An interview with Haricot Gallery
Image provided by Haricot Gallery
Ahhh, spring! The flowers are in bloom, the days grow longer and young couples open art galleries. Well, that’s what happened last year. Haricot Gallery, which just celebrated its 1-year anniversary, is one of the many post-Covid galleries that exploded onto London’s art scene, offering fresh takes and exciting experiments for emerging and early career artists. Having successfully navigated their first year of business, I was interested to chat with co-founders Constance Read and Harry Raikes to discuss their experience and the learnings they had throughout the process of establishing a brand-new gallery.
Constance is a working artist that followed the “cliché artist route” (her words) and now splits her time between London and Norfolk. Harry studied business but after a few underwhelming experiences he decided a traditional desk job wasn’t the future he wanted. The two met through a mutual friend about three years ago. Many new couples might spend their early relationship days enjoying all the culture that London has to offer, but Constance and Harry decided to do things the other way round: they collaborated to create pop-up art exhibitions featuring Constance’s work. With time and success, talk naturally turned towards the idea of opening an actual gallery.
Harry says, “it was mostly idle chat for a year and a bit, and then the space came about quite quickly once we found it.” He’s not exaggerating. They began viewing venues in summer 2022 and opened their first show in February 2023. They named the gallery Haricot (like the bean) because they wanted a combination of their names that was also a real word. Also, “Raikes & Read” sounded too much like they would be selling tweed jackets and flat caps.
The phrase ‘jump in at the deep end’ springs to mind as I listen to Constance talk about their venue search. They initially did it without a solicitor, and it took a half dozen visits before they realised that business lets are an entirely different setup than a residential lease. Once they realised they’d be renting a “shell”, to which you can do as much or as little as you’d like, the potential extra costs of renovations became a significant added factor to the universal challenge that all galleries face: location, location, location. Eventually they secured a venue in Shoreditch that was twice the size they could afford in Fitzrovia and were lucky that it didn’t need a lot of physical work to get ready. However, “it needed a lot of love”.
“Learn how to use a drill,” says Constance. “Try to do as much stuff as you can do yourself. Once you start paying someone to fill holes and do paint touchups…” She trails off but the message is clear. Everything costs money and there’s a lot of everything to do. Especially if you want to set your gallery apart from the ~400 others currently vying for London art lovers’ attention. But that’s an area where Haricot has distinctly left an impression.
One example are the mini-brochures that Constance designs for each and every show. They distinctly stand out in an industry that’s phasing out paper press releases for QR codes, and are a testament of Haricot’s commitment to artists. Another example of customised love is the floor. “We try to change it every time. The floor is the quickest way to have the most impactful change in a short window,” says Constance, “we want to show care with everything we do.” Harry adds that it’s “more inviting than a cold, white-walled white cube with a polished concrete floor.”
I’m a big fan of their floor changes, but having been to the gallery over half a dozen times I can attest that it would be a warm and inviting experience even if it was a white-walled space. Constance and Harry are two of the friendliest gallerists I’ve met, both unassuming and genuinely interested in everyone who steps over the threshold. “Everyone is worth your time” says Harry, “we want to understand what they like and don’t like. You have these great conversations as a result of just listening.” It’s something he does very, very well. Often when I go back to the gallery Harry will ask me about whatever it was we last discussed, which in some cases might have been months ago. The mission statement on their website is truly something they put into practice: ‘Coming to engage with art should be an incredibly warm, fun, and exciting and transparent experience’.
As for the art, they put on eight shows in their first year but so far Constance is the only artist formally represented by the gallery. I ask if they’d like a roster and Harry comments they’re “still working out what that relationship looks like.” For now they’re enjoying the freedom to work with a wide range of artists and galleries, which has gotten much easier over time. “When we came out, no one knew who we were”, says Harry, which made it hard for them to secure artists and works on loan. People were a little bit hesitant, but “now it’s much easier to approach and speak to artists”. As he finishes that statement, we notice our time is almost up. They have to head off for a studio visit.
Before they go I ask what advice they would give to other new or aspiring gallerists:
“Get an amazing install photographer,” says Constance. “The documentation is so important. That’s what gets people to come in. Start with great install shots.”
“Transparent pricing is really important to us,” says Harry. Showing the prices makes it easier to engage with younger and/or newer collectors.
Put on more smaller social events, because PVs are great but not very intimate. “I don’t feel like I get to have a proper chat with everyone”, says Constance.
“Trust your gut,” says Harry, and know that “no matter how hard you think you’re gonna work, it’s going to be harder.”
And finally..
“Be friendly, make friends with people. Remember faces and names. Build relationships... especially with your neighbours!”
And on that note, Constance and Harry wanted to give a shout out to Jealous Gallery, who let them borrow some plinths; Imme and Sofia from Doyle Wham, who have been super open and honest with insider advice; and the local wine shop that helped them in a rather unexpected way by offering some emergency storage space. It pays to be friendly with your neighbours.
Plan your visit
Haricot Gallery is located at 2 Blackall St, London EC2A 4AD
Visit haricotgallery.com and follow @haricotgallery on Instagram for more info.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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