{"id":9473,"date":"2021-10-27T21:26:14","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T20:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=9473"},"modified":"2025-10-13T19:08:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T18:08:42","slug":"how-one-of-the-worlds-youngest-gallery-owners-is-taking-on-the-cutthroat-artworld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/how-one-of-the-worlds-youngest-gallery-owners-is-taking-on-the-cutthroat-artworld\/","title":{"rendered":"How one of the world\u2019s youngest gallery owners is taking on the \u2018cutthroat\u2019 art world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Image by Aria Shahrokhshahi, courtesy of Guts Gallery) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a \u2018working-class, queer Northerner\u2019, one young woman felt she didn\u2019t have a place in the art world. Now one of the world\u2019s youngest gallery owners, she reveals what it takes to get the art industry to change.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Ellie Pennick was forced to pull out of her place at the prestigious Royal College of Art in London, she did what many wouldn\u2019t dare to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pennick\u2019s financial background meant she was unable to pay the eye-watering costs of a traditional arts education. But as she began to look around her, she saw that many other talented creatives were being barred out too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The art world was guilty of \u201cgatekeeping and not handing over the keys to those who deserve the pace in the art world,\u201d she said. It wasn\u2019t only those from lower-socio economic backgrounds who were being pushed away, it was LGBT+, BAME, women and disabled artists also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The now 25-year-old became increasingly frustrated by a lack of people speaking out and art institutions\u2019 refusal to change. \u201cIf they call anything out, their jobs can be in jeopardy,\u201d she said. \u201cThe art world is cutthroat.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deciding enough was enough, Pennick launched \u2018Guts Gallery\u2019, becoming one of the world\u2019s youngest art gallery owners. Almost immediately, she began to tear up the rule book, putting undercelebrated artists at the forefront and tackling inequality head-on. Despite being in its early stages when the coronavirus pandemic hit, this didn\u2019t stop Guts Gallery from making its mark. Pennick saw this as the perfect moment to flip the traditional gallery system on its head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This began with challenging the industry narrative around LGBTQ+, BAME, women and disabled artists, as well as creatives young and old. Instead of \u2018representing\u2019 artists, Guts Gallery calls for galleries to \u2018champion\u2019 them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This small change is intended to transform the power dynamic between artists and the gallery, which traditionally see galleries taking ownership of how an artist is exhibited and portrayed. By giving artists independence and power, Guts Gallery allows artists to express their own experiences in their own terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll I want to do is set a standard that all galleries should and can uphold. The art gallery model is outdated,\u201d said Pennick. \u201cA lot of galleries played off the fact they and ‘their’ artists were slightly unattainable. But that haze is clearing, meaning the artist has more control which is so important. The power should always lie with the artist, not the gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Issues around \u2018representation\u2019 have long been present in the art world. Arts bodies such as Arts Council England have attempted to increase diversity within the sector with funding initiatives and by enforcing diversity targets. However, in 2020, this funding was threatened to be cut, after little progress had been made. Major cuts to the arts are only making the situation worse, as art institutions use funds to merely stay alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Guts Gallery was founded with the main objective to support artist diversity, Pennick doesn\u2019t aim to fill any kind of regimented quota, and artists she collaborates with agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe doesn\u2019t just go for you if you\u2019re a woman or you\u2019re black, or you\u2019re gay, or any of that kind of stuff,\u201d said artist Kemi Onabule. \u201cIt\u2019s a connection, rather than a quota.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gallery\u2019s unusual \u2018nomadic\u2019 approach points to fairer and cheaper way for art galleries to operate too. Without a permanent location, the gallery puts on a variety of pop-up exhibitions across London allowing a wider range of audiences to come and see artists\u2019 work. Not having to pay the expensive overhead for a fixed gallery location allows the gallery to better support artists and pay them a higher percentage, Pennick says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This experimental way of working came as a huge advantage during the UK\u2019s recent lockdowns. \u201cThe emerging art world has taken a massive hit, especially for grassroots and mid-size galleries that run permanent spaces and deal at the ‘lower end’ of the market,\u201d said Pennick. \u201cArtists lost a lot of income, and you could feel the panic. Fortunately, as we are nomadic, we didn’t take the hit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics from the Art Council show that this \u2018hit\u2019 has served as an unexpected reality check to many galleries. It found that 56% of gallery directors were concerned about the \u2018viability\u2019 of their organisations, and that their art collections were potentially at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While other galleries scrambled for funding to keep a roof over their heads and keep their collections safe, Pennick was able to make a smooth transition to the world of online exhibitions. These included pandemic-inspired shows such as \u2018When Shit Hits The Fan\u2019, as well as using the social media platform Instagram to showcase artists and launch \u2018private views\u2019 online. In an effort to support early-career artists, the gallery made the decision to distribute 50% of the sales of works generated by established artists to emerging creatives in the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur digital exhibitions through the pandemic showed that a traditional gallery model isn’t the only way to support artists; it can be simple and accessible, you just have to think outside the box and run with it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we all found out from this year, you never know what will hit us next. We want to be prepared, ahead of the game and set a standard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it remains to be seen how many of the UK\u2019s galleries will survive and the impact of Covid-19 on the industry\u2019s creative diversity, Pennick is certain fundamental change could be on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf society changes, the art world will. If the next generation of artists, galleries and collectors refuse to be silent, there will be a shift,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"