Artist Curator Gavin Wade: How Eastside Projects is Changing Birmingham's Art Scene

Ceri interviews Gavin Wade, the visionary artist curator behind Eastside Projects and Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham City University. From his early love of comics to founding one of the UK's most innovative art spaces, Gavin talks to Ceri about transforming the art world through collaborative practices. His story of creating a new kind of gallery space, winning a £120 million market redevelopment project, and maintaining artistic integrity while pushing boundaries is both inspiring and practical for anyone interested in making their creative mark.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Gavin's approach to artist collaboration shows how repeated engagements over time create deeper, more meaningful projects - rather than rushing one off exhibitions, he builds lasting relationships that allow ideas to naturally evolve into innovative work.
• Through establishing Eastside Projects, Gavin demonstrated how to create a new kind of art space by selectively adopting elements from commercial galleries, museums and artist run spaces while rejecting conventional limitations.
• His early immersion in comics and DIY culture shaped his understanding of self publishing and community building, providing foundational principles that continue to influence his approach to art making and curation.
• Gavin's success with Eastside Projects stems from his ability to balance ambitious international programming with local artist development, he recognised that both elements are essential for meaningful impact.
• His revolutionary perspective on gallery spaces rejects the notion of neutral containers, instead treating them as living artworks that continuously evolve through each exhibition and intervention.
• Gavin built his confidence in the art world through consistent action. Each successfully organised show and new connection strengthened his position and opened up fresh opportunities.
• His involvement in the Smithfield Market project demonstrates how artists can meaningfully influence city development when they're involved in early planning stages rather than being brought in as an afterthought.
• Gavin maintains creative sustainability through clear boundaries - implementing regular working hours, extending installation periods, and prioritising family time, proving that balance enhances rather than diminishes artistic output.

BEST MOMENTS

"As soon as I was on my degree, I just thought, well, I'm an artist, I might not be as good yet, but I'm trying."

"There is no such thing as an individual artwork. There is always a relationship between the artwork and its environment and other artworks and other things that have appeared in that space in the past or will appear in the future."

"I didn't even know what a sculptor was particularly at that point. There was a little bit of modelling, like clay modelling and stuff, which felt a little bit boring, like I could do it, but it wasn't that exciting."

"The art world is about supporting artists and careers and trying to come up with ideas, but to do it, it needs to reinforce societal status quos that are very aristocratic."

EPISODE RESOURCES

Artist Links:

Eastside Projects, Birmingham

https://eastsideprojects.org/

Instagram: @eprjcts

Gavin Wade 

Instagram: @gavin_wade_

PODCAST HOST BIO

With over 30 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals.

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