Tag: artistic belonging

Last week I spent a quiet morning at the Royal Academy. It was one of those visits where you do not go to see art so much as to feel something shift inside you. I filmed a short piece for YouTube called Finding Space at the RA, capturing a moment of stillness in one of the galleries. It was not planned, scripted or staged. It was simply a pause, a breath, inside a room full of colour, texture and human intention.

As someone who works with paint skins, dimensional surfaces and the emotional life of modern work, I am always drawn to spaces where art creates a kind of psychological room. I have been exploring where my work sits in relation to artists like Angel Otero or Kennedy Yanko, and the RA visit helped me feel that connection more clearly. The RA does this beautifully. Even in the busiest exhibitions, there are pockets of quiet where the atmosphere changes and you can sense your own thoughts rearranging themselves.

This visit carried another layer. I have been exploring where my own practice sits within the wider field of material abstraction, especially as I search for other artists who work with skins, poured surfaces and dimensional paint. Walking through the RA, I found myself noticing affinities. The way certain works held space. The way colour behaved under light. The way material choices shaped emotional tone. It reminded me that belonging is not always about finding exact matches. Sometimes it is about recognising echoes.

That is what I wanted to share in the short video. The feeling of stepping out of the noise and into a space that holds you differently. A space that softens edges. A space that lets you think, and lets you locate yourself.

In my own practice, I am exploring how colour, materiality and dimensional surfaces can create that same effect in everyday environments. Meeting rooms, workspaces, places where people gather to make decisions. The RA visit reminded me how essential these moments of spaciousness are. They are not decorative. They are not optional. They are part of how we stay steady, present and connected in the rhythm of working life.

If you haven’t seen the YouTube Short yet, you can watch it here: Finding Space at the RA

I will be sharing more reflections like this. Small moments, quiet observations, and the ways art helps us navigate complexity with a little more clarity and warmth. Sometimes the most meaningful shifts happen in the pauses.

Why this matters

In leadership development and executive learning, we talk a lot about clarity, presence and psychological flexibility. These qualities do not appear out of nowhere. They are shaped by the environments we inhabit. Art can create the conditions for better thinking. Calmer nervous systems. Softer interpersonal edges. A sense of groundedness that supports wise decision making.

If moments like this resonate with you, you might enjoy the chromatic material pieces I am developing for workspaces. Functional sculptures, paint skin lighting and dimensional surfaces designed to bring clarity and emotional presence into everyday environments.

And perhaps most importantly, I left the RA feeling encouraged to submit next year. A small but meaningful step in claiming my place within material abstraction, and continuing the search for where my work belongs.