For Paul Carey-Kent, writing and curating begin in the same place: the gallery. Seeing art in person, returning to spaces, spending time with work — this is the foundation of everything that follows. Long before the writing comes the visit, and it’s an experience he values far more than encountering art online.
After over a decade of weekly writing for FAD Magazine, rooted in regular gallery-going, Carey-Kent’s rhythm was disrupted in 2022 and 2023 by extended periods in hospital and post-operative recovery. Unable to attend exhibitions in person, he adapted. Rather than responding to individual shows, he began writing more broadly—focusing each week on a single gallery, drawing on years of visits, conversations, and close familiarity.
The shift proved lasting. While London-based for now, the capital has offered more than enough ground: home to hundreds of contemporary galleries operating across every scale and model — from artist-run studio spaces to major international galleries, from commercial to public.
This book brings together a selection of 64 galleries, drawn from the first hundred written about between 2022 and 2024. Collectively, they form a portrait of a city shaped by the belief that galleries — as places — still matter.
Reflecting on the project, Mark Westall, Founder of FAD Magazine, says: “After I heard about Paul’s cancer, I wanted to produce something physical — to see his writing become something people could actually hold. So I spoke to Paul about it, and here it is: a collection of his writing. And it’s really rather good. I think even Paul is surprised by how interesting a read it is. It’s personal, funny, gossipy, and genuinely heart-warming.”
More than a survey of London galleries, Galleries To Go captures a way of looking — attentive, opinionated yet generous, and deeply human.
Paul says, “I have two recommendations to get the most out of gallery visits. First, talk to the gallerist: if you are interested, they will be welcoming – you don’t have to be rich enough to buy what they are showing. Second, get my book – you can afford that!”
Galleries To Go launched at the London Art Fair with a conversation between Tabish Khan and Paul Carey-Kent, followed by a second sold-out event at Ione & Mann.
The book is now exclusively available via the FAD Magazine Shop, price £10.
