With Green being the new Black… its only right - Right?

The Isabella Egan Gallery is aiming to be the first Eco sensitive gallery in Vancouver. Its a big undertaking for a new company to take but it is important in today’s age to do your bit.Yesterday I had a meeting with a wonderful new company called Green Printing. I can highly recommend them for their professionalism and dedication to their cause.  Its an interesting website as well. With each new printing order you can actually see the number of trees you’ve preserved for the future, the gallons of waste water you’ve saved, lbs of solid waste not generated and the lbs of greenhouse gases prevented. Basically on top of that you can physically see the reduction of your carbon footprint and know that you are doing your bit to help preserve this beautiful planet of ours.On top of that, in order to become the first green gallery in Vancouver, the Isabella Egan Gallery will be sourcing and using energy efficient lighting. All our in house printing will be done on recycled paper and we are going to endeavour to source a eco sensitive printing house for our artists.  We hope that our clients and collectors will embrace this concept of a green gallery in Vancouver. We feel that its important that each business is socially conscious and the Isabella Egan Gallery intends to bring environmental issues to the forefront of people mind. By buying and supporting young artists through the Isabella Egan Gallery, clients are inadvertently doing their part for the environment.Keep and eye on the gallery and its eco conscious mandate. 

Promoting a new gallery - 2008 the year of Facebook!

Who would have thought a couple of years ago that promoting a new gallery or business would be so easy as it is today? 

Today the Isabella Egan Gallery launched its own fan page on Facebook.

Now I cant take credit for this wonderful idea of online promotion. That of course was the brain child of one of Vancouver’s leading techys Megan Cole.

I was amazed, baring in mind the Isabella Egan Gallery is a new venture and I have been sensitive about promoting the opening until the time was right, but within 2 hours of it having its own fan page it had 57 fans.

“57 I hear you say, thats not very much.” But wait and think, that’s 57 people that the gallery now has on an instant email list. That’s 57 people that will tell at least one other person, be it their partner, their collegue, their room mate, about a brand new gallery opening in Gastown.

That is 57 more people that knew about the Isabella Egan Gallery 24 hours ago!

Thank you Facebook for making life just that little bit easier.  

 

The Isabella Egan Gallery - Coming soon!

Im so proud to announce that the Isabella Egan Gallery is currently under development.

I plan to open in Gastown in late Feb/ early March. It’s definitely exciting, and I hope that the Isabella Egan Gallery will fill a void that exists in this city, by exhibiting and developing young emerging talent predominantly from Vancouver.

I am currently accepting gallery submissions. Please email me at Isabella@isabellaegan.com

Im looking forward to documenting the development through this blog. I’ve interviewed and met with some fantastically talented young artist so far and I cant wait to see the end result up and running.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and best of luck for 2008. It’s going to be a very exciting year for all involved.

Roy Arden and Mark Lewis at the V.A.G

Roy Arden. Construction Site with Suntower, Vancouver, BC. Ink Jet Print. 40 x 50 inches. Edition of 5. Image Courtesy of the Monte Clark Gallery.

I should have written this a long time ago and Im quite annoyed at myself for letting this slide.

For those of you looking for something arty to do in Vancouver now the weathers changed and you don’t fancy wandering around in the rain, head to the Vancouver Art Gallery and check out the Roy Arden exhibit and the Mark Lewis solo show.

In my (slightly bias opinion) these two artist are two of Vancouver’s most influential and important contemporary artists. 

For those of you looking to invest in either of these artists now is a very exciting time. For the younger collectors out there, I would be considering either one of Mr Ardens Fragment series or if you are a little edgier one of his brand new collages.

Im not going to review either show as there has been a lot of press already but if you would like to read more check out the links below for just some of the press:

The Vancouver Art Gallery 

The Georgia Straights

The Calgary Herald 

75 Years of Collecting 

Gastown, Vancouvers Art District

Wow! So I went art walking around Gastown on the weekend and I have to say for visitors coming to Vancouver, especially those getting of the cruise ships, what a fantastic opportunity to see some of Vancouvers incredible local talent.

From the amazing First Nations Store Coastal Peoples Fine Art Gallery to the funky artist run centers such as Artspeak The Helen Pitt Gallery and then on to an evening of fun at the Oh so cool Canvas Lounge or head to the Alibi Rooms which is known as one of Vancouver’s young artists favored hang outs.

