The most challenging piece of the Postmasters 5.0 transition relates to the technical logistics of putting on a show in an unfamiliar space, from wiring a room to bringing the proper tools. Diao likely “wanted or needed this kind of much more conventional apparatus,” said Sawon, who added that no other artists have left Postmasters due to its model changing. The gallery’s experimental changes have also led to the loss of artist David Diao, who was represented by Postmasters since its founding and left for Chelsea’s Greene Naftali gallery in April. “It’s pretty much an even-Steven deal,” she told Observer.Ĭhando Ao’s Cradle & Cradling: Adulthood is About Companionship (2021), at Postmasters Gallery’s Machine Violence exhibition. The exhibition, which had a portion of its press release written by ChatGPT, includes 3D printed plastic works by Gracelee Lawrence, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from Eddo Stern and Miltos Manetas and Instagram filters from Huntrezz Janos.ĭespite taking a hit from the loss of revenue from exhibitions, Sawon claims the gallery’s profits have remained relatively steady due to its decreased operational expenses. Neirin Gray Desai.Įlements of experimental technology are prevalent in Postmasters’ newest show, Machine Violence. Gracelee Lawrence’s Memories of the Wild Rooted in the Flesh (2023), at Postmasters Gallery’s Machine Violence exhibition. In 1999, the gallery exhibited Netomat, a communications software program created by Maciej Wisniewski, and in 2010, it showcased Eva and Franco Mattes’ performances on the online video chat platform Chatroulette. Postmasters has long been an early adopter of non-traditional artwork focused on technological change. “But at that point, it became very clear to me that given our predilection for experiments and art that is not fully embraced by the market, it would be an incredibly heavy burden to carry a space at those prices,” she said. “You could put a tracker on us and it would point out the art neighborhoods of New York City, starting from the 80s.”Īfter opening Postmasters in Manhattan’s East Village, the contemporary art gallery moved to Soho in 1989 and then left the “gentrified, crowded neighborhood” nearly a decade later to set up shop in Chelsea, according to Sawon. The gallery saturation in some Manhattan neighborhoods has always been an issue for Postmasters, according to Sawon, who grew up in Warsaw, Poland, where she earned a master’s degree in art history before moving to the U.S. Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw’s A Lamp for your Home (die, live) (2023), at Postmasters Gallery’s Machine Violence exhibition. “I think I would be bored to death not doing this.” While the untraditional move has caused logistical challenges for the gallery and has been a tough change to embrace for some of its artists, Sawon claims the transition to the roving model has been an exciting change. Since the gallery lost its Tribeca space in August, it has rented buildings across the city in order to hold pop-up exhibitions.
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