When is a studio a necessity for an artist and when it is luxury?

Studios may be important to artists for a range of reasons. As well as the obvious role of providing a space to work and think, they can be a site for conversation and many artists feel having a studio gives them a sense of professional validation. Studios can be expensive however, and much contemporary practice that doesn’t result in the production of objects might not have the same need for a production space.  Furthermore if artists are not proactive in engaging with the opportunities a studio offers they can end up being little more than expensive storage for work.

The Real World: studios in practice

This conversation that took part as part of a talks programme The Real World run in partnership with Whitechapel Art Gallery considered different positions on artists need for studios.