News

Mermaid and Monster

15 Jan 2010

Online space, Mermaid and Monster are a contemporary art agency based in Cardiff, representing artists such as Lloyd Durling, Helen Sear and Miranda Whall.

Own Art caught up with one of the founders, Gordon Daulton, to find out more about their work…

Lloyd Durling, House, ink on paper, 2007 (detail also featured on January 2010 bulletin)

15 January 2010 - Go back to Own Art January bulletin

What was the idea behind Mermaid and Monster?

Mermaid and Monster was born on New Years Day 2007. With regional cities across the UK all having at least one commercial outlet for contemporary art at art fairs, it seemed perverse that Wales didn’t have one.

How has Mermaid and Monster evolved?

Mermaid and Monster didn’t want to grow gradually from artist-run gallery (although we are both artists) to attending art fairs, it wanted to launch at an art fair almost unannounced. So that's what it did.

We managed to get private funding rather quickly, launched the website and approached a fine roster of artists. Whilst we never intended to be exclusively Wales-based, the majority of our artists were. That was more happy accident but mainly because, well, they were good artists. Mermaid and Monster curated, attended art fairs, advised on art for offices, produced Limited Editions and pushed the careers of artists we liked.

That year we attended the Year 07 Art Fair in London, amongst an impressive line up of rather more experienced galleries from the USA and Europe. The learning curve was very steep, but worth it. Sales were better than expected for our first public airing and we came away buoyant, if rather exhausted.

The following month we came back to Wales at the invite of g39 gallery, and curated the show Loners’ Island, which included two of our roster plus 4 other artists from across the UK. We were then invited by the Contemporary Art Society to curate a show for their new London offices, showcasing regional organisations as part of their excellent rotate programme. Again, the critical reception and sales were good.

Has the current economic climate affected your work?

Opportunities were few in 2009, and cash too tight to attend an art fair. Mermaid and Monster was always a flexible, non-gallery based contemporary agency, run by two people who had other jobs and careers as artists. Whilst a gallery based organisation may be a plan for the future, Mermaid and Monster needs to remain flexible and develop constantly. For 2010, this will involve blending in some of our other projects such as public art commissioning.

Mermaid and Monster is an ever evolving beast, reacting and being proactive in promoting artists works and projects.

Gordon Dalton is an artist and curator and co-Director of Mermaid and Monster. He currently works at Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea as Learning Officer; recently curated and managed a commission by Olaf Breuning for St Pauls Park, Bristol for Bristol City Council. www.gordondalton.co.uk

Richard Higlett is an artist and co-Director of Mermaid and Monster. He project managed Wales at the Venice Biennale 2009. www.richardhiglett.com

15 January 2010 - Go back to Own Art January bulletin