FIAC STORIES

Several questions for Laura WindhagerIntroduce yourself My name is Laura Windhager. I am the founding director of GIANNI MANHATTAN, a contemporary art gallery and publishing house for artist’ writings, located in the 3rd district of Vienna, Austria. Why did you decide to open a gallery in Vienna? Vienna is a great and interesting city with a huge potential, but when I returned to Vienna after studying in London, I really missed the vibrancy of an art scene that values exchange and discourse....

Several questions for Olivier & Julien Ludwig-LegardezIntroduce yourself We are Olivier & Julien Ludwig-Legardez, two brothers who are passionate about art and screen printing. Nine years ago, we created the Atelier TCHIKEBE, which brings together an art publishing house and a silkscreen printing workshop, in which the prints we produce are printed. Why did you decide to open a gallery in Marseille? Marseille has always been a city of artists, always attracting creative minds. In our...

Several questions for Masami Shiraishi How has the role of galleries changed in the last decade? Many artists we represent have established their global presence over the years. On one hand, we feel proud of our achievement, but this change has created competition with other international galleries. So we now invest even greater effort to promote artists—including those who are under-represented, not limited to younger generations. With my 40 years of experience working in the Japanese...

Several questions for Hormoz Hematian   Introduce yourself. My name is Hormoz Hematian. I was born on April 24th, 1984. I am an engineer by training, and I founded Dastan’s Basement in 2012. Which event has been the most crucial since you opened your gallery? The Basement always relied on advisors such as the writer and translator Ms. Goli Emami. In April 2014, Iranian artist, curator, designer and collector Fereydoun Ave announced that he would like Dastan’s Basement to represent him....

QUELQUES QUESTIONS À ISABELLA RITTER ET KATHARINA SCHENDLWhat is the most challenging part of running a gallery? Surviving. It’s a very complex business. Since there are so many irregularities one cannot rely on structures that are taken for granted in any “normal” business. A big challenge is that most people who are buying art regard it as their leisure and hence are not aware that for the gallery and the artist it’s actually a business that they need to live from. How would you describe the...

Several questions for Mariane IbrahimIntroduce yourself I am Mariane Ibrahim Lenhardt, Founder and Director of Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, with previous headquarters in Seattle, now based in Chicago. The gallery was founded in 2012 in Pioneer Square, Seattle, where we launched an eclectic selection of renowned and emerging African artists. Our vision was and still is to juxtapose emerging artists with established contemporary artists. Our commitment to showing new artists is reinforced by our...

QUELQUES QUESTIONS À JEAN FRÉMONHow has the role of galleries changed in the last decade? Many things have changed in the last decade, but the role of galleries has not changed. The gallery is at the service of the artists, working to promote their works in every possible way. How would you describe the relationship between your gallery and the artists you represent? The key word is trust. You cannot work with artists for such a long time without a reciprocal sense of trust. What is the most...

QUELQUES QUESTIONS À CORRADO GUGLIOTTA ET À SVEVA D'ANTONIOWhich event has been the most crucial moment since you opened your gallery? Every event has been and it is important for us. The show 'Artists Against MUOS' made in 2016, a group exhibition where we tried to support the movement that is fighting against MUOS; an american military base in the town of Niscemi where has been installed a satellite communications network that can pilot drones for long-distance wars. How do you choose...