Louise Benton
at Soho Revue

Artist residencies are invaluable at any stage of an artist’s career, providing time and space to step outside daily routines, experiment with unfamiliar techniques and gain fresh perspectives. In these environments, artists and makers often find the confidence to break old habits, whether through material experimentation, collaboration or the influence of a different setting. For London-based artist Louise Benton, her recent residency at Soho Revue has done just that, innovating both her process and the work itself.

Louise, whose practice reimagines Catholic symbolism through stained glass and ceramics, first heard about the programme from friends, and through the gallery’s presence at UK print fairs. Having completed residencies in Barcelona and Paris last summer, she welcomed the chance to stay rooted in her own city while still gaining distance from her everyday routine. “It’s so nice actually working here in London where I live,” she reflects. “It’s given me so much more freedom to explore my work.”

The impressive windows at Soho Revue’s studio have also proved invaluable for an artist devoted to light. “Something really nice about a residency space is that you know you’re in for a set amount of time, so it gives you the freedom to break out of any patterns or ruts,” she explains, noting how the abundance of sunlight deepened her experiments with glass. This year she began exposing her stained-glass panels to cyanotype, translating images onto canvas, chiffon and other translucent fabrics. “With paper you get quite an even result every time, but with canvas every time I do it, it comes out slightly different—even if it’s been exposed for the same amount of time. There’s a bit more chance with it, which is nice.”

Access to the gallery’s print studio added another dimension: “I’ve been able to work more in monotype and etching, which is something I love to do but don’t always have access to the facilities for,” she says. Her advice for other artists seeking similar opportunities is pragmatic and encouraging: “Cast a wide net. Apply for loads and loads of things that you feel align with the work you’re making… look at what people you admire are doing and just good old-fashioned Google!”

During her residency at Soho Revue, Louise has found a rare combination of resources, light and time to push her practice forward. We look forward to seeing how her work develops post-residency and to announcing the winner of Artiq’s own residency programme in a couple of weeks’ time.