47 Canal

ABOVE: OLIVER NEWTON (LEFT) AND MARGARET LEE NEXT TO MARTIN BECKÂ?’S WE DISMANTLE ABANDONED BRIDGES…, 2012. STYLING BY VANESSA CHOW.

OWNERS: Margaret Lee, 32, and Oliver Newton, 32.

LOCATION: Canal Street.

FOUNDED: 2011.

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE BECOMING ART DEALERS? Lee: 179 Canal, a noncommercial, artist-run space.
Newton:
I was director at Alexander and Bonin gallery.

WHAT WAS MISSING IN THE NEW YORK GALLERY SCENE THAT YOU THOUGHT YOUR GALLERY COULD PROVIDE? Artists who aren’t afraid to infuse their work with strong content.

OW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? It was just east of 179 Canal, where I was for a year and a half.

HOW DID YOU FIT IN THERE? It was a pretty easy transition.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD GALLERY? A strong program.

WHICH ARTISTS DO YOU REPRESENT? Michele Abeles, Alisa Baremboym, Antoine Catala, Gregory Edwards, Josh Kline, Nolan Simon, Trevor Shimizu, Stewart Uoo, Amy Lien/Enzo Camacho, and Anicka Yi.

WHAT’S THE MOST AMBITIOUS PROJECT YOU’VE EXECUTED IN THE GALLERY? A tiled room with an exterior wall that leaked olive oil by Anicka Yi, which opened in September 2011.

ARE THERE IDEAS THAT YOU THINK UNIFY YOUR ARTISTS? No one is interested in rehashing the past.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE NEW YORK ART SCENE HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 10 YEARS? Unfortunately, it’s more professional.

WHY START A GALLERY NOW? We are just trying to support an interesting contemporary conversation.

WHAT’S YOUR 10-YEAR PLAN? We’re taking it day by day.

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