With the public opening of the space set for Friday the 6th of June, the duo is hard at work.
Setting down his tools for a brief chat, Ciaran tells me: “I’ve known Panda since I was 16. We’ve both been part of the street art and graffiti scene in Glasgow, and various other art scenes in the city for all of our adult lives.
“Whenever I’d speak to Panda about future dreams and plans we had, a gallery was always part of that equation — but it was a pipe dream.”
Ciaran, who works as a sign painter, met Panda at college back in 2006.
Sat behind a rough wooden counter with a box of Crimbles macaroons in arms reach, Panda adds: “I’ve had my stall at the Barras for two and a half years. It was really close to Ciaran’s studio — he’d come and visit a lot. We’d speak about how we wanted the city to change, and that planted the seeds of doing something together.
“One day I was walking past and noticed that the space was up for rent. I always imagined the side wall having a mural on it, but had never been inside before.”
“The film is about a lot of American artists from all sorts of backgrounds,” he notes. “They forge a really beautiful community and become some of the biggest artists in America.
“We’ve been involved in this since we were so young, so it is strange that something similar hasn’t happened here yet.”
Panda says that Glasgow’s sometimes-reticent attitude to street art has been sparked by the council’s approach to graffiti.
He pauses.
“Historically,” Panda explains, “the council has been very conservative on street art and graffiti. They’ve had a zero tolerance approach, and spent the highest amount of any council in the UK in removing graffiti.
“But when you remove stuff, it makes things stagnant. Yet, over the last five years, things have begun to change, there have been a lot of murals springing up. I think most people are actually pretty positive about street art.”
Ciaran adds: “The immediate community here in Garnethill have been super positive about us moving in, because this building has lay in a semi-dilapidated state for quite some time.
“The exterior was subject to a lot of wear and tear, so as soon as we started slapping paint on it, we got a great reaction – the neighbours loved it.
“We’ve only been working on it for one month, but it’s been a complete team effort – inside and out. If it was just me and Panda doing it, we’d be nowhere near finished but everyone has chipped in — it shows how much people want this.
“We’ve had joiners, stonemasons, glazers, electricians, neon sign installers and others help out.”
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A crowd-funder set up to help with renovation costs raised nearly £12,000, with more than 300 people chipping in.
The gallery will be open five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday; and sell affordable prints, merchandise, and artwork from close friends and fellow street artists.
At the core of the gallery will be a rotating floor show each month, showcasing artists from across Glasgow. The first show, entitled “Friends”, is set to run between 6 June and 3 July.
Panda says he hopes that the gallery will serve as a social space for Glasgow’s arts community.
As a fitting tribute to the redemptive power of art, the gallery will open on the eight anniversary of Panda’s sobriety.
Panda tells me: “We all used to hang out at the Art School union back in the day, and always went along to shows at Recoat gallery.”
“We want to create something similar — a regular community for artists. We want each show to be an excuse for people to come together.”
