Your gallery was originally a co-op, but that didn’t work out. Why not?
I think that there are a lot of people who have a romanticized image of working in an art gallery. They think of being surrounded by beautiful art, cool jazz in the background, meeting lots of new people and art just flying off the walls. Most do not realize that an art gallery is a business and that operating a business is a 24/7 commitment. Running an art gallery is hard work and it requires wearing many hats.
When we started the co-op, most were looking for a place to show their work without paying high commissions. They thought they would only have to “gallery sit” a few hours per month in order to do this, and that because their art was in a gallery in a destination it would sell immediately.
What are some of the ways you need artists to partner with your gallery for a successful result?
While it is not possible to form personal relationships with all the artists, I encourage every gallery artist to spend as much time in the gallery as they can. In order to sell their work, I need to know as much about the artist as possible. They must tell me or provide me with enough information to step into their shoes when I am representing their artwork. I need to know their story. What were they thinking when they created each piece? What direction is their new work going in? A little bit about their background.
I need an artist statement and bio. I need professional images of the artist’s work. These images are used on our gallery management system, which includes inventory, invoicing website, e-commerce and social media. All images must be sent in the correct format for posting. Without these images, the work cannot be shown on the website, the invoices or posted to Facebook; it makes the entire gallery look bad.
When did you first came up with the idea of opening a gallery?
I had this idea for a while but it just happened when 2 friends of mine offered to be part of it and share the risk, and the duty.
How do you market yourself?
We do organize events to promote our exhibitions, we arrange collateral happenings in order to attract local people, also through the internet of course, social networks and so on.
Tell me about the space and any innovations you would like to bring forth as a gallery owner?
The space is organized in two interconnected rooms, we have a small stockroom/office it is a tiny gallery, about 50sqm. We want to see our gallery promoting different kind of art, we wish to have an international feel as well as promoting local artists.
Tell me about your personal art collection?
Being a art lover my collection does not follow a line, I buy what I like and what I can afford. In that sense I’m not an investor, or better, the investment is not the main purpose of my collection. I am into contemporary art and I buy wherever I can.
What art movement inspire you the most? Is there a specific type, style or theme of work you like to exhibit at your gallery?
I am fund of many different movements, from german expressionism to abstract , Italian spazialismo, futurismo and so on. As I said before we do not follow any line, so we do not have a style or theme. We are not specialists in that sense. We may be one day but not yet. We want to be free and embrace everything that is stimulating for us.
Are there any hard obstacles to overcome when owning a small gallery?
If you start a business in these times you surely have obstacles. Passion and devotion will eventually sort them out.
Can you name some of the artists in your private collection, and why have you chose them in the first place?
I have works by Yoakim Belanger, Francoise Nielly, Robert Pan, Sylvain Tremblay, Takahiro Kimura, Robert Proch, Chiara Sorgato, Davide Nido, Nuno Evaristo and many others. I bought them for many different reasons but mainly because I liked them. Some I even regretted it but what would life be without regrets.
What does art mean to you?
Art is my passion, my obsession and my concession. I love it and I indulge in it. When I was young I wanted to be an artist myself. I used to paint and draw, then I realized that my talent was limited so I became an admire of others’.
