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07/30/2004: "My Perfect Art Gallery" by Ausra Larbey
Recently I moved to Melbourne, Australia. First things first - as soon as I found place to park my suitcases I decided to look up my gallery owner friend I knew from before only to find out that she just closed down her galleries, all two of them and assumed role of an art consultant/dealer. For a while she worked from her storage place, her office and regular booths at art fairs. Later on, luckily for me, a more detailed search revealed that she recently reopened a space at a different address, where rents are lower and probability of getting a car park spot - considerably higher. Apparently it was a big step up for the gallery's finances and cost cutting. Let's not forget - it is a commercial gallery we are talking about. But what about the art and artists represented? Where on the list of priorities are they situated? And what was the outcome for them in the process of restructuring?
My dear friend admitted that the main reason behind her decision to re-open the gallery was artists’ need for a place to show their work to the public (the gallery specialises in emerging and mid-career artists). In addition to that - the buyers, middle men and curators she works with wanted to see a street address of an open exhibition space, though hardly any of them have seen the place more than once if at all. Majority of deals were conducted via internet or by personally networking with the clients. Very few works were actually sold on the gallery floor, a high percentage of art work going to ownership of people who haven't even visited the gallery. Other gallery owners, managers and curators I know and talk often with agree that it is a common trend developing across the sector.
One of the many functions of an art gallery and, undoubtedly, the most important one traditionally was and remains till this day - to introduce art to the public. However the very format and interface of this process has changed considerably during the past few years and still is in a mode of flux and transformation. Endless possibilities offered by Internet, multitude of various art forms combined with constant shortage of time, commercial pressures and more - all of which are reshaping current practices of creating, viewing, enjoying and owning the works of art. The virtual start-up commercial art galleries and markets are doing extremely fine job. Where does it leave traditional commercial bricks and mortar art spaces? (It's a figure of speech, of course, - those galleries that are built of glass, metal or timber or any other material can be included in our discussion as well). We all have to agree that there is still a role for it however modified and in much need of revision. Public galleries all over the world have been increasingly refashioning and modernising themselves. They strive to support contemporary artists and help their work to be seen by the public. However, in my opinion, even the wealthiest and the most advanced society could at any given time lack resources to fully maintain modern, and traditional for that matter, art in its entire variety and extremes. At the commercial sector things are developing too - art fairs have become dynamic events. For example, this year's Melbourne Affordable Art Fair was a great success for the artists, gallery owners and collectors alike. This week's Sydney Affordable Art Fair so far is shaping to be as good. But how much of art displayed there did the general public see? These events cater for dealers and collectors and, of course, they are very important to the artists.
As time goes by will we be only able to enjoy art works that we, our friends, the company we work for or the local public gallery can afford? Are we heading towards some limitations and restrictions? What about the big formats, installations, happenings, multimedia and other untraditional art forms? Where can they be displayed? Yes, the institution of commercial gallery is alive and kicking. New cross breads have been created: gallery-café, gallery-gift, furniture, antiques or clothing shop. Gallery-library or a foyer of a hotel. In other words - any empty walls in places where people congregate and spend some time sitting, browsing, dining, etc will do. Once I even came across Ballet Dance Company which doubled as an art gallery and it was, I have to admit, a good fun. Here, in Australia I have discovered a very interesting phenomenon: a wine tasting room-art gallery, which works incredibly well. Few months ago a friend of mine opened a space that in fact is a part of the!
arts magazine that he publishes. Then at the end of the spectrum we have street art, which is accessible to everyone until too industrious cleaners or public law representatives arrive to the point of action. The underground exhibitions - temporary art shows put together in unused vacant buildings - are gaining popularity and importance too.
I like visiting art galleries. In all shapes and sizes: public, run by an art dealer or underground ones. I am an arts critic, you see. I grew up in art galleries and worked in one or two for many years. Majority of the artists, their friends and family, curators, journalists and my fellow art critics like them too. An art gallery for everyone is a place where we come to meet and learn the arts. I can’t wait to see the new developments that current changes will bring.
Ausra Larbey, Melbourne, Australia
