GAGPROJECTS has announced that the Kent Town space it has operated out of for 32 years will close at the end of August this year. Previously known as Greenaway Art Gallery, GAGPROJECTS was established by Paul Greenaway OAM in 1991 and has been a mainstay of the Australian art scene in Adelaide ever since.
The gallery, which currently represents 28 artists, has been a champion of local and national contemporary art—from Imants Tillers and Noel McKenna to Jenny Watson to Christian Lock. The final exhibition will be for the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival: The Other Twin by Deborah Paauwe. It’s a significant end for the gallery—Paauwe was one of the first artists to exhibit at GAGPROJECTS, and her SALA monograph is 20 years old this SALA Festival.
Paul Greenaway announced the closure earlier this week, saying: “After 32 years of working with some of Australia’s premier artists, and meeting so many collectors and curators, many of whom became good friends, it is now time for a change. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with so many good people and I hope that our paths will cross in the future. It has been a joy giving so many artists their first exhibition, taking many to international art fairs, bringing international artists to Australia and placing so many artworks in public institutions where they will be part of a permanent cultural asset. Several artists have been associated with the gallery from the start and I thank them and others for their loyalty and friendship. Many clients have supported our artists over the years and I thank them also.”
While the exhibition space is closing, GAGPROJECTS will maintain an office in Kent Town, and will still represent a few artists and maintain a small viewing space by appointment. Greenaway says, “I am excited by our new move and feel I can contribute more as a free agent to work more internationally and yet still do valuations, consultancy, curating and generally working with all artists, not just a stable for the white cube.”
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