Espacio Gallery 100 Metres, 100 Artists

NEW BRICK LANE GALLERY OPENS. BUT NOT ON BRICK LANE.
Opening weekend 19-20 May 2012 - Inaugural show 100 metres, 100 artists
On 19th May Brick Lane will get its first new art gallery in years. Espacio Gallery is the brainchild of London-based
Brazilian artist Carlos De Lins and there?ll be a whole weekend of events plus the inaugural show 100 Metres, 100
Artists which will feature a single piece from every Espacio Gallery Project artist. Opening Weekend times are
Saturday 1-8pm with afternoon tea served on Sunday 1-6pm.
But this Brick Lane gallery comes with a twist: it?s not on Brick Lane. It?s only 100m away on Bethnal Green Road
though, and gallery founder De Lins thinks that?s close enough to count: ?If Brick Lane isn?t paved with bricks any
more then I?m sure we can be a Brick Lane gallery that?s not on Brick Lane,? he says laughing. ?We?re very close
though, just 100m away, so less than 10s. We checked with Usain Bolt. Actually we might ask him to be a
Patron....?
The inspiration for Espacio (which means ?our space?) came to De Lins in 2010. Chatting to fellow artists, he heard
the same problems again and again: the commercial art world is a closed shop; it?s very hard to get a gallery to
represent you; and if you do the commissions are high. It was then that he formed a vision of a different way of
showing art: collaborative and funded by ?member artists?.
De Lins soon gathered a ?community movement? of over 100 artists but by 2011 Brick Lane rents had rocketed from
about £30k a year to around £50k a year and the artists had to widen their search area.
Early in 2012, a former cake shop came onto the market and De Lins immediately saw its potential. ?It?s a fantastic
space with lots of natural light, a gorgeous wooden floor and split over two levels with a perfect space for a
programme of arts events. In time we?d love to host life-drawing, poetry, comedy, all sorts of things,? he says.
Despite the recession, De Lins is optimistic. ?On the day we signed the lease we went there and wrote Espacio
Gallery on the window in the dust. Within days we?d already had enquiries from people about booking the gallery
for shows.?
Espacio?s Opening Weekend will be May 19-20th. Saturday 1-8pm continuing with Afternoon Tea on Sunday 1-6pm
at 159 Bethnal Green Road E2 7DG. The inaugural show will be called 100 Metres, 100 Artists showcasing a single
piece from each Espacio artist and runs to Tuesday 22nd May.
www.espaciogallery.com
www.facebook.com/espaciogallery
@espaciogallery (Twitter)
For further information and/or interviews, please contact Renee Rilexie on 07947 628694.
Sample images of artists? previous work are also available on request in jpeg format from rilexier@gmail

Ann Kopka