Guest blog: Kollektiv hit Brighton’s dusty spaces

My name is Sophie Giblin, curator and creator of Kollektiv Gallery. About three months I finished my Degree. After finishing and handing back our mortarboards I saw peers decide that they couldn’t carry on being artists, believing that the money was poor and the profession wouldn’t pay the bills.

Stunned, I spent the Summer learning about entrepreneurship and business in order to open a gallery for myself, my friends and all emerging artists every where. One of the first things I did was bought Dan Thompson’s, ‘Pop Up Business For Dummies I tweeted him the same day telling him I would was beginning a pop up venture, he Tweeted back, and the whole project became official.

My aims were to inspire artists to carry on making art, encourage them to DIY exhibit anywhere anytime and feel comfortable selling their work too. I wanted to create a gallery that was generous, collaborative, ever changing and outside from artist’s usual academic walls. I wanted art to be respected and accessible for everyone.

You see, we’re a not your conventional art gallery, we’re invading Brighton’s empty high street shops with the best, emerging, studying and recently graduated illustrators, fine artists and experimental visual explorers. We’re a keen and active DIY group of artists wishing to inspire and encourage other artists to make more, exhibit more and sell more. Kollektiv is for and run by emerging artists, we’re all figuring it out together, what better way is there to learn than by doing? So we’re doing it.

Our mission is to rejuvenate the recession hit, unwillingly abandoned, dusty and forgotten locations with wonderful art, the opportunity to buy stunning unique new talent and take part in fantastic workshops, and all our artists will be teaching!

We’re opening Kollektiv Gallery for six weeks this November for the Christmas season. This gallery is part of a bigger pioneering project for Brighton’s youth and emerging artists to be part of a professional, happy venture driven environment.

Watch this space! And thank you Dan Thompson.