Cityscape with mid-rise and high-rise buildings, green areas, and a partly cloudy sky.
The brick building has large windows reflecting the sky and trees outside. The sign on the building reads "WATERLANS FARE" with a small wave logo above the text. Above the building, the sky is partly cloudy with patches of blue and white clouds.

XYZ Building Independent Futures for Artists

Skyline of Taipei, Taiwan with Taipei 101 skyscraper and cityscape under a partly cloudy sky.
Aerial view of London's skyline featuring the Shard skyscraper, Tower Bridge over the River Thames, and the City of London with modern high-rise buildings under a cloudy sky.

XYZ is a mission-driven platform supporting artists in developing their practice, networks, and careers, combining physical spaces, digital tools, and interdisciplinary programmes to strengthen artists’ independence and autonomy.

Today, in 2025, artists around the world face the same challenge: they are rarely given the tools or opportunities to run their practice as a business. Traditional MA programs in art offer little to no education in basic budgeting, business development, administration, or marketing — leaving artists without the knowledge to navigate the realities of professional sustainability. Art academies continue to rely on outdated traditions, focusing on technique, history, and theory, while offering few pathways toward self-sufficiency.


XYZ is a result of Anna Fernsten Nilén’s Master Capstone Project at Rome Business School, and shaped in collaboration with Director Damian Rayne, whose ambition is to expand the flagship space across London and beyond the boundaries of the UK. Built on extensive research and in-depth interviews with artists and founders of artist-run spaces, XYZ emerged from this thesis — a response to a persistent gap in how artists are prepared to sustain their own practice.

At XYZ, we believe this needs to change. Our mission is to empower artists with business knowledge, entrepreneurial tools, and a supportive community so they can thrive independently — not relying solely on patrons, institutions, or commercial galleries to sustain their work.

By collaborating with local landlords, property developers, institutions, art academies, established artists, and charitable foundations, we are building a supportive ecosystem that strengthens artists’ independence and professional skills. Coupled with our digital toolbox, this approach equips artists with the knowledge and resources to manage, grow, and sustain their practice — resulting in a new model where creativity and financial autonomy can flourish side by side.

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