Tanya Bonakdar Gallery: contemporary art in the global marketplace

Mark DION
Trichechus manatus latirostris
2013
plastic skeleton, tar, found objects in steel and glass case
72 x 40 x 176 inches

 

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE IS CRUCIAL FOR ARTISTS IN OUR GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY ART MARKET. MANY GALLERIES NOW SUPPORT MULTIPLE VENUES, MAINTAINING SPACES WITH STAFF AND YEAR ROUND EXHIBITION SCHEDULES NOT ONLY IN NEW YORK BUT ALSO IN LONDON, HONG KONG, BEIJING,  PARIS AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL CITIES TO REACH THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF GLOBE-TROTTING CONTEMPORARY COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE , TO EDUCATE THE ART COLLECTING PUBLIC AND TO INTRODUCE THEM TO THE WORK OF NEW AS WELL AS ESTABLISHED ARTISTS.

TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY, WHILE LOCATED IN CHELSEA IN AN EXPANSIVE DUPLEX GALLERY SPACE AT 521 West 21st STREET, HAS ESTABLISHED, IN ITS TWENTY YEAR HISTORY, AN IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD FOR BRINGING THE WORK OF THEIR ARTISTS TO INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES AND INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE WORLD. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/

FOR EXAMPLE, ERNESTO NETO WAS SELECTED TO REPRESENT BRAZIL AT THE 49^th VENICE BIENNALE IN 2001, SARAH SZE’S TRIPLE POINT INSTALLATION DOMINATED THE U.S. PAVILION AT THE 2013 55th VENICE BIENNALE, TOMAS SARACENO PRESENTED A MAJOR INSTALLATION AT THE 53^rd VENICE BIENNALE IN 2009 AS PART OF THE GROUP EXHIBITION, Fari Mondi/Making Worlds, AND MORE RECENTLY CREATED A SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION FOR THE ROOF OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, WHILE OLAFUR ELIASSON CREATED THE NEW YORK CITY WATERFALLS IN 2008, A MAJOR PUBLIC ART PROJECT THAT TRANSFORMED THE BRIDGES THAT SURROUND THE CITY.  THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY INTERNATIONAL HONORS AND AWARDS THAT THE GALLERY ARTISTS RECEIVES.

Sarah Sze
360 (Portable Planetarium)
2010
mixed media, wood, paper, string, jeans, rocks
162 x 136 x 185 inches; 411.5 x 345.4 x 469.9 cm
Gallery Installation

TODAY, GALLERY DIRECTOR, RENEE COPPOLA, SHARES HER PERSPECTIVE ON THE GALLERY’S INTERNATIONAL SCOPE AND INFORMS US OF A WONDERFUL NEW EDUCATIONAL VENTURE THAT TANYA BONAKDAR INITIATED THIS YEAR.

RENEE, HOW DOES THE GALLERY SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN SUCH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ATTENTION FOR THEIR ARTISTS WITH A RELATIVELY SMALL STAFF THAT INSTALLS AND OVERSEES TEN EXHIBITIONS A YEAR IN NEW YORK WHILE EXHIBITING AT THE NUMEROUS ART FAIRS THAT PROVIDE PIVOTAL EXPOSURE FOR THE GALLERY ARTISTS IN THE CURRENT ART MARKET?

Although we have many very active artists who show internationally, as mentioned the 35 artists are divided between four gallery directors.  This helps to lighten the load when dealing with major exhibitions.  Plus, most of these very significant shows like the Venice Biennale or the rooftop installation at the Metropolitan are years in the making so the planning is slower than that of a gallery exhibition or art fair.  But the great strength of the gallery’s staff is its collaborative nature and teamwork.  All of us, from our Preparators and Registrar to our Archivist and the Gallery Assistant work on the art fairs and the exhibitions together, so if one director is particularly focused on a major exhibition, the others help to balance out the workload.  This flexibility is a plus.  Not to mention, after 20 years, Tanya has a very streamlined system at work.  The yearly schedule is generally understood in advance and well considered. 

CHARLES LONG
UP LAND
Gallery 1
September 11 – October 18, 2014

THE GALLERY RECENTLY INITIATED A SERIES OF DISCUSSIONS TO COINCIDE WITH ITS EXHIBITION SCHEDULE WITH THE GOAL OF EDUCATIONAL AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT. TELL US ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, HOW IT CAME INTO BEING AND WHAT IS INVOLVED?

