WHEN ART GOES ROGUE

Art curator and founder of Gone Rogue, Kim Shaylor, explains why she’s shaking up the art world for the better.

Gone Rogue are an online art gallery, curator and art consultant working with interior designers, architects and private clients to curate art collections to suit their space and desires. They also exhibit art shows around the world at hotels, supporting both established and emerging artists. Gone Rogue’s founder, Kim Shaylor explains why she’s shaking up the art world for the better.

How did you become involved in the art world?

It all began with a background in print and then a business venture called The House of Artists with an artist called Ben Allen. We created large wall murals in spaces and worked with lots of different artists. I discovered that not only were many artists struggling to be seen, but that they had huge amounts of work that was lying around in storage or in their studios, never seeing the light of day. It made me realise that there must be more spaces to show art than just galleries, and maybe other ways of doing it so I thought I would give it a go and see what happened!

Tell us more about Gone Rogue and what you do?

After the realisation that there are way more talented artists than there are galleries to show their work, I discovered that there was a huge opportunity to find spaces to exhibit their work and make a difference to those environments and the artists work getting acknowledged. It’s a win-win: the hotels get to showcase new art to their guests and visitors, and the artist has the opportunity to showcase their art to a constantly changing audience. The idea started with ME London Hotel about four years ago and from there it grew and we now have curated art shows in Barcelona, Ibiza, Dubai and have lots more lined up for 2023. In 2021, the wonderful Todd Lamming joined me on this Gone Rogue journey and we are planning on shaking things up and helping artists that are under-represented to be seen.

Why is art so important to humans?

Art has so many different levels. People’s reasons for buying art can be as simple as it fits into a certain space, but most of the time people really connect with a piece of art and they want to be inspired by it daily or reminded of a certain emotion when they look at it. From an artist point of view, of course this is their everything – often the only way they can envisage living a healthy, happy life is by creating art. So many artists I work with don’t even really enjoy the selling and marketing aspect, which is why I love to come in and help with that part of their journey. They would be happiest just creating new artworks.

Do you have any show recommendations?

Of course! There are so many great art shows and the more you see, the more you understand what you love and what moves you. The Other Art Fair is always a good one to go to as you get to see such a range of artists. There is a great app called Art Rabbit which you can search all art shows large or small in your area. You never know what you will come across.

Kew Gardens always have great art exhibits on and outside of London, Hauser & Wirth in Somerset is a stunning art gallery that is well worth a visit. But also just walking around the streets of London is an incredible free art show. The streets of Shoreditch, for example, are surrounded by spaces celebrating local artists and paying them to display street art, which is awesome.

What have been your highlights so far?

The highlights aren’t always the big wow moments that you would think. Our collaboration with McLaren and Nat Bowen at ME Dubai Hotel was an unforgettable experience but I also really love the small interactions that we have created between a buyer and an artist or a guest and an exhibition that they have seen. Some people have such a strong connection to art that they simply can’t walk away from it. Other highlights are doing ‘rogue’ things like doing a pop up show with Sophie Tea at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza which we organised in just two days whilst I was on a family holiday. I love to do things that happen organically and try not to force things too much – I think they’re always the best experiences. An artist called Saki produced a brand new collection of work that we exhibited at ME London; the journey that she went on creating it was super emotional and personal and being a part of that for both myself and Todd was a real privilege and something we will cherish for a long time. And then most recently, we did a show with Maxim from the Prodigy and it was such a great event, with ballerinas in balaclavas dancing to music. We will be doing some more events with him this year so keep an eye out for the details @gonerogueldn

How has the art world changed after the experience of the Pandemic?

It’s been both good and bad. For curators and galleries it was a tough time whilst everything closed, but for a lot of artists it was a real opportunity to stop, think and pivot their style and adapt to a new way of selling and growth. I know a lot of artists that took the time to engage with their audience on social media and engage with their buyers directly, which was a great time for them. I think the freedom they felt to do things without a gallery or manager was a really good thing. Disruption needed to happen. Now we have the best of both worlds, people want to be out at exhibitions, surrounded by the art and other people, sharing space with other humans.

Do you have a favourite work of art you keep coming back to?

This is a really tough one to answer because I have bought many artworks for many reasons. I have an amazing piece by Bonnie and Clyde called Everybody Loves The Sunshine that reminds me of an amazing time of my life when I lived in L.A. Another piece called Norms by Gerry Buxton, I like for the same reason. I have a large collection of Ben Allen’s work, and love to try and collect a piece from all artists that I work with. I have a pair of custom painted Nikes from Nat Bowen that I will treasure. I have a skate deck by Callum Eaton who would be my one to watch recommendation for 2023. He is incredible - he is a realism artist that paints normal every day objects like cash machines and a stick of French bread. You have to really see his work to appreciate the skill.

What do you have coming up in 2023 and beyond?

We are doing our first full hotel curation for the opening of the Mondrian Ibiza this summer and an incredible solo show with Sophie Derrick at ME London. A new collaboration with a co work space in Leeds, The Collective which is great to be showcasing artists around the UK. We are trying to focus outside of London in the UK and now have art in spaces in Somerset and Wiltshire also. With shows in Dubai, Ibiza and LA pending.

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@gonerogueldn