Garage to Gallery

Everything I’ve Learnt (and Am Still Learning) Curating My First Exhibition and Launching a Brand from the Ground Up

They say every great idea starts in a garage. Mine did too, infact it’s still there; I am surrounded by offcuts of metal, rolls of sketches taped to the wall, and an unrelenting vision that felt far bigger than the space it was born in.

One day, I’ll have a warehouse in Melbourne’s west. A purpose-built studio. A headquarters for the world I’m building. But for now, my garage is where VANTA was birthed; and where Skin to Steel was born.

In just under a month, I’ll debut my first fine art exhibition: Skin to Steel. It’s the culmination of four years of relentless work. Designing, refining, failing, learning, rebuilding, and believing. It’s more than an exhibition. It’s the launch of my brand, the release of my self published book, and the unveiling of an entire body of work that charts my evolution from tattooing skin to sculpting steel and crafting serene yet bold, immersive experiences.

What started as an idea — a spark — has become a meticulously curated collection of panels, sculptures, homewares, and fine art editions. Each piece carries a story. Each collection marks a deeply personal chapter. Together, they form a portrait of everything I’ve learnt and everything I’ve built from the ground up, including myself.

This is my story from garage to gallery; and everything I’ve discovered along the way.

Learning by Doing

I stepped into this world with no formal experience in fine art. No tertiary education. No university degree in engineering, design, or business. Just over a decade as a tattoo artist on the road; drawing pictures my whole life and building a creative language from nothing but experience and intuition.

So needless to say, I now understand the gravity of what I’ve bitten off — and the scale of what I’ve built. The past four years have been a masterclass in trial and error, resilience, and reinvention. Every part of this journey has been self-taught.

I am not someone who thrives in a classroom. Traditional education has never been how I learn. Instead, I’ve done this the only way I know how: by doing. By the Deep End. By experimenting. By failing forward and learning the hard way. By building this step by step, without a blueprint, and refusing to stop until the work in front of me matched the vision in my head.

Building More Than an Exhibition

I quickly learnt that an exhibition isn’t just a gallery of artworks; it’s an ecosystem. It’s all soul, part storytelling, part engineering, part logistics, and part business.

Over the past four years, I’ve built that ecosystem piece by piece:

• Curation as Storytelling

Exhibitions aren’t about showing work. They’re about telling a story. Every panel, sculpture, and product needed to be part of a bigger conversation. The scale, the sequencing, the placement, it all matters. I learnt how to shape the viewer’s journey through space, guiding them through the narrative I wanted them to feel.

• Language as Legacy

Writing my first artist statement was one of the hardest things I’ve done. It forced me to articulate the deeper why behind what I create; to translate instinct into intention. It taught me that language is another form of design, one that builds the framework around the work itself.

• The Business of Art

Creativity is only one side of the equation. Behind every work sits an entire engine: trade catalogues, exhibition catalogues, marketing strategies, sponsorship decks, pricing structures, and sales systems. Building that machine from the ground up was one of the steepest learning curves; especially while maintaining a career in tattooing, personal wellbeing, designing the collections, but it’s what allows the work to exist in the world.

Finding My Voice — Literally

One of the most unexpected parts of this journey was learning to use my voice; in every sense.

I started vocal training, not just to prepare for speaking at the vernissage, but to step into my authority as a designer and creative director. Learning how to speak with clarity, power, and presence became symbolic of the whole process. It’s not just about communicating ideas, it’s about owning them.

As someone entering the fine art and design world without the traditional credentials, finding and strengthening my voice has been about more than speaking. It’s been about claiming space and building a platform for my work and ideas to stand on.

Boundaries, Intentions, and Integrity

Building something from the ground up doesn’t just require vision, it requires protection.

One of the most profound lessons I’ve learnt is the importance of boundaries. As opportunities grow and more people want to be part of the story, I’ve had to become more discerning about where I place my energy and who I collaborate with.

I’ve learnt to pause and ask: Does this align with the vision? Does it respect the work? Does it contribute to the legacy I’m building? Boundaries are not walls, they’re frameworks that protect creativity, intention, and integrity.

Skin to Steel: More Than an Exhibition

Skin to Steel is more than a gallery show. It’s also the launch of my self published book; a visual and narrative archive of the journey from tattooing to fine art metalwork. It’s the official launch of VANTA; a design house rooted in precision, permanence, and presence. And it’s a statement of everything I believe art and design can be: powerful, functional, transformative, and timeless.

This journey has challenged me, stretched me, and shaped me. And it’s still teaching me every single day.

From Garage to Gallery — and Beyond

From a small garage to gallery walls, this journey is just beginning. Skin to Steel is a milestone, but it’s also a launchpad. A foundation for larger projects, deeper collaborations, and a future where art, architecture, collaboration and storytelling continue to merge.

This isn’t just about steel. It’s about the stories we shape, the spaces we transform, and the worlds we build, one line at a time.

And it all started in a garage.