A Post-Graduate Survival Guide Part II: Sorcha Dallas interview

Firstly I’d like to ask you about how you got here, what the steps were that you took to own your own commercial gallery just a decade after leaving art school?

Well, I graduated from drawing and painting at Glasgow 10 years ago, and about six months later set up Switchspace with another graduate, Marianne Greated. We were both really interested in using non-traditional spaces for exhibitions, so it was conceived as a nomadic project. Back then things weren’t really happening in Glasgow in the same way they are now. Starting it up in my flat was quite easy: we didn’t have to rent the space, costs were kept to a minimum. But it was difficult in terms of funding; we didn’t get funding up until the final year because the Arts Council at the time had 2 categories: either you were a permanent gallery like Transmission, or you did a one-off project. They couldn’t understand a permanent gallery being nomadic, continually doing one-off projects. So we didn’t get the funding, which was in some ways difficult, but in others gave us the freedom of not having to conform to anything.

So, after Switchspace you decided to create a space with more permanence?

Yes. I did Switchspace for six years, and then towards the last year and a half of it I was thinking about opening a permanent space. It felt like a good time to end it: other initiatives like Mary Mary had started, and I think it’s important to hand those things over, leave them to other people to develop.

As a commercial gallery, you provide both exhibiting space and artists’ representation. How did you select the artists you wanted to work with?

I think it grew quite organically. Initially, there had been three artists I’d worked with on Switchspace who’d really inspired me to start a commercial venture. They were all quite different, but all really fascinating, dedicated artists in their own right. There was Henry Coombes, Craig Mulholland, and Alex Frost. I’d also seen and loved Kate Davis’ and Clare Stephenson’s work. So we started out with five artists, and it quickly expanded so that now I have fifteen, which is probably about enough for this size of operation.

When you were selecting the additional artists, were you actively going out on a talent spotting mission, touring the degree shows and so on?

No, no. Not at all. I think it’s really important to develop the relationship slowly, to make sure you understand one another, and basically get on as people. It’s not just about liking someone’s work, you have to know you can work with them. Representation is a long term commitment, you have to like each other.

What exactly does representation entail?

Essentially the main way I work is to try and create exhibiting, commissioning, purchasing opportunities with the people I work with. On the local level there isn’t a large market for contemporary art, so from the start I’ve been going to international art fairs, maybe 5 or 6 a year.

While selling the work is important, I also try to help the artists get exhibitions, get residencies. It’s almost like sitting down and figuring out what it is they want to do, and ways in which I can support them.

So, was this all part of a long term plan?

No, when we started out we had about 3 shows booked, and the thinking was: 'let’s give it a go, if it works and people like it then good, if not we haven’t lost anything'. Then we did them and there was this sense in the wider community of people wanting it to keep going, and so it grew into what it was. And then kept growing.