Artist outraged after gallery space becomes restaurant same week as opening Mr Stok said he had received a letter on 8 October 2011 which outlined developments to the Boxfield gallery, including that it was to host a restaurant. The letter was accompanied with a photograph which showed the gallery with a table and two chairs. Mr Stok said, "I knew a part of the gallery had a restaurant, but that the exhibition space was separated from it by a wall. A little table was fine, no problems. However, when Mr Stok went to pick up the event invitations and view the space, he said that the "reality was that it was no longer a gallery, it was a bistro." In what he called "a clever maneuver," Mr Stok said that the gallery had combined his art exhibition with a restaurant opening as an attempt for free decoration. "They do it with younger students," he added. Mr Stok said he likes to display his work as part of a "story" and "dialogue." My conception was based around a specific creative space, including a diagonal wall. Now it is a completely different gallery, and there is no space between the restaurant tables. Before he was aware of the change, Mr Stok had contacted hundreds of people in the industry in Europe and the UK about his show. While two lawyers had advised him to cancel his exhibition, Mr Stok says he will continue to show his work at Boxfield to maintain his credibility. "The damage is my reputation," he says. But this isn't just damaging to me. It's happening continuously to artists. Artists are being treated very very badly. Jonathan Stone, Marketing Director from Stevenage Leisure Ltd, told The Telegraph that the gallery has been significantly updated, and has been an area where food and drink has been served for over a year. The investment has made the gallery "a much more attractive area" which will be open as a gallery when the restuarant is closed, with improved visitor accessibility and security.