E/I: Saturday Discussions is a year long series of talks between gallery artists, curators, critics, artists, writers, and intellectuals.  The series takes its title from communications industry parlance, in which E/I stands for “educational and informative.” On Saturday mornings, the Federal Communications Commission mandates that commercial broadcast stations meet a quota of E/I programming, with the goal of educational audience enrichment.  Like their namesake, the E/I talks at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery provides the public with an opportunity to hear more from the artist whose show is currently on view as they discuss and debate the ideas behind their new work.  In general, the artist lectures are held on the first (and sometimes second) Saturday morning after the opening. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/talks/

Charles LONG
Aue
2014
patina on bronze
78 x 23 x 23 inches

IN REVIEWING THE GALLERY NEWS ON THE WEBSITE, AT LEAST 15 OF THE 30+ ARTISTS YOU REPRESENT ARE CURRENTLY EXHIBITING AT MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES AROUND THE WORLD. THIS ALSO ENTAILS A GREAT DEAL OF COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING WITH MUSEUM CURATORS AND REGISTRARS. HOW IS THE GALLERY STRUCTURED IN TERMS OF HANDLING THE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS AS WELL AS ALL THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS THAT ARE ALSO TAKING PLACE. WHAT IS THE EXHIBITION SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR AHEAD?

As mentioned, it is helpful that museum exhibitions have a long planning schedule, which provides a lot of room for discussion and research about the best artwork for the show. Our upcoming gallery exhibitions include:

Tomas Saraceno [Galleries 1 & 2]

March 26 – May 2, 2015 

Rivane Neuenschwander [Galleries 1 & 2]

May 9 – June 20, 2015

IN WHICH FAIRS DOES THE GALLERY PARTICIPATE? HOW DOES THE GALLERY DECIDE WHAT TO EXHIBIT IN AN INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR BOOTH AS OPPOSED TO A SOLO GALLERY EXHIBITION?

Because of the number of artists that the gallery represents, we generally mount a solo exhibition of an artist’s work roughly every 2 years.  Within that time, the artists are naturally working on other projects, starting new bodies of work, exploring new ideas.  Art fairs give us the opportunity to show the most recent work by these artists, whether or not they have had an exhibition at our gallery that year.  

RENEE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE LRFA BLOG AND SHARING THE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE GALLERY ARTISTS WITH US.

PROFESSIONAL APPRAISAL OF FINE ART AND DECORATIVE ART IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT IN SO MANY ASPECTS OF COLLECTING AND DONATING ART. APPRAISERS WORK WITH PRIVATE AND CORPORATE ART COLLECTIONS AND PARTNER WITH COLLECTORS, ATTORNEYS, ACCOUNTANTS, MUSEUMS, FAMILY FOUNDATIONS AND INSURANCE CARRIER TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AND EVALUATION OF ARTWORKS THAT SPAN CENTURIES AND MEDIUMS.

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG, I AM VERY PLEASED TO INTRODUCE BETTY KRULIK IN HER CAPACITY AS PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION.  BETTY IS A SEASONED DEALER WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED HER EXPERTISE ON AMERICAN ART IN AN EARLIER LRFA BLOG AND NOW HAS GENEROUSLY AGREED TO DISCUSS THE ART OF ART APPRAISAL.

WE WELCOME ALL COMMENTS AND INQUIRIES. I LOOK FORWARD TO POSTING THE AAA BLOGS AND TO HEARING FROM YOU.

MANY THANKS!

 

The art of Installation Art at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

Tomas Saraceno
Installation View

INSTALLATION ART IS SITE-SPECIFIC, A  THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORK SIGNIFICANT IN SCALE THAT TRANSFORMS OUR PERCEPTION OF A SPACE. THE TERM GAINED CURRENCY IN THE 1960s TO DESCRIBE AN ARTIST’S METAMORPHOSIS OF AN INTERIOR, OFTEN FOR A TEMPORARY PERIOD OF TIME, CHARACTERIZED BY THE ARTWORK’S PHYSICAL DOMINATION OF THE ENTIRE SPACE. INSTALLATION ART  INVITES THE SPECTATOR TO LITERALLY ENTER INTO THE  WORK OF ART, OFTEN ENGAGING NOT ONLY THE VIEWER’S SENSE OF SIGHT BUT OFTEN HEARING AND SMELL.

