Kristian Day is a curator, mentor and lecturer who has worked across the UK’s public and private art sectors for over 30 years. His practice spans contemporary curating, artist development, and strategic support for galleries, studio groups, and arts institutions. He is particularly interested in regional arts ecologies and has advised a wide range of organisations on how to build more sustainable, interconnected networks outside of metropolitan centres.

 

He is the founder of Playing Fields, a curatorial project dedicated to building meaningful new networks between regional art scenes. This initiative enables collaborations across geographic and institutional boundaries, connecting artists, curators, and audiences through dynamic, site-sensitive exhibitions and programming.

 

His exhibitions span a wide spectrum of artistic practices, including painting, sculpture, performance, moving image, installation, text-based work, digital art, film, and sound art. He has also worked extensively on arts and ecology projects, often exploring the intersections between environmental research, rural landscapes, and contemporary artistic practice. Notable sound-based projects include Sonic Fields and Wilbury Radio, which engage with experimental music and sound art.

 

Formerly a gallery director on Cork Street, London, Day has worked extensively across both the public and private art sectors. His commercial experience informs his nuanced understanding of the art market, while his long-standing commitment to public programming and artist-led initiatives drives a curatorial practice rooted in access, experimentation, and collaboration. He is particularly skilled at forging partnerships that bridge these two spheres, enabling ambitious and context-responsive projects across a variety of institutional and independent settings.

 

He is a strong advocate for smaller and emerging galleries, recognising their essential role in the wider arts ecology. Day is also known for his longstanding commitment to early-career artists, often working with practitioners at formative stages in their development. His curatorial approach is grounded in close dialogue, long-term support, and an ability to recognise and nurture distinctive practices before they gain wider visibility. In addition to his curatorial work, he mentors artists, offering one-to-one guidance on both creative direction and professional development — often in the lead-up to an exhibition. He also runs artist residencies, currently based at Haarlem Artspace, where he creates space for research, reflection, and experimentation outside of a strictly production-driven framework.

 

As an experienced lecturer, he has taught widely in higher education, specialising in curatorial studies, professional practice, and the intersection of curating and cultural policy. He also works as a trusted advisor to galleries, institutions, and studio groups, helping to shape thoughtful strategies around programming, governance, and community building.

 

Day has curated or co-curated projects at a wide range of venues including Haarlem Artspace (Derbyshire), GLOAM(Sheffield), Slugtown (Newcastle), Lace Market Gallery (Nottingham), Q&C (Cambridge), Broadway Gallery(Hertfordshire), The Shuck (Hertfordshire), Meakin + Parsons (Oxford), Arusha Gallery (Edinburgh), Saatchi Gallery(London), Assembly Point (London), Kingsgate Project Space (London), Paradise Works (Salford), Tripp Gallery(London), Concept Space (London), Herrick Gallery (London), Wilder Gallery (London), Dubrek Gallery and Studios (Derbyshire), and in collaboration with Shetland Arts, among many others.

 

Kristian Day continues to be a vital force in contemporary curatorial practice, foregrounding connection, experimentation, and the regional as a site of rich cultural production.