Looks like we'll see some
changes in the art gallery business this year. Sue Crockford has been doing a
Diva like leaving-staying-leaving her space down by the water and has now put
her gallery storage space there up for sale. This plus word of artists leaving surely
heralds some downsizing at the very least. Also shedding skin is Hamish McKay
who is talking about closing his gallery space in a couple of months. Fittingly
that will fall close to the gallery’s 20th anniversary and follows long-time
artist Michael Harrison taking a walk (part of Ivan Anthony’s you-will-be-mine-oh-yes-you-will-be-mine
policy?). Meanwhile a new space (well a new old space previously known as the
Blue House) is opening in Mt Victoria to be called 'The Young' with its first
show including the (forever young?) Peter Peryer. The mixing of projects and
exhibitions (Lett showing Crockford’s artist Albrecht is a good example) and
representation is further blurring the who-shows-where-and-who-owes-what-to-who
stakes. In Wellington 30 Upstairs claims not to be a dealer because it
“will not turn a profit on the sale of artworks.” Say what? Currently it has
have Michael Lett (who presumably does want to make a profit) selling his own
artists off the floor. Meanwhile off -shore a major auction house has closed itsgallery space while still holding onto the more lucrative private treaty sales
that came with it, and there is more talk of the agent/ manager model
taking over from the standard white cube display space one. A version of this could
well be what McKay has in mind. One thing we can guarantee for the year ahead though
- while there might be some closures, there will definitely be openings.
Image: a sweet mix
