After a spate of gallery closures in London, some dealers are bucking the trend by expanding their current premises. Modern Art, the contemporary art gallery founded by Stuart Shave in 1998, is opening a second 6,000 sq. ft gallery space on Vyner Street, east London, next month. New works by the US artist Josh Kline will inaugurate the space.
The additional venue will complement the exhibitions held in the existing gallery located on nearby Helmet Row. “The main advantage of the new space is that we will be able to present exhibitions for a longer duration,” Shave says.
“This provides a chance to extract more value from the exhibitions we are presenting, both for artists, viewers and the gallery. Ironically the expansion of the gallery is, in some regards, a way to slow down, and to be wholly committed and concentrated to the artists we are showing,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Herald Street gallery is launching a second space on Museum Street near the British Museum later this month. The inaugural show is dedicated to the UK artist Michael Dean. The Berlin-based König Galerie is also coming to London, with plans to open a showroom in the capital next month.