Meet the mother-and-daughter duo providing a platform for budding artists to show off their work
Image Silk Robe 2022 by Vienna Zhang
Cambridge is fortunate to be home to an ever-growing arts scene – from collectives such as Cambridge Artworks to quirky spaces like Extraordinary Objects. Enriching the tapestry of unique locales in the city is Gallerie V on St John’s Street, an independent gallery spread over four floors that exhibits work by young artists aged exclusively between 14 and 25.
This is the passion project of mother and daughter Samantha de Reus and Vienna Zhang, who had wanted to open something for years, but couldn’t find the right circumstance – until moving to Cambridge in 2020. Vienna was in the first year of her GCSEs, balancing studies with redesigning the gallery interiors, creating a website, social media and posters, as well as curating the opening exhibition and producing her own paintings to display.
For Samantha, it was following her daughter’s development that encouraged her to open a spot for supporting young creatives. “I realised there are so many talented artists out there, but it’s really difficult for them to get into galleries,” she says. “Ours gives them the ability to get exposure, and experience what it is like to exhibit in a physical space.”
Vienna adds: “It’s very hard for any artist, let alone young people, to be taken seriously. We rarely get a chance to have work displayed to the public.” Add to that the restrictions imposed by the pandemic – forcing them to miss out on presenting finished pieces at their usual degree shows – and it’s clear that the need for a public platform has never been greater. “Since we are in such a central location, many tourists and locals visit – it’s a great opportunity,” she beams.
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