In addition to the Lower East Side Studio, another new gallery has opened recently on Hastings and Princess. Gallery Atsui is by appointment only and its founders are artists Alex Grewal and Sascha Yamashita and writer-designer Todd Nickel.
“I’ve got a background in commercial galleries and Alex has a background in artist-run centres,” Yamashita says. “We thought Todd would be a great third addition, having worked in other facets of the arts.”
The gallery’s front window features a collaborative textwork by its artists, Kim Kennedy Austin, Steve Calbert, and Aaron Carpenter. Inside, the beautiful watercolour drawings, digital abstractions, and felt cutouts are well served by the polished appearance of the room. Immaculate white walls, glossy grey floors, and discrete track lighting all contrast with the raw appearance of many artist-run enterprises.
Keeping expenses low was a significant factor in choosing the location, and in undertaking most of the renovations themselves. The three partners all have day jobs, and Grewal and Yamashita share the studio at the back of their rented space. “We’re a working studio-gallery space, we’re not a nonprofit organization,” says Yamashita. Grewal adds: “To go the nonprofit, artist-run centre route, there would be so many obstacles, like becoming a registered charity.”
Their aim is to produce monthly exhibitions, do some community outreach, and make Atsui self-supporting through sales. “We would really love it to break even,” says Nickel modestly.
Full Georgia Straight article.
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