Transformations is a changing intervention created in response to The Mews & it’s location in Hastings town centre which is a mix of unrelated businesses. Gist lives & works in Hastings. Her artistic & curatorial practice are informed by temporary interventions in non-gallery spaces. Since 2009 she has presented the work of numerous artists at The SPACE in St Leonards-on-Sea. From 2009-2013, The SPACE was located in a disused outdoor site the end of Kings Road & from 2013-present The SPACE is based on St Johns Road, between the playground & the Garden. She considers her practice as artist & curator to be a singular approach to creativity & not separate strands.
Although Gist is based in Hastings, her practice focuses on cross-border collaborations with artists & partners in mainland Europe. She has participated in numerous residencies in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Mallorca, Italy & Bulgaria which has helped to create a nomadic network of artists & projects.
The SPACE’s current project ‘Artist Billboard 2 / AB2 features large scale photo images by 9 artists from the Balearics, Germany, France & the UK. It is the only location in the region which has an ongoing series of innovative public art.
Transformations at The Blue Door Gallery is an intervention which aims to create a new transient identity from the anonymous space ‘Unit 17’. Gist frequently uses re-purposed materials & found objects which can be interpreted as the detritus of daily life. She animates these objects & the places they inhabit to create alternative narratives. Through this appropriation of tangible & familiar artefacts, the works manifest memorable, inclusive, & legible encounters to contemplate time and space.