Painter Tania Corbett opened io Gallery on Sydney Street in 1997 after moving to Brighton to study and deciding to stay. It is still owned and run collectively by six local artists and designer-makers, including jewellers Cath Laffan and Julian Stephens and cabinet maker Sebastian Pedley, who take turns staffing the till alongside their own studio work. Around one hundred and forty artists are stocked across two floors, with ceramics, jewellery and small prints on the ground level and paintings and larger textile pieces below. About four-fifths of the work on display is made within the local area, and the gallery accepts commissions directly from customers. A basement room is given over to themed group shows that change through the year, often timed to coincide with the Brighton Festival and Fringe. Prices span from affordable prints to larger studio paintings.
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