Are you a gallerist or an art dealer?
A gallerist.
Why did you open your gallery?
A mix of curiosity, excitement, and determination, fuelled a strong sense that the artists we work with deserve critical thought, discussion, celebration and appreciation.
If you could own any work of art, what would it be?
Today I would pick James Turrell’s House of Light in Tokamachi, Japan. It would be a great artwork to isolate in – it brings the body, the passing of time, and the environment into focus. There you can palpably feel each minute go by.
Share a memory of working with an artist?
Spending time with artists is certainly the best part of having a gallery.
Identify a common misconception about collecting, and help us set the record straight?
That you need to have lots of money. We have collectors who diligently set aside a small amount each month for paying off an artwork, often over a really long period of time. It’s a great way to begin collecting – slow and steady. It’s amazing what you’ll find yourself living with in just a few years.
What was the last work of art you bought?
A Helen Marten sculpture.
What should change?
The inability to think in terms beyond profit while people live precarious lives in societies awash with wealth.
What should stay the same?
Artists being artists.
Why collect?
To support artists and galleries to continue to do what they do. To live with art is to live with propositions by some of the most creative and insightful thinkers of our time. Rubbing up with these ideas daily can’t help but impact on your perception of the world, this is a great pleasure.
What is art for?
Art is a vital portal into ways of thinking, seeing and feeling, that may otherwise be obscured in the course of everyday life. Artists make visible the skein of life by drawing us into an intimate encounter.
We are two weeks into lock-down – recommend something/s to read/watch/listen to?
Now that it can be streamed online, watch A Portrait of a Woman on Fire by French director Céline Sciamma. It is brilliant in every way.