LAURA BAILEY: Congrats on the success of Incubator – such an innovative and dynamic way to support emerging artists whilst building community culture. What was your dream, and what did you set out to achieve? How did you want to do things differently, and what’s next for Incubator in 2024?

ANGELICA JOPLING: Incubator started as a pop-up exhibition space in between COVID lockdowns. It was, in a way, a response to the lack of exhibition spaces for emerging artists, especially important at a time when those graduating from art schools were forced to do online exhibitions and so very few people could see their work in person. At that point, I never imagined that it would continue to evolve into what it has become today, but it was the overwhelmingly positive response to the artists and the dynamism around the programme that carried it forward.

Part of what I wanted to do with Incubator was provide a space that would diffuse boundaries between visual art, music, poetry, fashion, and performance. While at its core Incubator is primarily an exhibition space for visual art, we are increasingly developing a programme that is more interdisciplinary and fosters cross-pollination.

Up next is the spring solo show programme, which will begin on April 3,2024. We will have six exhibitions over the course of twelve weeks of some of London’s most exciting artists working now.

What have been the standout artists, moments, or milestones thus far for you and Incubator? And the challenges or breakthrough moments?

The transition from Incubator as a pop-up into a permanent space was a tremendous milestone that arrived with its own set of challenges and excitements, including those surrounding the fact that we’ve put on 32 exhibitions and showcased the work of 45 artists in less than three years.

One of the shows that I’m especially proud of was our first group show last summer, which was called 'Lines in the Sand' and explored urgent issues around borders, migration, war, and displacement. For this, we partnered with the organisation Refugee Legal Support to raise money for their Calais Legal Outreach Project, which provides legal information and support to people blocked in Northern France. It feels important to engage directly with the most important issues of our time, something we will continue to do with our summer group shows outside of the solo exhibition programme.

How do you know? How do you choose? You have such a strong curatorial eye and both an intellectual and empathetic gaze. Is it instant, pure instinct? Or do you analyse and deliberate? Or both?

At the end of the day, I rely largely on intuition. However, of course we are all guided by a set of unconscious biases and learned tastes that inform our sense of intuition, so I always try to take that into account and look back to my education as well as my upbringing as pillars. I studied art history at Stanford and then Curating at the Courtauld, and both educational experiences have informed my decision process when it comes to artists.

At the core, I try to visit as many artist’s studios as possible to get the lay of the land and get a sense of them as a person. The relationships I have with the artists are paramount. Not only will I consider how an artist will fall within the larger programme I’m building, [but] of course, what their goals are and whether I and Incubator can truly support their practice in the way that they need, but also what it feels like to work with that artist. -There has to be joy in the process for us both. I feel that is essential to building a great show.

In addition, we put out an open call every Incubator season, which allows artists to come to us with exhibition ideas who may not be in the traditional channels I am looking for artists in, namely art schools, group exhibitions, artist-curated exhibitions/spaces, and residencies, etc.

Tell me a little about your pathway to creating your own gallery space and roster of artists. Further education, early work experience, key mentors, or inspirations?

As mentioned, I studied at Stanford University and at the Courtauld. I am indebted to my professors, namely Alexander Nemerov, Emmanuele Lugli, and Jody Maxmin, whose intelligence and passion for art history have been a source of great inspiration over the years. While at university, I interned in various artists’ archives and studios as well as at the Barbican, where I took on a research role under the excellent curator, Florence Ostende, as she was preparing for the Noguchi exhibition that opened in 2021. These experiences showed me the essential dual perspectives of work-making and exhibition-making.

Personally, I am inspired by Gertrude Stein and her Salon, which drew together such a rich community of creatives who fed off of one another. I also often keep the wonderful writer and critic, Ingrid Sischy, in mind. I knew her as a child, and she has only now become an inspiration for me. I love to return to her writing when working on my own, as hers is alive with perspicacity, wit, and immense insight, qualities I hope to get close to with my own writing.

As the daughter of acclaimed artist and filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson and legendary art dealer Jay Jopling of White Cube, you clearly grew up immersed in and entranced by the art world. Can you share any early memories of encounters that shaped your vision or ambition, or simply your taste? What do you remember seeing as a child? Was it a world that initially attracted you, or maybe it was more complicated? Or simply felt like home?

When I was little, I spent a lot of time in my mum’s Clerkenwell studio after school. I’d usually be in the corner doing homework or flicking through mum’s old contact sheets, but there’s something about that space, filled with potential, that I’ve always been attracted to and fascinated by. Equally, I spent a lot of time in galleries and museums as well as among artists, so I’m fortunate to feel comfortable in those spaces and inspired by them, which has, I’m sure in part, inspired me to form a community from my own generation of artists.

Though rooted in London, you have lived in America and travelled extensively. Do you envision taking Incubator to other cities? And are there places that have especially inspired you as a curator, but also personally?

When I started Incubator as a pop-up in London, I envisioned taking it to other cities, but the community that developed in London around the openings as well as the artists felt so strong that it felt important to really dig the roots in and engage with the emerging art community here. However, the pop-up idea in other cities still hums in the back of my mind, as I would love to have more opportunities to work with artists from outside the UK. I’ve lived in both Los Angeles and Paris, so I hold both very close to my heart and sense of self. I’m inspired by the light in both cities, which I know also attracts artists and filmmakers alike to those places, so there is a natural buzz there that I feel pulled by. For now, Incubator is a London-based gallery, but who knows what the future holds…

Let’s talk about the Wednesday night happenings at Incubator. What are a few highlights in terms of performances or people? I’ve caught as many as I can and am always struck by the warmth and intimacy of the gatherings.