ONE OF THE EARLIEST INSTALLATIONS WAS YVES KLEIN’S THE VOID IN PARIS AT GALERIE IRIS CLERT,  A 1958 PRESENTATION, RADICAL FOR ITS TIME, OF AN EMPTY WHITE INTERIOR IN A COMMERCIAL GALLERY. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CONCEPTUAL SPECTRUM, A YEAR LATER THE SAME GALLERY WAS TRANSFORMED BY ARMAN’S FULLNESS, WHEN THE ARTIST CRAMMED THE SPACE WITH RUBBISH SO THAT THE WORK COULD ONLY BE VIEWED THROUGH THE STOREFRONT WINDOW. 

 

IN NEW YORK, EARLY INSTALLATIONS INCLUDE JIM DINE’S THE HOUSE AND OLDENBURG’S THE STREET. IN APRIL, 1966, AT LEO CASTELLI GALLERY, ANDY WARHOL CREATED TWO SEPARATE INSTALLATIONS: A ROOM FILLED WITH SILVER HELIUM PILLOWS, SILVER CLOUDS, ANOTHER COVERED WITH HIS COW WALLPAPER, BOTH CHALLENGING OUR PRECONCEPTIONS OF THE NATURE OF ART AND APPROPRIATE MATERIALS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65obeVlgD9E

 

SINCE ITS INCEPTION, TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY HAS DEMONSTRATED AN IMPRESSIVE COMMITMENT TO THE CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPORARY ART AND THE GALLERY ARTISTS IT REPRESENTS WITH ITS DEDICATION TO EXHIBITING AND PLACING SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION WORKS IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AND MUSEUMS. THE GALLERY, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF CHELSEA AT 521 WEST 21st STREET,  PROVIDES ARTISTS WITH THE TRUE MEANING OF ARTISTIC LICENSE BY SUPPORTING THEIR NON-COMMERCIAL PROJECTS THAT EXPAND THE POSSIBILITIES OF SCALE AND SCOPE. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/

IN TODAY’S LRFA BLOG,  RENEE COPPOLA, GALLERY DIRECTOR, WILL DOCUMENT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IN THE TWENTY YEAR HISTORY OF THE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS.

Charles Long
Untitled
2010
aqua-resin fiberglass and latex paint over steel with found objects
51 x 51 x 32 inches; 129.5 x 129.5 x 81.3 cm
DETAIL

TANYA BONAKDAR OPENED THE GALLERY IN 1994 ON PRINCE STREET IN SOHO. WHO WERE THE ARTISTS THAT MADE UP THE OPENING ROSTER OF THE GALLERY? HOW DID TANYA BECOME INTERESTED AND INVOLVED IN THEIR WORK AND WHAT PROMPTED HER TO OPEN A GALLERY?

Many of the artists who were showing at the gallery in the early years have enjoyed a long, productive relationship with Tanya and the gallery. Uta Barth, Charles Long, Olafur Eliasson, Mat Collishaw, and Ernesto Neto are just some of the artists who were shown in Soho during the 1990s and still exhibit with us today. Tanya is very interested in showing international artists, as they provide a great range of perspectives and different ways of seeing the world.  She has been consistent in this respect, and the gallery’s roster of artists represents a very diverse group.

Olafur ELIASSON
Your now is my surroundings
2000
Skylight, mirror, concrete tiles, drain pipe, drywall, insulation
Installation, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, 2000

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF PAST EXHIBITIONS THAT HAVE DRAWN THE GREATEST CRITICAL, MUSEUM AND COLLECTOR RECOGNITION?

So many exhibitions have been well-received by the public and press.  Sarah Sze’s first show at the gallery in 2010 was incredibly popular and led directly to her Venice Bienniale nomination and ultimate commission.  Olafur Eliasson’s show at the gallery in 2000 won the Art Critics of America Award for Best Gallery Show of the Year.  More recently, Ernesto Neto’s exhibition of interactive, crocheted sculptures in 2012 generated great interest from curators, and from there Neto was invited to present a major solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Bilbao.  So it is true that the gallery shows have historically been a catalyst for many major exhibitions.

ERNESTO NETO
SLOW IIS GOOOD
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
14 APRIL – 25 MAY 2012

THE GALLERY ROSTER IS EXTREMELY DIVERSE REPRESENTING MORE THAN THIRTY ARTISTS AND COMMITTED TO SHOWING WORK IN A LARGE DIVERSITY OF MEDIA. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE SUPPORT THE GALLERY SHOWS TO ITS ARTISTS IN EXHIBITING WORKS THAT ARE DEMANDING IN TERMS OF INSTALLATION AND PLACEMENT. WHO ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT FOCUS ON INSTALLATION? WHAT IS THE MARKET FOR THESE WORKS?

