Curator Caroline Boseley opens Studio West in West London

A new cultural hotspot called Studio West opens in Notting Hill in November. The space will show work by emerging and recently established London based artists, offering them support, mentoring and hosting opportunities that showcase the most exciting upcoming talents.

Caroline Boseley has a unique and personal vision for her newest enterprise, planning to engage fully and authentically with the local community, cultural organisations and young people. The gallery will enrich and develop the local area and create a comfortable, and welcoming space for engaging with contemporary art. She is excited for the gallery to take up residence in such a culturally rich and diverse area and to work productively within its environs. Studio West offers a new approach to commercial, contemporary art – it puts artists needs at the forefront and nurtures an awareness of the local community within which it operates. 

The gallery will open on 11th November 2021 with an inaugural exhibition by Victoria Cantons and Xu Yang, Tomorrow Will Be The Most Beautiful Day Of Your Life which will run until the 15th December 2021. Victoria Cantons and Xu Yang are an artist couple at the forefront of contemporary painting. This will be their first show as a duo, celebrating their creative and personal collaboration. They share a studio and work in conversation, questioning how art operates as a redeeming medium, addressing themes of uncertainty, identity and the female gaze. 

Victoria Cantons begun her art education at 43 and completed an MFA at Slade in 2021 after studying a BA at Wimbledon College of Art. She has exhibited widely, in both established and cutting-edge contemporary galleries including Saatchi Gallery, The White Cube, The Royal Academy, Flowers Gallery and Guts Gallery. In October 2020, and again this year she curated the Slade Graduate showcase as a part of London Grads Now at the Saatchi Gallery. She was labelled as one of the “Six artists reshaping our way or seeing” by the Financial Times. 

Xu Yang is a London based artist born in Shandong, China. She completed her undergraduate at Wimbledon College of Arts and her MA in painting at Royal College of Art.  She explores the construction of identity through a contemporary female gaze, drawing on art history, fashion, fairy tale and performance, Xu was the winner of Barbican Arts Group Trust ArtWorks Open 2019 followed by a solo exhibition “100 Carat Diamond”, BAGT ArtWorks Project Space (2020). 

She has been nominated for the Contemporary Young Artist (2020) and has curated a showcase of RCA fine art Graduates for Kovet.art gallery (2021). Xu was featured in Elephant Magazine: “These Are the Artists You Need to Know Right Now” (2020), The Guardian “The cheek of it: artists celebrate the bottom – in pictures” (2021).

Studio West will engage with the local arts ecology including young people, cultural organisations within the borough, creative producers and collectors, building relationships which develop those involved on every level, and nurture a shared passion for contemporary art. The space is stunning and elegant, yet welcoming and warm – ensuring those who visit feel valued and curious. Boseley will champion an approachable and accessible environment. She plans to showcase varied practices from diverse individuals, allowing the gallery to be a location where visitors can see the art being made live by exciting emerging artists, learn about their practice and promote positive discussions about the future of art. 

The gallery will be more than simply an exhibition space, as it will offer a variety of live events, including workshops, talks and screenings. All events will be accessible and open to all – encouraging new networks to be forged between industry professionals, artists, local people and art enthusiasts. 

After 12 years working in the City,  Caroline Boseley moved from education and fundraising into curating. First gaining a Master's in Modern & Contemporary Art from Christie's Education, she went on to complete an MA in Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art, London.  

Caroline's curatorial practice supports and explores the presentation of work by upcoming artists across all disciplines. She seeks to mediate their work to collectors and art enthusiasts but also a non-art audience, crafting experiences that can be shared and enjoyed, as well as offering artists she works with mentorship. Her broader practice, champions the value of contemporary art in the public realm, with a desire to enrich the urban environment and build community engagement. As a firm believer in art’s power to unite in challenging times, many of Caroline’s projects have a social cause at their centre. With experience working on arts and culture projects with charities and social enterprises, Caroline is passionate about how contemporary art can engage and benefit a wider community.

Caroline sits on the Advisory Board of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week as Curator of Special Projects. In 2021, the fourth edition of the event built on last year's success, and she helped the committee bring the ten-day festival of arts and culture to life, with recovery as a huge focus. Curated under the theme that Caroline devised, 'Reimagine' the programme included an expanded public art trail, pop-up ‘galleries’ in retail stores, street murals and a community-led poetry project.