Above: David Whyte Photography

ARTS THREAD speaks to the directors of Doyle Wham, London’s first contemporary African photography gallery, about starting a gallery in the digital era and how art businesses can succeed in a remote setting – read on to find out more!

Doyle Wham was born from a long-standing ambition of the directors to open a gallery together - something Imme Dattenberg-Doyle and Sofia Carreira-Wham have spoken about since they were at secondary school. The events of 2020 and the global lockdown were a catalyst, as they no longer felt that opening a permanent physical space (and the enormous funds required to do so in London where they live) was necessary.



In July of this year, Imme and Sofia organised an online exhibition of young African photographers to benefit two charities that they respectively work and volunteer for: Right for Education and Mobile Art School Kenya (MASK). This was such a positive experience for them both and the artists, that they decided to launch Doyle Wham the following month, and specialise in contemporary African photography - for which, they discovered, there is no other platform in the UK. Their latest exhibition, Murky Waters, is the first solo show of young Kenyan photographer Margaret Ngigi, whose work explores the complex pressures facing young women in contemporary Kenyan society.

ARTS THREAD: What can be the advantages to showing work digitally?

Doyle Wham: Access is central to our gallery’s ethos, which goes hand in hand in with digital display. We are also able to work with artists around the world and connect them with new audiences. Without traditional logistical barriers such as shipping, the artist just need to send us an image file and we can do the rest. The lack of major overheads such as rent, also enables us to offer art at affordable price points, and thereby encourage young people to start collecting.

We work exclusively with photography, which as a primarily digitally-born medium, lends itself particularly well to online exhibitions. For the technologically-minded, the present moment offers a great opportunity to develop innovative forms of virtual exhibiting. From a buyer’s perspective, they have access to high-resolution images through our website, with the ability to zoom in and examine every detail.



AT: What are the best tools to successfully work with artists remotely, and also with clients, the public?

Doyle Wham: We discover most of our artists through Instagram, and initially reach out to them that way. We were both used to communicating exclusively over email for professional purposes, but have found it works better to use more casual messaging services. Your relationships with artists are the foundation of any gallery, and we schedule video calls wherever possible to get to know each other better. We also have an extensive questionnaire that we send to artists before exhibiting an artwork to gather key information that we can use to write compelling captions and marketing material.

Our website is the primary way in which clients and the public interact with us, so prioritising user experience through design is key. We currently use SquareSpace for our website, which has a great inbuilt commerce function, and KunstMatrix to create virtual exhibition walkthroughs. Make sure you point towards your mailing list sign-up and are easily contactable for any enquiries. People who might have got in touch can be easily dissuaded by an unfriendly or unfathomable interface!



AT: If you want to offer offline experiences, what would you suggest are the best ways to do this?

Doyle Wham: We strongly believe that art enlivens every street, office, shop etc. It doesn’t just belong in museums or designated ‘art’ spaces! Even as an online gallery, exhibiting some work physically through pop-ups or collaborations is still a great way to gain brand awareness - if you can. Rather than using pop-up concierge services, try contacting the owners of spaces directly for better rates or get more creative with your search.

With high streets left increasingly empty and so many businesses sadly shutting down, there are a lot of unused spaces around. It’s not in the local councils’ interest to leave these empty, so it’s worth reaching out and explaining your idea. Some even have designated ‘meanwhile spaces’, where an area has been marked for redevelopment and can be short-term leased for very discounted prices.

Existing businesses also have to innovate to survive so it could well be in your mutual interest to collaborate. You can provide the art, along with new audiences and online marketing, and they can provide the physical space. We have found this a fruitful method, and have an exciting pop-up exhibition scheduled at the Wynwood Art District cafe in Walthamstow, for example.



AT: How can the current climate help new online businesses in the arts succeed? What opportunities are there?

Doyle Wham: Traditionally, participating in a major art fair would require a substantial budget, a physical premise, and significant name recognition to even be considered. This year, all bets are off. As art fairs go digital, there are many more opportunities to get involved and as an online gallery you have a much better chance of not just being included but being exhibited on an equal platform to more established organisations.

This month we will be participating in Abuja Art Week, presenting a new exhibition and charitable project, ‘YOUNG LAGOS’, featuring young Lagos-based photographers. We are also holding various panel discussions with the featured artists, which will be a great opportunity to reach new people, while practicing our interview skills without the presence of a live audience!

AT: How can you market your online showcase on a very small budget?

Doyle Wham: We currently don’t have an online marketing budget, but made a small investment in physical materials like business cards and exhibition flyers and posters to help direct people towards online exhibitions. In the lead-up to the launch of our inaugural show, PORTR-8, we attended as many related exhibitions and events as possible to give these out.

Build and utilise your social media network as a source of free advertising, particularly within the thriving art community Instagram, and cross-promote each others’ endeavours. The artists you are working with will also likely have fans and followers, so create eye-catching, image-focused promotional content for them to share alongside your own efforts.

With the endless plethora of other websites out there, keep SEO in mind when naming your business and each exhibition/project. In our case, there thankfully aren’t other Doyle Whams out there, although our search results are inevitably interspersed with George Michael content.

About Doyle Wham

Doyle Wham exists to promote innovative, young voices working in photography across Africa. We firmly believe that art is for everyone. Our operating model removes traditional logistical and financial barriers to entry for both artists and art collectors. Our content is primarily designed for and distributed via our online platform, connecting our photographers with a global audience.

Doyle Wham Directors:

Imme Dattenberg-Doyle
Imme is an African art and design expert. The Managing Director of the Right for Education Foundation, Imme is also the founder of Afrikan Gallery, a photography page with over a million followers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Imme holds an undergraduate degree in History of Art (Africa/Asia/Europe) from the School of Oriental and African Studies and University College London, and a postgraduate degree in History of Design from the Royal College of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum.

Sofia Carreira-Wham
Sofia is a contemporary art market expert. She is an experienced Writer, Archivist and Curator who has trained at some of the UK’s top national museums and galleries. She is dedicated to a range of philanthropic projects with a particular focus on arts education in Africa through her work with Mobile Art School Kenya. Sofia holds an undergraduate degree in Classics and a postgraduate degree in Heritage & Museum Studies from Cambridge University.

Leran more about Doyle Wham from their website.