Curating at Mall Galleries with Creative Debuts

Calum you founded Creative Debuts in 2013, can you tell us how it began and what inspired you to start it?

Creative Debuts exists to rip up the rulebook of the traditional art world and replace it with something more open, more inclusive, and more exciting. Founded in 2013 and born from a belief that creativity should never be locked behind closed doors, the platform acts as the bridge between the creative and commercial worlds, with one simple mission: to uncover extraordinary emerging talent, champion voices too often overlooked, and connect artists with the people and places that value them and their work. Creative Debuts has collaborated with prominent brands such as adidas, The Crown Estate, Birkenstock, Hugo Boss, Instagram, and Spotify.

What makes Creative Debuts’ approach to supporting artists different from other platforms/initiatives?

What makes us different is our uncompromising commitment to democratising and disrupting the art world. We stand proudly with artists from marginalised communities, breaking down barriers that have for too long excluded talent based on background, access, or privilege. For us, diversity isn’t a buzzword,  it is the engine of creativity and a source for endless inspiration. Through our projects like the Black Artists Grant, we put our money where our mouth is and provide a no strings attached grant to UK based Black Creatives.

We also focus on providing a wide range of exciting projects that celebrate the authenticity and integrity of artists and their styles. We have partnered with global brands as well as neighbourhood businesses and this gives our creative community a diverse selection of projects to be part of. We love working together with artists to take them out of their comfort zone and push themselves to help diversify their revenue streams.

One of the main things we are known for is that we aren’t scared to use our platform and our voice to stand up for societal issues, be that at home or international. Art is a vehicle for igniting conversations and we believe that the more dialogue that is created the better.

How did you find the experience of curating in Mall Galleries? 

It was an absolute walk in the park to be honest. Having curated countless exhibitions over the last decade in every type of space you can imagine I have experienced almost everything there is to tackle with an install and exhibition. But it’s safe to say my experience at Mall Galleries was as smooth as can be!

Did the space influence your curatorial decisions in any way? 

I think every space influences the curation as when the curation is right it should feel like it’s effortless and natural. Good curation compliments the space, and the space compliments the curation, that relationship goes hand in hand so I can’t imagine how a space wouldn’t influence it in some way.  How people move around the gallery, the flow, how the light hits certain areas, viewpoints, ceiling height, potential bottleneck areas and the never ending list of considerations all play a role. I wanted to make sure that when people entered the gallery there was a sense of intrigue and excitement but not to be overwhelmed.

Were there any unexpected challenges or surprises in working within the gallery spaces?

The only real challenge is the additional artworks that were included last minute but that’s something I’m also very familiar with. One thing I have learnt with curating spaces is to expect the unexpected. Be that artworks arriving in different sizes, quantities, condition, fixings, not arriving at all,  you name it, there’s always something. The fact I am waiting in anticipation for any unexpected challenges means I try and stay in the headspace of having to adjust to the changing situation. 

Mall Galleries’ values of supporting living artists closely align with yours - did this have an impact on your experience at Mall Galleries? 

It’s always amazing to collaborate with spaces that share the same ethos and commitment to championing living artists that I do with Creative Debuts. With the exhibition I curated spotlighting artists aged 14-18 it was especially powerful to celebrate the creative stars of tomorrow and to have glimpse into the minds of artists of this age. We all can learn a lot from each other, and we especially need to be paying attention to the experiences of young people.

Why do you think championing living artists is important? 

The more avenues we have to connect with each other, regardless of age, demographic, race, religion etc the better. The conversations that are sparked from these interactions only help to build stronger bonds and to overcome hurdles. Also, as our motto states, ‘Buy art from living artists. The dead one’s don’t need the money.’

Connect with Calum Hall on LinkedIn here.