable residency programmes: Civitella Ranieri in Italy and Animal Farm Artist Residency in Zimbabwe. The aim is to provide African artists from across the continent with immersive, supportive environments where they can explore, experiment and expand their practices without the looming shadow of commercial pressures.

Frustration with the limitations of the gallery model is what shaped the foundations ethos.

We felt that artists need space, they need time particularly at that sensitive stage of their careers when theyre still defining who they are and where they want to take their practices, Menell explains.