I’ve got to be honest, I was blown away with how Gastown has changed and matured in the last 2 years. When I first moved to Vancouver it was an area that had a great underground feel but was definitely intimidating. Now I would put it on my hit list, almost above S. Granville and Gallery Row. Don’t get me wrong. I love some of the galleries on Gallery row, they are well reputed and established, completely worth visiting. But Gastown’s got the East London feel, with so much re-development and with so many creative industries crammed into a couple of blocks its very exciting. Its no longer dark and underground (although thats still there giving it an edge of excitement) its now funky, hip and totally hot. Its East London, Meets Soho, meets New Yorks Chelsea - but still West Coast Vancouver.

Basically - I’m a fan! So watch this space for more info on hot new young galleries!

When will the buzz stop….

When will the bubble burst?? There’s so much hype, press and excitement, let alone glamour surrounding the art market right now its hard to know whats hot, whats a good investment and whats just the art of the moment!

Will the troubles with the US dollar effect the current market? Is a pending crash imminent for the art market? who knows? But one thing we do know is that after the last crash in 1989 the art market sustained longer than the financial market by 2 years according to research by Mei Moses index.

So this article was interesting, especially as it was written by the RealEstateJournel.com - The Wall Street Journal guide to property.

Have a read here about the art market hype that can be found on the Internet and the young collectors that are driving the market.

Greg Girard takes Toronto by Storm

Vancouver born, Shanghai based photographer Greg Girard opened last week at the Monte Clark Gallery in Toronto. Now as we know I like to promote our artists, so many of you may feel that I’m biased. OK, so sometimes I am, but when it comes to Girard, I really dont think that it is bais to rave about how incredible an artists is when the North America seems to be in agreement.

The Monte Clark Gallery opened last Saturday the first part of a two part exhibition, showing recent works by Greg Girard from his Phantom Shanghai series. I don’t think I can stress how beautiful these works are. On top of this, they are also exceptionally well priced. For young collectors looking to invest in a work of art, Girard offers an incredible opportunity to acquire a well educated and respected photographer. For the established collector, Girard’s works are an important edition to a photography collection. He was educated and photographed along side the likes of Roy Arden and Jeff Wall, while also playing a fundamental roll in the development of modern day photojournalism.

“Beginning in 1998, Girard’s extensive investigation into the accelerated metamorphosis of Shanghai looks at a historical city that will not withstand China’s drive for economical development. The images depict not only the passing of these neighborhoods, but also the disappearance of the residents themselves. The long exposures capture inhabitants as ghostly figures fading from their traditional lifestyles.

Distracted by the pace and scale of Shanghai’s phenomenal recent growth it is easy to overlook the reason so much of the city’s early 20th Century neighborhoods were preserved as long as they were: urban development for profit was suspended for more than four decades following Mao’s victory in 1949. Preserved by a kind of benign neglect, these period homes, buildings and neighborhoods are now being purposefully demolished to make way for Shanghai’s vision of itself as a modern “world” city. Today’s brief historical moment, as one Shanghai collapses into the other, is the last chance to witness the phenomenon of these two Shanghais occupying the same space.

Condemned Neighborhood is an example of how Girard uses urban light, both artificial and natural, to infuse an emotional and personal response to his photographs. The freshly laundered shirts dangling from the window of this half-demolished dwelling encompasses the tenacity of Shanghai’s community. We have all experienced the evolution of a city, rarely do we see one lead itself into oblivion.”- Alysha Rajukuma. Monte Clark Gallery.

Greg Girards recent solo show at MCG Toronto coincides with the release of Magenta Publishers newest photography book Greg Girard - Phantom Shanghai.

 

 

For more information on Phantom Shanghai and Greg Girard check out the following links.

http://chasingthedragon.blogs.fortune.com/2007/05/29/phantom-shanghai-portraits-of-vanishing-city/

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=ceb4139b-051e-437c-9d97-ea6493b16e92&k=45928

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1617169,00.html

Airport Art….. Who would have thought.

So I read a really interesting article the other day and thought that I would use it as my return to blogging. Summer 2007 have possibly been the busiest summer of my life and apologize to neglecting the C.C.C. (I lost myself in the art market there for a while, but I’m back i promise!)

So lets get back to it…. Airport Art.
How many terminals have we all walked through, in a hurry to catch that flight, collect our bags or generally get the hell out of there in into the fresh air, with out as much as a cursory glance to the art on the walls? But lets take that one step further… What about the people that curate the works and organize the collections.

