Portrait of The Alchemy Experiment’s owner Pierce Houlihan (Credit: Claire Thomson)
With The Alchemy Experiment celebrating its fifth birthday this year, owner Pierce Houlihan takes a deeper dive into the art industry and the importance of supporting local and emerging artists.
According to research by the University of Glasgow, the median income for visual artists was just £12,500 a year in 2024 – 47 percent lower than the income of full-time minimum wage worker and a 40 percent decrease in earnings since 2010.
Despite the £9.7 billion UK Art Market being one of the largest in the world, many artists still have to supplement their income with additional work and consequently struggle to sustain their practice.
“It’s a massively privileged industry. You need to be from a well-off background to make it in the industry – most of the time,” commented Pierce Houlihan, owner of The Alchemy Experiment in Glasgow’s west end. “It’s run by nepotism and cronyism. It’s all about who you know to get a foot in the door, to get into bigger art galleries, to get jobs and to really be successful as an artist.”
On the verge of celebrating its fifth birthday, it’s for that reason art gallery, creative hub and coffee shop The Alchemy Experiment aims to move away from an elitist model towards something more accessible and inclusive that welcomes people from all backgrounds and social classes to exhibit their work.
The art space was the brainchild of Pierce’s father Denis, who wanted to create a more energetic and community-based art gallery that would bring people in from off the streets and act as a launchpad for local and emerging creatives. Alongside exhibitions, the independent business on the famous Byres Road also hosts events such as workshops, book launches, poetry masterclasses and group exhibitions, acting as a local spot for people to meet and be surrounded by different forms of entertainment.
Pierce said at the birth of The Alchemy Experiment just before the start of the pandemic, there were more exhibitions, independent galleries and grassroot venues that support local artists across the city. However, with cuts to creative funding and cultural institutions struggling, it’s proving more and more challenging for non-traditional, young and working-class artists to showcase their work.
“Our whole thing initially was we would charge less of a commission than other galleries. Instead of the 50 percent model that a lot of places rely on, we decided it would be better to charge 30 percent, so the artist takes home a higher fee,” Pierce explained. “We subsidise that by selling coffee and such, which also brings in more people to see the artwork.
“In our shop at the moment, we have over 100 artists from around the UK. We regularly pay out money to them each month. Obviously, it’s not going to sustain them completely but it’s something extra that will help support their career as an artist and also get their name out there to the hundreds of people that will look at their work each week.
“There are similar art spaces that have done this in Glasgow, but I believe we’re different in that we create a community through the coffee shop and other events. We want to create a less pretentious atmosphere than what you might find in another gallery and make it warmer and more welcoming.”
Most of the artists at the venue either have a full-time profession and art is a side hustle or are full-time artists with an additional part-time job, according to Pierce.
After four years of juggling two full-time careers, local artist Dawn Spence recently left her job as a teacher to become a full-time solo artist.
“I’ve always dreamt of becoming a full-time artist, but I never thought it would be possible and I didn’t have the confidence. Then over the last couple of years, there’s been so many seeds of hope, and everything’s fallen into place,” Dawn reflected.
She said she had always wanted to exhibit at The Alchemy Experiment because of its relationship with artists and collectors, its high footfall and its promotion of artists through social media. Describing her exhibition Freedom as a “great celebration”, she had the opportunity to do an artist talk for the first time, as well as host an event that featured an album launch and poetry surrounding her paintings.
But an unexpected highlight came as the main piece of her show 9 Moments of Romance was picked up by the London Biennale and is set to be exhibited there this summer, which Dawn beamed was “a dream come true”.
Similar to the Houlihan family, she aspires to run her own art gallery to celebrate and connect artists together through warmth, joy and conversation, which The Alchemy Experiment is heavily praised for.
“There’s something rare about The Alchemy Experiment, it doesn’t feel like a traditional gallery space,” commented creative Bianca Patania, who curated the group exhibition Weird Studies II alongside Yulia Hap in January. “It feels alive, curious, open. It holds space not just for the work, but for the people behind it.”
She said the creative hub made her feel like she was “part of community that cares about experimentation, intimacy and risk-taking” as the team treats local and emerging artists as individuals with stories worth listening to, which Yulia echoed explaining how she believes that artists who are supported locally tend benefit the community more.
Yulia remarked: “Emerging artists definitely need more support early-career – success in the industry isn’t guaranteed at these stages, as attention can wax and wane quickly in these times of an artist’s development. I believe the most exciting art emerges locally, as a result of a direct conversation with the specific challenges and successes of any place it surfaces in.”
From creative opportunities and a supportive atmosphere to exposure and increased earnings for artists, there’s no doubt The Alchemy Experiment’s exhibitions and events have made an impression on Glasgow’s art scene. By blowing the trumpet for inclusive, grassroot arts venues, the space has allowed emerging talent to flourish, while they take that all important first step into the industry – a path which many hope to continue down in the future.
