The Artist's Eye: Robi Walters on 'I Project You'

I Project You was conceived straight after my last two shows at Maddox Gallery and Somerset House. I was exhausted. It was a week I’d originally earmarked for rest, but the moment I sat still, some of the energy from ‘365’, my drawing a day project kicked in and I wanted to get moving and making. I decided to set myself the challenge of creating and putting on an independent solo show in just four weeks. I had a month to produce the work and to turn my studio into an impromptu gallery space. I wanted to move away from the structure and confinements of gallery shows and do something new, that I was in complete control of.

I called to mind artists like Giggs and Skepta, musicians who have remained independent; their voices clear and uncompromised. Their success is self-made and I think this in essence embodies the creative, independent business model of the future across all artistic practices. The spirit of the entrepreneur and freelancer. This was also the reason I decided to hold the show here in my own studio space. I was conscious of keeping my artistic ‘voice’ independent and removed from the confines of a conventional gallery environment. I decided that this show would be more than just a commercial exhibition. This would be a complete programme over three weeks, involving artist talks, school workshops, events and studio tours. So often in the art world there’s a private view and all this build up to launch night and then things just drop off. I wanted the private view to be just the beginning.

I wanted to utilize my Soho space beyond its function as my studio, and open it up to the public as a joint gallery and working space. I’ve always undertaken workshops with children, its been part of my practice for as long as I can remember. Most recently in October I helped to organize my yearly collaboration with the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, taking groups of school children to the shows and arranging private tours and drawing workshops for them. I think one of the benefits of going solo and organizing your own exhibitions is really tailoring your projects to suit your practice. Workshops and community work have always been an ingrained part of my art. Before this, it was something I did on the side and in between commercial gallery shows. Now, I have the freedom and opportunity to combine the two. Alongside organizing the exhibition and events programme, I’ve of course been creating this new body of work, which has really been a massive challenge and risk for me. It’s the first time I’ve painted a series of portraits and I don’t actually consider myself a painter. My previous work is generally more collage based and more abstract, but I wanted to really challenge myself and take risks in every possible way. Risk taking, as well as wanting to create a project that celebrates community, diversity and engagement, have been my main driving forces. It’s not been easy. I’ve had to force myself to be extremely pro-active and focus on the excitement and new possibilities and not let my nerves get the better of me. My fears and doubts have been forced to one side as otherwise I just wouldn’t be able to create anything new. Obstacles only obstruct you if you let them, and alongside the inevitable challenges there have been a number of ‘eureka’ moments. I’ve been working alongside some amazing people who have helped to ease up this whole process. It’s definitely been hard, as it’s predominantly yourself juggling all these new roles. Setting yourself clear goals, surrounding yourself with like-minded creatives, and working towards these goals collectively in order to manifest your vision for the final show, is absolutely vital.