CueB: An Artist-Run Space in London

Artist as curator is a significant phenomenon. It exists in radically different environments, yet has a spirit far removed from commerciality. It has become synonymous with the DIY culture in Glasgow, often considered in opposition to space-poor London. Franco La Russa, an Italian visual artist, runs a gallery in Brockley, South London and discusses the phenomenon as it exists in London.

Much like the Project Cafe in Glasgow, for example, “CueB Gallery is a [dedicated exhibition] space within a cafe… It is less intimidating this way and removes the pretentiousness that some galleries have.”

Brockley, a 25 minute tube ride from Westminster, is becoming better known for its open studios and boho-affability. This has been emphasised – and in part aided – by its close proximity to the UK capital's most prestigious schools, including Peckham Art College. In June 2015, the area hosted its first ever Brockley Street Art Festival (BSAF); a community-led graffiti galore resulting from a London-wide competition that invited established and local artists to literally paint the town red (amongst other colours). Nevertheless, despite these community art events, unlike Glasgow this kind of inclusive and less formal art space is uncommon. La Russa observes that “there is nothing quite like CueB in the area.”

Franco's gallery turns around a different exhibition every four weeks – from international students and local creatives to illusionary installations, “pigs and grass men,” as Franco says. The space has been home to a global and ever-changing plethora of ideas. It consists of three walls and overlooks a trendy clientele. September’s exhibition, entitled Some Order That Seemed Logical and Random at the Same Time by  printmaker Esther Ellard shows abstract diagrams that relate to revolution and incompleteness. Ellard draws inspiration from female graphic artists, including Kate Moross and Morag Myerscough. Her prints are almost mathematical and fade in and out from CueB's subtle background. Contrastingly, August's exhibition The Wasteland held a bemusing assortment of crystal taxidermy, dragonflies, animal skulls, stitch art, and sculptures. Both exhibitions felt true to the home they had been momentarily placed in.

Franco cites the emotional impact  of curating and creating, as well as owning a gallery that is built on a business partnership with friends. Getting away from the cliché of the commerce-driven London art scene, La Russa makes clear, “this kind of set-up is not about money. Everything goes so fast that you don't have time to think about anything other than the next exhibition.”

Similar to the young Glasgow gallery 1 Royal Terrace, CueB relies on generating increased accessibility via its website's impressive documentation of previous shows. This kind of free catalogue is a cornerstone of its artist-curator composition. It is rebel-like in nature, going against the capitalist restrictions of the City while enriching Brockley's local community and the individual viewer's sense of identity.

Franco explains this is “not so much a risk,” but reason for joy. Speaking of his experience as an artist in London, he mentions the specific “limitations and parameters imposed, such as time frames, money and so on. So being the owner and curator allows you to physically experience the reasons for these limitations. Experimentation has led to understanding.”

Creating structures within unorthodox settings is a tantalising prospect. And while the function of an artist-curator may be described as necessary or altruistic, artists as curators have an ability to rethink the natural exhibition environment. Bravery came to Glasgow, as the Miracle myth goes, in the moment of the city’s acute financial unviability in the late 20th century. In the comparably booming present-day London, CueB shows as much grit to begin an alternative model for the city.

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