Our last exhibition (January 8 – February 14, 2015) is work by Susan Philipsz, an artist best known for often very large-scale indoor and outdoor audio installations.  For our show, Susan will present an immersive, 24-channel sound installation, inspired by 1930s émigré artists, Hollywood film scores, and McCarthy-era censorship.  (This piece was originally shown in the large Hamburger Bahnhof space in Berlin.)  Although on the surface the work seems immense – requiring the space of an entire room and somewhat specialized audio equipment, there is actually great versatility to her pieces that I believe make them quite easy and adaptable and suited for many different types of spaces.  However, it is true that there are many works of art that are large-scale and require much more space than your average painting or domestically-scaled sculpture.  These installations are certainly well-suited for museums and institutions, yet there are also some very passionate and committed collectors who don’t mind devoting a room in their home or office to a major work!

THE GALLERY MOVED TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION AT 521 WEST 21^ST IN 1998. IT WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO EXODUS SOHO AND DEFINE CHELSEA AS THE DOMINANT GALLERY AREA IN NEW YORK. WHAT DID THE NEW SPACE ALLOW THAT THE ORIGINAL SOHO SPACE COULD NOT?

Our move coincided with a period of tremendous growth for the gallery, and Chelsea offered the gallery a possibility to continue with this trajectory of expansion.

OLAFUR ELIASSON
Your engagement sequence
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
28 APRIL – 27 MAY 2006

IN 2006, THE GALLERY EXPANDED EVEN FURTHER, ACQUIRING 5000 SQUARE FEET OF STREET LEVEL SPACE. THIS DOUBLED THE SIZE AND CERTAINLY ENHANCED THE GALLERY EXHIBITION CAPABILITIES AND ITS PROGRAMMING. SPECIFICALLY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EXHIBITIONS THAT THIS NEW EXPANDED SPACE MADE POSSIBLE?

The first exhibition in the new downstairs space was Olafur Eliasson’s Your Engagement Sequence and really represented how the renovation allowed for new opportunities in regard to the program.  For example, that artwork used light within a totally darkened room, which the artist viewed as an opportunity to explore what he calls the “fifth dimension” of an individualized perspective of the dimensions in space. The enhanced size of the gallery helped make the work even more successful.

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG, RENEE WILL DISCUSS FUTURE EXHIBITIONS WE CAN ANTICIPATE AS WELL AS  A RECENT ADDITION TO THE GALLERY PROGRAMMING -E/I DISCUSSIONS- AN EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIVE YEAR LONG SERIES OF SATURDAY TALKS.

I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS AND, MOST OF ALL, YOUR READERSHIP!

 

Renee Coppola, Director of Tanya Bonakdar, introduces the newest gallery artists

 

Agnieszka Kurant
Untitled , 2014
Conveyor belt and mirror

IN 2oo6, TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY UNDERWENT A MAJOR RENOVATION, DOUBLING ITS SIZE  AND SCALE, ADDING 5,000 SQUARE FEET OF GROUND FLOOR SPACE.  THE GALLERY HAS ALWAYS ENJOYED A STELLAR REPUTATION FOR SUPPORTING THE MORE THAN THIRTY ARTISTS IT REPRESENTS WORLDWIDE SUCH AS SARAH SZE, WHO REPRESENTED THE UNITED STATES AT THE LAST 55th VENICE BIENNALE  WITH AN LARGE-SCALED, SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION, TRIPLE POINT.  THE GALLERY CONTINUALLY MAKES AN IMPRESSIVE COMMITMENT TO PRESENTING WORKS IN ALL MEDIA, HOWEVER DEMANDING THE SCALE, SCOPE AND AMBITION OF THE WORK. THE PHYSICAL EXPANSION ONLY SERVED TO UNDERLINE ITS DEDICATION TO THEIR CONTEMPORARY PROGRAM AND EXHIBITION CAPABILITIES. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/gallery

