Behind the Scenes: Building Tour and Studio Artist Visits

As part of Heritage Open Days, join us for a special behind the scenes tour of Spike Island where two artists will open their studio doors to the public. This is a chance to: explore the building’s unique architectural features and gain a glimpse into its previous life as a Brooke Bond tea-packing factory; have an exclusive sneak peek into the gallery during install of the next exhibitions; and meet some of the artists based at Spike Island, learn about their practice and view works in progress.

On this visit, we meet artists Béa Kayani and Natasha MacVoy. Kayani is a multidisciplinary artist with a strong focus on exploring and investigating ideas of perception, memory, erasure, and the politics of visibility. MacVoy is a sculptor, who’s practice includes murals, ceramics, writing, performance and film.

BÉA KAYANIBea Kayani (Zarabéa Esfendiar Kayani) is a post-conceptual, transdisciplinary artist working across expanded media, with a focus on time-based processes, moving images, and site-responsive material systems. Her work unfolds through cognition, non-human intelligence, elemental processes, and protocols of attention, care, and invisible labour—revealing embedded histories through material transmutation. Trained in medical sciences, Kayani brings an embodied understanding of physiological transformation and cognitive presence into her work.

NATASHA MACVOY

Natasha MacVoy’s sculptural practice includes murals, ceramics, writing, performance and film to create installations and environments. Her work is a generous, gentle and complex study of mothering, identity, loss, gain and unconditional love through the lens of neurodiversity. In her practice she explores adaptive care and education in a broken system, expertise as protection and hope through radical connection.

Image credits

Portrait of Natasha MacVoy, courtesy Mike Doxford

Portrait of Bea Kayani. Portrait credit: Barthélémy Agaësse.