Works by local artists on display in a window for rent on November 28, 2020 in New York (AFP / Kena Betancur)
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In New York, artists have taken over empty windows and the premises of stores that have had to close because of the pandemic, a way for them to gain visibility while revitalizing abandoned shopping streets.
“Sometimes it is said that tragedy gives rise to an opportunity,” explains designer Sir Shadow, who currently creates his works in a former furniture store in Manhattan.
The septuagenarian is helped by the Chashama association, which for 25 years has persuaded owners to temporarily offer their vacant premises to artists in difficulty so that they can use it as a studio and exhibition space.
The closure of thousands of businesses and restaurants this year due to the virus, combined with the difficulty owners have in renting these vacant places, allowed the organization to broaden its scope of action.
Chashama, which already has 150 studios, plans to occupy 100 new spaces by next year.
“There are more places available and many more places that people are ready to give us at the moment”, confirms to AFP Anita Durst, founder and artistic director of the association.
Artists take possession of the space for free and benefit from 100% of the proceeds from the sales, a godsend in a city like New York where commercial space rents are exorbitant and where galleries usually take a commission.
The owners also gain by the change in this device which sees the artists leaving the premises once the space has been rented.
Works by local artists exhibited in a window for rent on November 28, 2020 in New York (AFP / Kena Betancur)
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“We make the place look good. We’re here to open the doors for realtors. In a sense, we’re trying to help with the rental of the space,” says Durst.
– Boost morale –
A similar initiative has seen the light of day in the upscale Upper West Side, where the facades of the Columbus Avenue commercial strip now display the work of local artists.
Artist Sir Shadow exhibits his works in an empty commercial space on November 25, 2020 in New York (AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY)
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Oil paintings, acrylic canvases and photographs adorn store windows alongside “Commercial Space Available” signs as part of the Art on the Ave exhibition, which ends on January 31.
The idea germinated in June in the heads of three teachers including Barbara Anderson, who could not stand the sad sight of shops closing one after another as the pandemic engulfed New York.
“I said to myself that we had to be able to do something better, something more dynamic,” Ms. Anderson, who lives in this neighborhood, told AFP.
“Hopefully this will bring customers to the area and help retailers who are having a hard time paying rent,” she adds.
Lance Johnson is one of 40 artists featured in the exhibition.
Photos by artist AJ Stetson displayed on a street on the Upper West Side in New York City on November 27, 2020 (AFP / Kena Betancur)
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Passers-by stop to take a picture of his brightly colored canvas “We the People”, estimated at $ 3,500, and press their noses against the glass to read the accompanying leaflet.
“Instead of brown paper lining the windows you see exceptional art. It lifts your spirits,” says Mr Johnson.
For the 45-year-old painter, it is all the more important since it is a question of fighting against the idea that “New York is dead”.
“This is not true. We are still here, we are fighting and it is important to let it be known,” he adds.
Works by artist Maya Shae displayed in the window of a closed store on November 28, 2020 in New York (AFP / Kena Betancur)
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For Sir Shadow, who illegally hung his paintings on the gates of public gardens before joining Chashama’s program, this type of initiative will bring lasting visibility to artists.
“Once people get used to seeing these occupied spaces, understand the interest and see the beauty of it, you can’t go back,” he says.
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