I A M DELIGHTED TO HAVE GALLERY DIRECTOR, RENEE COPPOLA, DISCUSS THE CURRENT PROGRAM AT THE GALLERY  AND SOME OF THE NEWER ARTISTS IT REPRESENTS. THE CURRENT SOLO EXHIBITION BY ANALIA SABAN IS A GREAT PLACE TO START! PRESENTED ON BOTH FLOORS OF THE GALLERY, SABAN INVITES US INTO A METAPHORICAL BACKYARD IN WHICH THE OBJECTS AND PAINTINGS SHE HAS CREATED DISRUPT OUR TRADITIONAL IDEAS ABOUT THE PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS SUCH AS WOOD, MARBLE, PIGMENTS AND ENCAUSTIC. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/exhibitions/analia-saban-backyard

Meschac GABA
Bureau d’échange [Exchange Office]: Cotton, 2014
wood table, metal umbrella frame, assorted banknotes, clothespins, cotton stocks

RENEE, WHO ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE ART WORLD BY THE GALLERY AND WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THEIR WORK?

Some of our newest artists include Agneiszka Kurant, Meschac Gaba, and Analia Saban.  Agnieszka’s first exhibition at the gallery was in September 2014, and she is an artist whose work is very technological and future-minded.  Kurant weaves together ideas about collective intelligence, hybrid authorship, immaterial labor, and virtual capital in stunning installations and sculptures.  Her show was fascinating, as it touched on the complex relationships between value, authorship, production, and circulation. African artist Meschac Gaba is another new artist whose work also addresses capital by looking at constructions of identity in relation to systems of trade, notably between Africa and Western countries.

Meschac GABA
Bankivi: Agriculture Bank
2014
Wood, plexiglas, assorted coins

Also, Analia Saban is one of our new artists.  

Born in Argentina and living in New York, her work has a subtle and playful irony, as she challenges perceived boundaries between artistic disciplines.  Her work responds to art historical tropes by experimenting with materials and exploring the link between art and domestic space.  

Analia Saban
Bathroom Sink Template (Jade Marble)
2014
marble
74 5/8 x 44 inches

Saban’s newest work is currently on view at the gallery and was recently shown at the New Orleans biennial “Prospect 3” at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center.

 

Analia Saban
Bulge #4
2014
Encaustic on walnut stretcher bars

THE GALLERY SHOWS WORK OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF ARTISTS WITH, THANKS TO THE GALLERY SUPPORT, INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION. IN MY VIEW, THE WORK IS EXTREMELY DIVERSE, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF MEDIUM, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF AESTHETIC. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE UNDERLYING CONNECTION BETWEEN THEM, IF THERE IS ONE?

If there is an underlying connection, it is that the artists in Tanya’s roster are visionaries, continually exploring new ground, while actively participating in the contemporary dialogue of art, as well as other disciplines like ecology, politics, psychology, etc.  Some of this is most apparent in the work of artists who are interested in literal ideas about the future, and how our growing population will organize and relate to each other, as well as the environment, in the years ahead.  Tomas Saraceno is one of those artists.  His work explores the possibility of a future airborne existence, a literal city in the clouds, and is informed by natural sciences, architecture, engineering, and art.  His sculptures adapt geometries of the natural world in order to envision new ways of living.  In this way, he is connected to other visionary thinkers like Buckminster Fuller, architect Yona Friedman, and other inventors and explorers.

Tomas SARACENO
Cosmos 1
2013
inkjet print
set of 6 prints mounted and framed in white wooden frame

Other artists at the gallery who I would group in this particular category are Ernesto Neto, Olafur Eliasson, Mark Dion, and Charles Long to name a few.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF GALLERY MANAGEMENT? IS THERE A PARTICULAR MEDIUM OR AESTHETIC TO WHICH YOU RESPOND THE MOST STRONGLY?

My favorite part of gallery management happens on the last day of an installation, when the work is polished, placed, and ready for opening day.  I think of this day as an important transitional moment, as the artist essentially hands over months, maybe years, of work to the gallery – entrusting us to take it to the next level and present these pieces to the world.  I find this to be a very positive moment and appreciate our role in shaping the understanding of new artwork in the eyes of the public, collectors, curators, and other arts enthusiasts.

OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG WILL RECAP SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TWENTY YEAR HISTORY OF THE GALLERY.  WE WELCOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS!

I APPRECIATE YOUR READERSHIP AND SUPPORT.

