The ‘nomadic’ Antlers Gallery was launched in Bristol in 2010 when Jack Gibbon realised that a gallery was needed to showcase the abundance of artistic talent across the city… here we talk to Juliette Burke, Assistant Director about nomadic galleries, rising art stars and what the future holds for Antlers…

Why and when did you open Antlers Gallery?
The inspiration behind Antlers came from seeing such strong and unique work being produced in Bristol and the lack of any suitable galleries to promote and sell this work. By setting up a nomadic gallery model, moving locations with each show we could massively cut down overheads and therefore concentrate on showing the best possible work without commercial values dominating. 

Antlers first exhibition was the group show ‘Grotesques’ which opened in an unused office space. Since then, Antlers have launched five more shows in spaces throughout Bristol that would otherwise lie empty.  

Why did you choose to set up in Bristol?
Bristol has such a vibrant and diverse art scene, there are so many people creating really great work within the city and we wanted to provide a strong and reliable platform to promote and sell their work.

Can you tell us more about being a ‘nomadic’ gallery?
When starting the gallery we were keen to cut down on some of the key overhead costs which often impede the development of galleries. Having no fixed location other than our website and social media sites means we have a great deal of freedom and flexibility to adapt our shows to different locations, cities and even countries. It is also great for developing our audience base as each show brings excitement to the area and with that a new set of visitors and clients. 

How do you choose which artists to exhibit in your gallery?
At present we are really keen to support and promote the work of Bristol based artists, as their is so much great stuff out there. Many of the artists we represent use traditional techniques such as drawing and painting to address timeless or contemporary themes. Often people describe the work we show as slightly dark or macabre but we like to think of it as more on the uncanny or bizarre side! 

How many artists are you currently working with and can you pick out a couple of ‘ones to watch’?
Over the past year we have worked with about 25 artists in total, however there is a core group of around 16 who we work really closely with. One’s to watch  – that’s tricky as obviously we think they are all great. Anouk Mercier and Ellie Coates  are constantly astounding us with their immense drawing skills, Amy Timms’ use of colour and precision in her flat gouache paintings is amazing and well Charles Emerson’s photographs are impressing everyone including Creative Review and the Sony World Photography Awards. 

What’s in store for the future?
We have just launched our Winter Shop which will be open until the end of the year. For this project we have brought together a more diverse range of products from T-shirts to ceramics to Christmas cards and books. We also have a great selection of new small original works, we are particularly in love with Alexander Korzer-Robinson’s new book sculptures – soon to be available to buy on CultureLabel! 

Check out the full collection here.