Will[hidden]

For as long as Will can remember, he has been creating art. What started with him and his brother making art as kids, evolved into highly-detailed, fine-liner based pieces, and now – inspired by his all-time favourite artist, Francis Bacon – he’s moving towards painting.

After relocating from Dorset to Brighton to study music journalism at BIMM, Will worked as a music journalist for a couple of years, before returning to the art world in his role at Enter Gallery.

This love of music, and particularly punk music, has informed Will’s interest in art: “The punk scene generated a lot of incredible work and so much of it is done on next to no budget. I love the fanzine culture that Jamie Reid and punk music inspired. It’s such an underrated area of the art world. What I like about it is that it’s genuinely authentic and isn’t down to technique. It’s about what speaks to people on an emotional level.”

Speaking of his favourite elements of the job, Will tells us: “You develop really unique relationships with clients, which is a great feeling. It’s fun to connect with people and to discuss art and other things they’re passionate about to help them find the perfect piece.”

If you could go back in time and meet any artist, living or dead, who would it be?

“It would have to be Francis Bacon. He’s the reason I’m into art, and he’s informed so much of my own work, so really, I can’t choose anyone else but him. He socialised with some interesting people over the years and was hanging out in Paris in the 1920s with so many incredible artists and writers, like Surrealist writer Michel Leiris. It would be great to meet him during that time.”

What would you steal in a high stakes art heist?

“I’m not exactly the burglary type but if I had a buyer ready or some mafia man had tasked me with it so I could just get it in and out, it would be Jeff Koons’ Rabbit statue. It was the most expensive work by a living artist and I think it’s small enough to swipe relatively easily.”

If you could emulate the style of one artist, who would you choose?

“Obviously Francis Bacon, but I’ve already chosen him so I’ll go with someone else. There’s a guy called Danny Fox whose work resonates with me a lot. There’s a very English folk element to some of it, and a real dark sense of humour. It’s so different to my style of work, which is very technical so I’d like to do something that has a bit more freedom to it. There’s something really natural about his work - it’s unlike a lot of stuff I’ve seen before.”

Why do you think that art is important?

“I was always into art from a young age, then I gave up on it for years because I didn’t think I was good enough. However, seeing all the artists I know now just do things because it’s an expression of themselves, and it’s amazing and emotional and brilliant - to me that shows why art is important. Everyone needs a creative outlet, and creating things that resonate with people emotionally is a powerful thing.”

Who is an artist that you think is one-to-watch?

“As a gallery, we’re really good at finding really amazing up-and-coming artists, which is an element of the job that I love. Poppy Faun’s work is just getting better and better and her print quality is amazing. Charlotte Rose’s work is really good, and her originals look incredible. Elizabeth Waggett is also amazing. Her technical ability is unreal.”