Pretty Vacant

It is when the gallery space is empty - in between exhibitions - when I photograph, revealing a unique and unseen moment in the life cycle of the gallery.

While viewing an exhibition the space is clearly defined: where viewers stand to look at the work, where the art sits on the wall, the white space around the art that allows the viewer to see where one piece ends and another begins. In some cases, the grandeur of the space endows a piece of work with greatness. However, it is not just the work that is transformed by the space; the gallery itself is changed by each exhibit.

I have had the opportunity to capture a rare moment as one exhibition comes down and the space is vacant, waiting for the next exhibition to begin. The experience of photographing the empty gallery feels like peering in on a secret ritual hidden from public view. There exists a very different sense of grandeur, of preciousness, defined by the architecture itself.

It is in these moments between one body of work being removed and another installed that are most illuminating. It is a time of raw beauty and it is in these moments that I photograph.