WHAT IS RIP GALLERY?

The story of

(Born 23rd August, 1998) William Josephs Radford is a thought provoking contemporary photographer and artist, raised in the raw countryside of rural Andalucía, Spain.

Born into an unconventional and exciting environment, William could draw before he could walk and was rarely seen at his local village school without a pencil in his hand. Developing a fascination for cameras at the age of 15, he later attended the University of Gloucestershire to study fine art photography. Recently being nominated for The 7th Fine Art Photography Awards, for his ‘Character Building’ series which explores the topic of his peculiar childhood.
Inspired by the transgression of Épater la bourgeoisie, Radford’s Striking compositions and subject matters aim to challenge his audience, drawing on semantic values and visual signifiers in order to explore controversial themes. Favouring a light-painting technique, Radford painstakingly layers light throughout long exposures to capture the majority of his constructed scenes. Adroitly employing colour to further engage with a topic.

Artist statement

In the interest of respectfully provoking a reaction and luring the audiences thought process outside the box. The suggestive work aims at challenging artistic concepts through traditional methods and conventions. The vision being to make a statement with my artwork, and break boundaries through a gallery environment.

I have always enjoyed the surreal aspect of photography. When I started as a teenager, I would remove ordinary household furniture from their immediate environment, placing them into obscure surroundings. The lounge armchair in a river, the kitchen rocking chair on top of a mountain. Further developing this interest in the unusual, my recent work continues to follow this path. Whilst attempting to dissect some sensitive topics of our generation. Including; Gender identity, voyeurism and religion.

Heavily influenced by transgression and controversy, I find a great deal of inspiration in movements which reject prior definitions of art, in order to progress. More specifically, the likes of Andress Serrano, Sophie Calle and Sally Mann have impacted my vocation.

EXHIBITIONS & AWARDS

BOOKS

Out of the frame – Glasgow gallery of photography (2022)
A Cohort of Creative Bohemians – Tony Bryant (2022)
Photography in the Visual Culture – serradifalco editore (2021)
Room of Roses and weeds anthology – Waterstones (2019)

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

CHARACTER BUILDING | Artsenal Inoxis, Alhaurin, Spain (2021)
CHARACTER BUILDING | Art Nou Milenni, Barcelona (2021)
FAMILY MATTERS | Source Graduate (2020)
NATURAL FORM | Coconut Cafe, Coin, Spain (2016)

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

CHARACTER BUILDING | Laura I Art Gallery, London (2021)
BEACH BUMS | F-Stop Magazine, Vacation (2021)
CHARACTER BUILDING | F-Stop Magazine, Open Theme (2021)
HOLY SMOKES | La Caja Blanca, Malaga, Spain (2021)
OBJECTIFICATION | Artsenal Inoxis Gallery, Alhaurin, Spain (2021)
CHARACTER BUILDING | Homes Real estate, Fuengirola, Spain (2021)
HOLY SMOKES | Studio 33, Fuengirola, Spain (2021)
CHARACTER BUILDING | International Landscape Exhibit, GGOP (2021)
FAMILY MATTERS | F-Stop Magazine, Self portrait Issue (2021)
MILE HIGH CLUB | Documentary, Glasgow Gallery of photography (2020)
MILE HIGH CLUB | F-stop magazine, Documentary issue (2020)
OBJECTIFICATION | Artsy Feature (2019)
OBJECTIFICATION | The Wilson Gallery, Cheltenham, Uk (2019)
NATURAL FORM | Ayuntamiento de Monda (2019)

NEWSPAPER & ARTICLES

AWARDS

CHARACTER BUILDING | 7th Fine art photography awards, Nomination (2021)

FOUNDED BY WILLIAM JOSEPHS RADFORD

PORTFOLIO

My name is William Josephs Radford and I am an unknown artist. Much like many other unknown artists early in their career, I find it difficult to put a price on my work. Constantly trying to find a balance between vanity and value. The artist's audience plays a key role in this process, however online gallery spaces and social media platforms have blurred the line between influencer and artist. But... What is the intrinsic value of an Instagram follow ?

To keep it simple I created RIP, an online gallery with a twist. What's the twist? Well, all the work is mine and the prices are entirely based on the gallery's Instagram following.
An artist is worthless without his/her audience. So, starting with one follower (my personal account), I put the artworks up for sale at the price of £1 each. Despite the misleading title, RIP actually stands for Recommended Instagram Price. This price has been slowly increasing by £1 with every follow, essentially allowing my audience decide how much the pieces are worth.

Having surpassed the 100 follower mark within the first week, the featured artworks are already projected to be worth thousands in a matter of months. Through this project I hope to challenge how art is currently valued and sold on the internet, whilst questioning my own value as an unknown artist.

FAQ

What is RIP Gallery?

When it comes to pricing art the factors and influences are uncountable. However, In the shift towards online galleries. An artist's value has never been so dependant on their audience, resulting in more and more artists seeking validation through social media.

RIP gallery is a project founded by photographer William Josephs Radford. Created to challenge the way art is sold and valued on the internet.

The concept is to value pieces based on the gallery's following. Starting from 0 the artworks price is increased by £1 with every follow, allowing the audience dictate how much the pieces are worth.

Why should I follow RIP Gallery ?

Aside from up to date content, Every follow adds £1 to the value of our pieces and contributes to the cause.

Why should I buy from RIP Gallery?

Other than receiving the limited edition art piece with certificate of authenticity, By purchasing from RIP Gallery you are investing in a concept. Much like tracking an artist's trajectory, your investment will grow by £1 with every new follower we reach. An artwork bought for hundreds could be worth thousands in a matter of months.

Where did the concept come from?

The difficulty of being an unknown artist with little to contacts in the industry. Combined with the struggle to gain recognition.

The Vicious circle.
How do I sell, let alone price my work without any clients? How do I gain the right clients?

Unless you suddenly become famous overnight, usually an artist slowly builds a reputation and recognition. Working their way up from cheap pieces with little to no interest, to collectors editions with a high end clientele.

So for each person who recognises my page and chooses to follow for coming work, I get one step closer to being that highly acclaimed artist with an established audience.

How long is it for?

For the foreseeable future this is how I intend to price and sell my work, extending into the 5-10 year range.

When does the work become overpriced ?

It's completely up to the audience to decide.

What if RIP Gallery hits 1M followers?

Then the featured artwork will be priced at £1M.

What do I receive when I buy a piece?

In addition to the limited edition fine art photography print, all purchases will come with a certificate of authenticity for the piece.
Free shipping worldwide.