“From Boston’s Logan Airport to Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina, airports of all sizes are developing or revamping their programs. Asheville opened its first art gallery in June, while Boston unveiled Rainbow Cove, an eight-story, $300,000 installation by Christopher Janney, in April. The Nashville International Airport this month unveiled a six-month exhibition of paintings by William Lee Golden, of Oak Ridge Boys fame, titled “The First of Many to Come,” complete with an opening reception featuring the Oak Ridge Boys in concert. Looking west, Seattle-Tacoma’s upgrade and expansion project is integrating a Carolyn Braaksma design into a 1,220-foot-long, 86-foot-tall wall along one runway, and the Denver International Airport is looking to hire an art conservator and increase its holdings, having recently announced a call for submissions for three commissions of site-specific, temporary installations.”

“The [airport art] trend is growing,” said Greg Mamary, producer of special projects at the American Association of Airport Executives, adding that a larger number of airports—especially those in smaller and mid-size cities all over the United States—started focusing on their art programs after Sept. 11, 2001.”

So why is this recent development in buyers occurring? Is it the realization by corporations of all industries to art as an alternative asset for investment or is it something else??

Mamary hypothesized that the growth is part of an effort to help passengers de-stress and pass the longer waiting periods caused by increased security. Many airports have also gotten slices of their cities’ Percent for Art funding programs (laws requiring a certain percentage of the budget for city-funded construction projects to be spent on artwork) over the past several years, he added. In addition, participation in the AAAE’s annual Arts in the Airport workshop—which covers everything from publicizing art programs to lighting exhibits—has grown steadily since its inception seven years ago, Mamary said.

Interesting hey! So maybe we should be talking to these new players! Im certainly goig to pay more attention when flying internationally.

Sorry for the absence! Dont miss out on justine Kurland.

Monte Clark Gallery Press Release

“Of Woman Born” – Justine Kurland

Monte Clark Gallery.
Opening August 2nd 8 pm
Artist in Attendance.

On August 2nd Monte Clark Gallery will present the first Vancouver exhibition for renown New York Photographer Justine Kurland.

The Exhibition “Of Woman Born” where taken by Kurland as she traveled nomadically across America towards the Pacific North West. Stopping at over 45 location across N America including national parks, communes, beaches and campgrounds. Kurland focused her attention on the subject of Motherhood and mothers with their children she met along the way.

The exhibition title is taken from an essay written by Adrienne Rich about the trials, tribulations and truths of motherhood. Kurland uses the landscape as a stage for her photographs, creating a sense of natural harmony between the subject and the setting. Some have suggested an influence of the 19th Century British Fairy Paintings, by such artists as John Anster Fitzgerald, which also inspire the viewer to consider the fantastical. The resulting pictures of nudes posed on beaches, foggy coastlines and under waterfalls gives this “timeless subject matter an otherworldly quality.” Kurland sees the mothers and children as “Banded together in their tribes, in communion with nature and searching home, where their wanderings cast a spell restoring the landscape to a prelapsarian state” (Kurland 2006)

Kurland was born in 1969 and lives in New York City. She achieved her Maters from Yale University. Kurland is represented by Mitchell-Innes and Nash in New York, Victoria Miro Gallery in London and Monte Clark Gallery in Canada,

Her works have been exhibited widely internationally in collections such as;
The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.
Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum of Art, New York, NY.
National Museum for Woman in the Arts, Washington, DC.
The international Centre of Photography, New York, NY.
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, Il.
Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Quebec. Canada.
Auckland City Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand.

Greg Girard - Phantom Shanghai.

First up, I feel I should appologise for not posting anything for a while, but life got extreemly busy all of a sudden.

I recently mentioned the opening of a new show by Greg Girard at the Monte Clark Gallery, here in Vancouver. But I failed to mention Gregs phenomenon success that is currently sweeping the international art market.

He was recently the focus of Megenta publishers who have written and published a book about Greg’s works in Shanghai, China, called Phantom Shanghai. The first edition of the book sold out globally in two weeks and has been taken on by Thames and Hudson for a second larger run.

I love Gregs works. Personally I havent been so moved by an artists for a long time. Not only is his works quite incredilby and inspiring, he is also an exceptionally nice and talented guy. Really pleasure to work with.

As far as the young contemporary collector is concerned. You couldnt really go wrong investigating into investing in works by Greg Girard. (I myself rescently had the pleasure of aquiring a piece. I have to pinch myself everyday so that I know that im not dreaming!)

To see a few more images by Greg and to learn a little more about the man, check out this link.