The Future of the Art Gallery
Wendy Olsoff
Gallerist
“This is so crazy” had been a familiar refrain over the last few years. “I am so exhausted,” another common complaint. Was it the insane prices, the constant travel, the long waiting lists, the lavish dinners, the endless art fairs or the rise of mega galleries that elicited these words? Probably all of it plus the creeping sensation that we were teetering on the verge of global collapse.
Until mid-March the art market from the Armory to Maastricht persevered. Then the kisses and hugs stopped, not even elbow bumps worked anymore. We had to self-isolate in order not to kill each other. The global economy crashed. Black and brown people succumbed to COVID-19 at higher rates than white people. Ahmaud Arbery was murdered by the police, then George Floyd. Enough was enough.
For 35 years I have owned an art gallery. with my business partner Penny Pilkington. Our gallery has focused on social and political art. We have shown work about queer rights, feminism, racism, global oppression and climate change for decades. Did it matter? It contributed. Did we have more work to do and a need for deeper reflection? Yes we were complicit.
I know that artists channel the social consciousness of historically traumatic events and present possibilities for healing. Art is always ahead of the game and maybe now the rules will change for the better.
What is the future of an art gallery? Maybe our gallery will have fewer visitors but maybe those visitors can look longer. Maybe more serious conversations will evolve. Maybe more voices will be heard.
Maybe the pressure to fill expensive (and unprofitable) booths for the short weeks of art fairs will ease.
Let’s hope for a saner future and if we again hear “this is so crazy” let’s ask why, and change.