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, a stronghold for experimentation and talent

RENEE COPPOLA
Director
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1994, TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY HAS LAUNCHED AND NURTURED THE CAREERS OF A KEY GROUP OF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS. TANYA HAS A UNIQUE EYE AND AESTHETIC SENSIBILITY AS WELL AS A FIERCE DETERMINATION THAT SERVES WELL IN IDENTIFYING AND ESTABLISHING SUCH BRILLIANT TALENTS AS ERNESTO NETO, THOMAS SARACENO, AND THOMAS SCHEIBITZ, TO NAME JUST A VERY FEW.  THE GALLERY, AN OUTSTANDING DUPLEX SPACE LOCATED IN THE HEART OF CHELSEA ON WEST 22nd STREET,  OFTEN PROVIDES ARTISTS WITH THEIR FIRST SOLO EXHIBITIONS IN NEW YORK AND INTRODUCES THEIR WORK TO COLLECTORS AND MUSEUM CURATORS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONALLY. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/

Ernesto Neto
SLOW IIS GOOOD
Gallery Installation
April 14 – May 25, 2012

THE GALLERY STAFF IS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND FULLY INFORMED ON THE SCOPE AND BREADTH OF EACH WORK AS WELL AS THE PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS  AND CAREER HIGHLIGHTS OF EACH ARTIST. IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE A CLIENT IN MIND WHO WOULD RESPOND FAVORABLY TO AN ARTIST REPRESENTED BY TANYA BONAKDAR AS I KNOW THAT  GALLERY DIRECTOR, RENEE COPPOLA, WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION AND IMAGES ON AVAILABLE WORKS AND A DEPTH OF BACKGROUND MATERIAL WHICH FURTHER INFORMS MY CLIENT OF THE SIGNIFICANCE AND CONCEPTUAL THINKING THAT FORMS THE BACKBONE OF THE ARTWORK.

I AM VERY PLEASED TO INTRODUCE RENEE COPPOLA TO THE LRFA BLOG. I KNOW HER WELL ON A WORKING BASIS AND LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING ABOUT HER PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AS WELL AS THE WORKINGS OF THE TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY, A FORERUNNER OF CONTEMPORARY ART AND INSTALLATION,  AND SHARING IT WITH YOU. 

Tomás Saraceno on the Roof: Cloud City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 2012
Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York
Photograpy by Studio Tomás Saraceno, © 2012

RENEE, WHEN DID YOU FIRST JOIN THE GALLERY? WHAT WERE YOU DOING PRIOR TO THAT?

I joined the gallery in 2010, right after completing an M.B.A. in Management and Marketing.  However, my background is actually with arts institutions and museums.  I have an undergraduate degree in Art History and have worked at MoMA NY, for The Broad Foundation in L.A., and was Deputy Director of the Las Vegas Art Museum, a museum of contemporary art spearheaded by curator / writer Libby Lumpkin.

Susan Philipsz
Part File Score
January 8 – February 14, 2015
Installation

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE INTERESTED IN ART AND DECIDE TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE ARTS? WHAT PROMPTED YOUR DECISION TO WORK IN THE GALLERY WORLD?

I grew up in a home that encouraged engagement in the arts, and so studying and working in the visual arts was a natural inclination.  However, when I was in Las Vegas, I received a very thorough education in the financial workings of a museum – from exhibition production to financial development.  It became clear that working at a gallery was not so different from working at a museum.  Both institutions are committed to mounting the best exhibitions possible and interact with many of the same vendors, collectors, and artists.  One advantage to working at a gallery is exposure to the very early stages of the artmaking process, since you work so closely with artists on the production of each show.  I really enjoy that kind of involvement at the nascent stage.

Susan Philipsz
Parat File Score III, 2014
Digital print and silkscreen print on canvas

WHO WERE SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT THE GALLERY REPRESENTED WHEN YOU FIRST CAME ON BOARD? WHICH ONES RESONATED THE MOST WITH YOU AND WHY?

This is a tough question!  The gallery represents 35 amazing artists who are all compelling and ceaselessly interesting in their own ways.  Each of the directors is assigned to certain artists as their liaison for the gallery, and so I’ve worked most closely with Haim Steinbach, Charles Long, Mark Dion, Teresa Hubbard & Alexander Birchler, Mat Collishaw, Jason Meadows, Sabine Hornig, Liz Larner, Jeffrey Vallance, as well as Brazilian artist Sandra Cinto.  It has been very satisfying to watch their development and learn about their work in great detail and depth.  This is an opportunity that you just don’t have outside of a gallery environment.

IN OUR NEXT LRFA POST, RENEE WILL EXPLORE THE WORK OF SOME OF THE NEWER ARTISTS WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY ROSTER.  WE WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.