Between the years 1902 to 1908 the 27-year old poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote ten letters to Franz Kappus, a 19-year old student seeking feedback on his poetry but, more broadly, career and life advice. The letters were published in a compendium titled Letters to a Young Poet.

Things I Wish I’d Known riffs on Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet; each participating artist will ‘think back’ through their practice to consider the discoveries – and also the pitfalls and anxieties – that attended the development of their arts practices. Rather than acting as notes of guidance, each work within the exhibition will reflect on the processes that take place within the evolution of an artist’s work – the sometime unrecognisable yet fundamental transactions that shape an artist’s career.

The participating artists are all current West Space Board or Program Committee members. West Space has a history of mounting extended group exhibitions that reflect upon and reference the artistic communities around West Space. At the centre of West Space is a focus on artists’ practices and the organisation is proud of its artist-led governance, which manifests in robust critical dialogues that consider the changing needs and practices of artists.