The Wick Culture - Lucca Hue-Williams The Wick Culture - Lucca Hue-Williams
Monday Muse

Interview Albion Jeune Founder Lucca Hue-Williams

Interview
Lucca Hue-Williams
02 September 2024
Interview
Lucca Hue-Williams
02 September 2024
Meet Lucca Hue-Williams: the enterprising young Founder and Director of Albion Jeune, a 1,300 square foot gallery in buzzing Fitzrovia that opened its doors during Frieze week last year. Albion Jeune’s enticing programme does things differently: it’s led by the emerging international artists on Hue-Williams’s roster. Hue-Williams, 26, is the daughter of Albion Barn & Fields gallerist and art dealer, and graduated from the Courtauld with dreams of reflecting the global art scene from the heart of London in her own way: with intoxicating and thought-provoking art. She’s shown the likes of Alia Ahmad and Esben Weile Kjær. As Albion Jeune approaches its first anniversary, we caught up with Hue-Williams to reflect and see what’s next.

THE WICK:   What’s the first piece of art you ever fell in love with? And how does it still influence your curatorial vision today?

Lucca Hue-Williams:   Growing up around James Turrell fuelled my fascination with art that transcends traditional spaces and taught me to see art as a bridge between cultures and a challenge to conventional boundaries. His Ganzfelds and Skyspaces phenomenologically prompt a transcendental experience while asking the audience to question their perception. At Albion Jeune, we’ve aspired to collaborate with artists of my generation that push the limits of art’s role, particularly in a socio-cultural context.

TW:   From Albion Jeune to the world—what’s the secret sauce to creating a gallery space (designed by John Pawson) that feels both intimate and revolutionary? 

LHW:   Warm pared-back materials, clean lines, and a welcoming team.

TW:   Your curation has a certain cinematic flair—if you could have any filmmaker direct an exhibition of yours, who would it be and why?

LHW:   Wong Kar Wai – to engage his legendary use of colour, his fascination with obsession and desire, and his nostalgic reconstruction of memory and time.

TW:   You’re known for your eye on emerging talent. What’s the most unexpected place you’ve discovered an artist?

LHW:   I came to know Timur Si-Qin on a personal level while working in Saudi Arabia for the inaugural Diriyah Biennale. His exhibition at Albion Jeune opens in November.

TW:   When the day is done and the gallery doors close, what are you streaming, reading, or listening to?

LHW:   It is impossible to narrow this down. Recently I have read Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff and The Idiot by Fyodor Dostovesky; I’ve played Massive Attack and Hermanos Gutiérrez; and I enjoy listening podcasts on business and psychology.

“Over the next period we will showcase some of the most interesting artists who respond to relevant fields, such as decolonisation, the environment, biotech, interdisciplinary practice, and the further hybridisation between analogue and digital among other themes.”

TW:   Art has the power to provoke, heal, and inspire—what do you hope visitors take away from a walk through Albion Jeune?

LHW:   My interest in geopolitical relations is undeniable. Over the next period we will showcase some of the most interesting artists who respond to relevant fields, such as decolonisation, the environment, biotech, interdisciplinary practice, and the further hybridisation between analogue and digital among other themes. I would like visitors to leave feeling inspired, having seen art that feels somewhat essential.

TW:   If you could curate a show anywhere in the world, no limits, no boundaries, where would it be and what would the theme be?

LHW:   Perhaps Richard Serra in Antarctica; or a contemporary response to the Land Art of the 60s and 70s through an ecological lens; or DRIVE at Pinacoteca Agnelli – a sculptural exhibition of contemporary interpretations of the car.

TW:   What’s your favourite Culturally Curious getaway in London when you need a break from the art world?

LHW:   Dinner in great company – Kiln, BRAT, and the River Cafe come to mind. I also love visiting the John Pawson intervention of the Whispering Gallery at St Pauls Cathedral, and the Egyptian Section of the British Museum.

TW:   The best advice you’ve ever received in the art world—what is it?

LHW:   You’re only as good as your last move.

TW:   Who is your ultimate Monday Muse?

LHW:   Peggy Guggenheim – she could rock sunglasses like nobody’s business while assembling an art collection that would make even the most serious industrialist jealous. Albion Jeune is a nod to the legendary Guggenheim Jeune, which was only a stone’s throw away from our location.


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