Material Art Fair 2016

Meet the Dealers: New York's Kimberly-Klark Gallery Finds a Space for Emerging Artists to Breathe in Queens

Meet the Dealers: New York's Kimberly-Klark Gallery Finds a Space for Emerging Artists to Breathe in Queens
Kimberly-Klark Gallery's Sydney Smith (left) and Robert Grand (center) at the Material Art Fair
This article is part of a series of spotlights on upstart gallerists at Mexico City's 2016 Material Art Fair .

After graduating from New York University ’s art program, the three artists Sydney Smith, Dennis Witkin, and Emma Hazen found themselves adrift in a prohibitively expensive city, with sky-high real-estate costs putting financial burdens on even the most indie sectors of the art scene. So, they decided to take matters in to their own hands, linking up with the artist Robert Grand —a graduate of Nashville’s Watkins College of Art —to start their own gallery in one of the city’s last redoubts of affordability: Queens.

Opening a year ago, Kimberly-Klark —a name meant to both recall the Kimberly-Clark industrial paper conglomerate and other fictitious dealer names like Reena Spaulings and Regina Rex —has allowed the artists to keep their heads above the water. “We don’t have the rent of a Lower East Side gallery, so we don’t have to worry about sales as much as a Lower East Side gallery,” says Smith. “Being in Queens allows us to give artists the exposure that showing in New York affords, with less commercial pressure. We want to provide our artists with space to experiment.” The gallery also tries to bring in up-and-comers from outside the city to share the opportunity more broadly.

Libby Rothfeld's No Friend of Mine 2 Libby Rothfeld's No Friend of Mine 2

At the fair, the artists brought several cast-concrete tub lids that Libby Rothfeld , the first artist who showed at Kimberly-Klark, coated with shellac and adorned with images referencing pop culture alongside elements of Jewish mysticism ($1,000 each); there were also a smattering of patches by Quintessa Matranga , the subject of an upcoming show at the gallery, that said “Kill your boss” (200 pesos apiece).

Libby Rothfeld's No Friend of Mine Libby Rothfeld's No Friend of Mine

“We’re really happy with the fair and we have some serious interest already,” Smith says. “It’s funny, we’re meeting a lot of New York people here for the first time, and we’re surrounded by our friends from the Internet, like Springsteen and Muscle Beach . It’s our first time in Mexico City and we love it here.”

RELATED LINKS:

Meet The Dealers: L.A.’S Arturo Bandini Hits The Big Time By Breaking All The Rules

Meet The Dealers: Bogotá's Carne Gallery Invents A New Economic Model For Artist-Run Spaces

Meet The Dealers: Corrado Folinea's Galleria Acappella Brings An Edgy Artist's Voice To Naples

Meet The Dealers: Kosovo's LambdaLambdaLambda Gallery Provides An Outlet For A Generation Of Artists Weaned On War

Meet The Dealers: How London's Bosse & Baum Gallery Turned A Former African Church Into A Temple Of Collaborative Art

Meet The Dealers: Baltimore's Springsteen Gallery Fuses Low-Fi Art With Technological Experimentation

DISCOVER

a treasure trove of fine art from the world's most renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. We offer exclusive works you can't find anywhere else.

LEARN

through exclusive content featuring art news, collecting guides, and interviews with artists, dealers, collectors, curators and influencers.

BUY

authentic artworks from across the globe. Collecting with us means you're helping to sustain creative culture and supporting organizations that are making the world a better place.

CONNECT

with our art advisors for buying advice or to help you find the art that's perfect for you. We have the resources to find works that suit your needs.

INSIDER ACCESS TO THE WORLD'S BEST ART

Artspace offers you authentic, exclusive works from world-renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. Collecting with us helps support creative culture while bringing you art news, interviews and access to global art resources.

  • COLLECT FROM 300+ GALLERIES & MUSEUMS