In April 2020, BIG RAT .STUDIO was created by Molly Stredwick and Elliot Martin. What originally started as a one-off digital show became an ongoing project that aimed to make space for artists to share their works in a way that was separate from exhibiting work in the traditional sense. Our first show I made this for the rat that lives under my oven was a light hearted exhibition featuring artwork in a computer generated art gallery, showcasing works of art by artists from all over the world.  

Our aim was to display art using humour and in a setting that didn’t feel so hard and restrictive. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, lots of degree shows were cancelled or changed, including my own. My own degree show was changed to an online display of works that did not feel like an adequate end to the culmination of three years of work. BIG RAT .STUDIO felt like a way to display the works of my peers in a way that poked fun at this pivot into digitally displaying artwork. 

Since our first online exhibition, BIG RAT .STUDIO transformed into multiple online shows, an exhibition series and an Instagram account full of artist takeovers and behind the scenes insights into young artists’ practices. It was important to us that our space did not feel restrictive to the artists we were working with, which resulted in us giving full reign to the artists in respect of what they wanted their gallery space to look like, how they wanted to handle their artist takeover and how much of their practice they wanted to share with our audience. Giving the artists the space to choose how they wanted to present themselves felt really important to us, as accessing the art world as an early career artist can feel so daunting. 

We worked with charities such as Element Creatives, a London based charity that works with young people in care and care leavers on arts projects. With Element Creatives we created two end of project exhibitions showing the works during the project. These shows were created with the help of Arts Council England, City of Westminster, Brent council, and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC). 

In 2021 we created BIG RAT STUDIO’s Tiny Gallery, an 8x12x11 inch art gallery. Our aim with the Tiny Gallery was to make exhibitions in a similar way to our digital shows, showcasing work in an unusual space, with a focus on not being to0 serious. 

In 2020 the Tiny Gallery closed its doors.