Aside from the openings, a couple of standout Wednesday happenings include when the artist Emily Wilcock invited violinist Noah Berrie and dancer Marketa Fagen to improvise together in response to her paintings. Emily created costumes and props and sculptures to create the world of the performance. It was such a beautiful night of collaboration at its best. More recently, I showed a painter named Mia Graham, whose mum cooked a family-tyle dinner for the second Wednesday of her exhibition. We invited a much more intimate crowd than we typically have at the openings, had a record player spinning all of Mia’s favourite records, her mum cooked the most delicious risotto, and it truly embodied the real heart of Incubator with community at its core.

Chiltern Street is undoubtedly a London gem. Can you give me three favourites on the block?

Shreeji News for the best coffee; Mouki Mou, and Bella Freud for the most beautiful and timeless clothes.

I love your style. (Today in Marylebone, Angelica wears a khaki check Batsheva mini dress, dark waist-length hair pulled into a low ponytail, freckled bare skin, and Bambi lashes; my two dogs curled up at her feet.) Can you share a few inspirations, favourite designers, or vintage/interior spots? London or LA?

I feel most confident in a little dress and a heavy pair of boots (I like to dress up but also need to feel weighted to the ground). I love the idea of a uniform, and this is the closest I can get to it that feels my own. Currently, my favourite designers to drool over include Sandy Liang, Simone Rocha, Miu Miu, Commes des Garcons, and Molly Goddard. However, the clothes I wear the most are often vintage. I get a lot from Portobello Market as well as the shops around Golborne Road, and when I lived in LA, I loved Squaresville in Los Feliz and Aralda Vintage in Beachwood Canyon.

You are giving young or emerging artists a powerful platform. What are the greatest challenges for both them and you? How do you advise and support for the long term? And how do you look after yourself in what can be an intense and pressured environment?

One of the greatest challenges I see for emerging artists in London now is getting a decent studio space; it’s so hard to find. After that comes building a body of work in an environment that is outside the safe social and educational structure of art school, and then the next hurdle is getting the right people in to visit your studio and support you outside of the studio.

Although Incubator does not formally represent artists, I am always available for those we’ve shown if they have questions or need advice on any opportunities that arise for them. In addition, now that we are doing group shows, I’ll often invite previous Incubator artists to participate in those when the concept or theme fits with their work. I’m also aware that a studio practice can be quite isolating, and so we’ve also hosted dinners and parties that bring these artists back together, and in the context of Incubator, that can simply be a reminder that they are part of this community that will support them.

Looking after myself… Routine is very important to me, so I try to get up early-ish and preserve as much of my mornings as I can. As much as possible, I meditate, write, and exercise (run or yoga) every morning before I get stuck into any Incubator work, which keeps me balanced and clear-minded. In the evenings, since Incubator openings and happenings use up much of my social battery and I am an introvert by nature, I’ve had to learn the importance of saying ‘no’ to going out where I can in order to not constantly be burning the candle at both ends. I also find getting out of the rush of London important for me and helps to gain a little distance and perspective.

What are a few of your favourite museums and galleries in the world?

I went to Barcelona for the first time last year and went to the Miró Foundation, which I fell in love with. Another of my favourite places is the Rothko Chapel, which I was lucky enough to visit by chance due to a cancelled connecting flight that left me stranded in Houston. I grew up very close to the Wallace Collection and it is also round the corner from Incubator, so I love to pop in there to see Fragonard’s 'The Swing' (a childhood favourite). I also recently went to the Rodin Museum [in Paris], which is just a beautiful place, and saw the incredible pairing of Antony Gormley with Rodin.

A few favourite London haunts?

Reference Point for chess night, The French House for a Demi Pêche with my friend Charlie, Sông Quê Café for a Sunday night pho, Moko Made Cafe for the best matcha and onigiri, the Prince Charles Cinema any night of the week, the London Library to write, Royal China for a hangover dim sum, and Primrose Hill to walk.

Passions outside of work?

Writing, literature, poetry, music, mooovies – I am passionate about it all! I love to write and try to do so every day. I also love to read, especially non-fiction and essays. I love music and I’m always returning to my female idols – Fiona Apple, Patti Smith, Alice Coltrane, Bjork, PJ Harvey, Sade—but I also go see a lot of new and experimental music with my boyfriend, who is a musician, at places like Cafe OTO. I don’t watch much TV beyond reruns of 'The Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City', but I am always going to the cinema.

The one that got away? Is there a work you’ve sold that you wish you had kept for yourself?

YES. Mary Stephenson did a painting called 'Incubator' for her show in 2022. I wish I’d kept that one.

Favourite book, film, or artist? Or what or who inspires you?

I find inspiration in all sorts of places—from the people I meet to things I see to dreams and nightmares! However, I’m so indecisive, and my ‘favourites’ in every category are always changing, but in the past year, I’ve been obsessed by:

My friend Franny London’s most recent EP and my friend’s band, Safe At Any Speed

All of Annie Ernaux’s books

Van Gogh since seeing the recent exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay last month - the way he paints something as invisible as wind.

Thank you, Angelica. A joy to shoot (you and) the breeze.

https://www.incubatorart.com

"Incubator is carbon neutral and a member of the Gallery Climate Coalition. We are committed to continually examining our operations in order to minimise our impact on the environment."

HAIR: DIANA MOAR FOR HAIR BY SAM MCKNIGHT. MAKE-UP: INDIA EXCELL FOR WESTMAN ATELIER. PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT AND RETOUCHING: MARK ARRIGO. PRODUCTION: TIGER TIGER PRODUCTIONS.