A contemporary art gallery created to combat the status quo of the art market stands as an emblem of a new way of thinking about art in the name of equality and diversity
Dostoevsky said that "Taking a new step, saying a new word, is what people fear most". Surely the famous and luminary father of Russian literature was right, but we note with some relief that, fortunately, this is not always the case or that at least the change, although frightening, often takes place.
It is precisely from a certain dissatisfaction and desire to change the status quo of the art market that Christopher Shake, director of a gallery, and Dimitrios Tsivrikos, art consultant, decide to reimagine the very essence of what it means to be an art gallery. From the desire to do things differently, at the beginning of 2020, the NEON GALLERY was born, a London gallery of modern and contemporary art with offices in New York and in the English capital that offers transparent, egalitarian and engaging artistic experiences. The mission is to commit to equality, which has always struggled with exclusivity, and to diversity in the world of art; you want to create a safe environment, a happy haven, in which to discover, create and invest trust.
It is no coincidence that the inaugural exhibition, which will begin on 24 September 2020 and will last 7 days, is called "KINESIS"; the word, which derives from the Greek, means movement, change. We could not have chosen a more emblematic name than the ideals underlying the project, a tribute to a becoming in transition to remind us that you can change things, because wanting is power.
KINESIS is a curation of selected works by established and emerging contemporary artists who share the desire to change the perception of artistic expression and media starting from a discontent with the current state of things. It is a cultural and artistic experience designed to thrill contemporary art lovers. The exhibition explores the concept of "movement" - literal, figurative and metaphorical - which is reflected in works of art that engage in various ways in socially touching concepts.
There will be works by Gary Komarin, a prolific risk- taker in contemporary pictorial abstraction, and by the multidisciplinary Rachel Libeskind , whose works intelligently combine historical and contemporary notions of identity, gender, reappropriation and reproduction, creating a dynamic in which social commentary and materiality exist side by side. The show also includes Svetlana Bogatcheva , whose intricate abstract sculptures and canvases are made from post-industrial materials. There will also be emerging British artists Piers Alsop and Aubrey Higgin . Last, but not least , Josh Rowell with his not too subtle commentary on politics and social media. To complete the whole new and daring performative work by Simona Sharafudinov, whose works combine video, performance, drawing, painting and sculpture.
"This exhibition is also about hope and fortitude. It reflects our hope that collectively, we can embrace the fundamental principle of 'KINESIS', the idea of a movement, for us a movement that looks to the future in response to external and internal influences, drawing on these uncertain times as a catalyst to launch innovative ways to experiment and interact with the arts and with our community as a whole, ”says director Christopher Shake.
