The Sunday Times Halcyon Gallery launches its new space in Mayfair, with a cutting-edge digital art exhibition
As the president of Halcyon Gallery, one of London’s high profile galleries about to launch a flagship space in Mayfair, Paul Green channels his energy into working with artists who create a genuine connection with audiences. From art aficionados to the culturally curious, experienced collectors to the general public, he is excited to see the power that art has to enchant and fascinate a diversity of people. ‘All our artists and exhibitions provoke a reaction,’ Green says, recounting a monumental ironwork installation set in the Provençal landscape by none other than Bob Dylan, large-scale artworks in Venice and interactive works by pioneering digital artist Dominic Harris, who launches the new space with his exhibition Feeding Consciousness.
Harris, who has exhibited at the V&A and Science Gallery Dublin, is a leading practitioner of interactive art. He uses technology as a vehicle to engage viewers and allow them to orchestrate each artwork – shaping landscapes, conducting digital butterflies and stepping into new worlds – via movement and sound. ‘We want to support artists who look beyond the constraints of the traditional, who break down barriers and start conversations,’ says Green, speaking from the gallery as he and his team install the inaugural exhibition. Standing by Harris’s work Metamorphosis: Unseen, Green sends a kaleidoscope of butterflies aflutter with a wave of his hand. Nurturing artistic talent for over 40 years, Halcyon has championed the best of modern and contemporary art since its humble beginnings in Birmingham in 1982. Now firmly rooted in Mayfair, the gallery has showcased works by an incredible roster of artists from the 1880s to present day including Claude Monet, Henri Matisse and Edgar Degas, as well as Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Mitch Griffiths and James McQueen.
Green enthuses: ‘We care deeply about our artists and the individual masterpieces we exhibit. We honour artists’ wishes, present works in the way they should be, tell their stories:each one is a reflection of important cultural shifts in artistic practice and within society at large.’ As he steps back to admire the room, Green adds: ‘I look forward to showing them in context of this beautiful 19th-century building.’ One of London’s first commercial gallery spaces, it has been acquired by Halcyon and elegantly restored, ready to present modern masters and innovative artforms.
Harris’s exhibition includes work the space has been designed to accommodate, with 18 new pieces including a 10 ft high sculpture and a site-specific immersive installation. The Feeding Consciousness exhibition explores universal themes such as nature and systems of finance and power. Green recalls: ‘When we first exhibited Dominic’s work in 2019, we were overwhelmed with visitors. They instinctively knew how to interact with it. It was a joy to watch so many respond to his art. This new body of work speaks to our current age in terms of digital media and the environment. While holding up a mirror to global issues, there is also an optimism that provides hope.’
Harris’s major commissions have included a piece recently unveiled for Norwegian Cruise Line that will be the largest site-specific interactive digital artwork placed to date. However, for Green and the team, as vital as it is to place their artists’ work in private collections, they always circle back to balancing that with wider public participation. 'The democratisation of art is one of our driving forces at Halcyon,' Green says. ‘You don’t have to buzz to get in, unlike some commercial galleries. Interaction with art should not be for the privileged few, and although public galleries provide free exhibitions, why can’t commercial ones aim to be accessible too? I love the gallery being busy as it means we are being true to our mission to work with incredible artists that change the way we perceive the world.’
