Solo Exhibition London - Perfect Imperfection - The Art of Healing

My last posted blog mentioned my plans for the future, one of them being to have a solo exhibition in London. Well for the past 6 months that is what I have been planning, and as of tomorrow, has come into fruition. Perfect Imperfection - The Art of Healing opens to the public at mid-day at Riflemaker, London W1F 9SU until Saturday.
I began my research, before Christmas, into finding a suitable venue to show my work to a London audience. I contacted a few small galleries to see if they hired out their space. I then caught the train to London to check out some of these spaces. All the galleries I looked at were very expensive, so I had to be certain this was the right thing for me to do. I have faith that my work is strong enough to attract a second look and for the viewer to question its aesthetic and I know it sells. The point of showing in London is to get my work out there in the London art scene, get a gallery interested in representing me and of course hope a few visitors begin a Billie Bond collection of repaired work. I open my own doors rather than wait for them to be opened for me.
After a few weeks of research I had shortlisted 3 galleries as a potential space to hire. One in trendy Brick Lane, one of Oxford Street and another in Beak Street, Soho. After much deliberation I chose the Soho venue in Beak Street. Riflemaker is a small rustic listed building with old dusty floorboards and layers of worn paint on the panelled walls. There was a visible history in this space - not the silent blank canvas you get in a typical 'white cube' style gallery. I connected with the gallery immediately and thought its aged interior a perfect setting for my portraits that also hold history in their altered and distorted surfaces. This was not only the smallest of the three galleries but also the most expensive. I spent a long time justifying this choice but as they always say - Location, Location, Location.

I was invited to bring a piece of work up to the gallery to see how it sat in the space. Inner Being 2 sat in the window looking out onto Beak Street, yes, this was the perfect setting.

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I spent a while in the gallery planning in my head where each piece would be placed, got to be so careful not to make it look like a shop front.
Since January, I have made six new pieces from scratch to sit alongside six pieces already made. I spent a few days trying to come up with a title that covered the fact the work was about repair as well as destruction. Input from my husband and eldest daughter made the final cut of Perfect Imperfection - The Art of Healing.

Once I had the title, I could design and print the invites which I have been sending out to galleries and press.
Then it was a mad rush to finish the work, photograph it and get it published for the exhibition catalogue, all of which I managed to do myself. Even got my old contextual studies lecturer to write an essay for me, thanks Dr Jeremy Spencer (he now says he understands my work!)
So the time has finally arrived, the point of no return, the van is all packed up and ready to go. I already have some good leads with potential purchases so fingers crossed and lets hope London is ready for Billie Bond sculpture.