I interviewed Katrine Levin Galleries on what it’s like to run an art dealership in London
I sat down with Katrine, founder of Katrine Levin Galleries a London based gallery “promoting and showcasing exceptional emerging artists from places less explored”. We talked about setting up her own art dealership, China’s Yunnan Province, and Royal Ballet dancer turned photographer Andre Uspenski. Here’s what I learned.
Chen Li, Serene Thought – Human Buddha, 2016, oil on linen canvas, 60 x 50cm. Photo © Katrine Levin Galleries
How did you come about setting up your own art dealership under Katrine Levin Galleries?
Well, to start off with, after finishing the masters at Christie’s Education, family ties led me to a Chinese artist community in the relatively non-Westernized, remote Yunnan Province. Being introduced by a local created a circle of trust that lies at the heart of the art dealership. Yunnan’s capital city Kunming is where I met talents like Chen Li and Gao Xiang, both childhood friends and art graduate fellows.
Similarly whilst visiting Tbilisi in Georgia, I stumbled upon a small painting in our Airbnb. I was blown away by its beauty and impact. Calls were made, contacts exchanged and appointments arranged…before we knew it we were drinking wine together with the artist, Mamuka Didebashvili. It was a defining moment and a start to working together. It was also the beginning of Katrine Levin Galleries’ concept.
Mamuka Didebashvil, Dessert, oil on canvas, 80 x 60 cm. Photo © Katrine Levin Galleries
So Katrine Levin Galleries mostly represents foreign artists from outside the UK?
Yes, for now. Katrine Levin Galleries came to life wanting to showcase talent from “places less explored”, growing one contemporary artist at a time. It’s about wanting to give non-western artists access to a voice in the West too. Now, friendships have grown. We represent 2 artists from Yunnan and next year we’ll work with 2 more from Georgia. We don’t have a lot of artists because we give a lot of time and attention to each one. We set up an online gallery and we also have 3-4 yearly exhibitions at the Coningsby Gallery in Fitzrovia, in the heart of London.
The first of these is coming up 19 June – 1 July! It’s Chen Li’s first U.K. solo exhibition, “Chen Li: Paintings from the Heart” at the Coningsby Gallery at 30 Tottenham Street, London, W1T 4RJ. It’s really exciting! You can see more details at www.katrinelevin.com.
Private viewings are also held at Katrine’s home to promote the artists. Photo © Katrine Levin Galleries
Tell me more about Chen Li and Yunnan Province
Yunnan is fascinating. Because it’s a remote province intellectuals and artists who angered the regime – from the Emperors of Imperial China to Chairman Mao’s communist government – insufficiently to be killed but sufficiently to be exiled, were sent there. This created a fantastic milieu for originality and creativity to flourish. Yunnan is also the most ethnically diverse province in China and stunningly beautiful. It’s a bit like “you name it, they have it” in terms of natural wonders and Unesco world heritage sites.
Chen Li’s work blew me away. He is inspired by Yunnan’s spectacular landscape and the spirit of traditional Chinese culture and Buddhist philosophy. He creates a unique visual language by melding the abstract and gestural qualities of Chinese ink painting and the colours and textures of Western oil painting. Over the years, Chen Li’s developed his own style in conscious isolation from influences by academia and institutionalism. This remoteness, and genuine deep feeling, I think makes his paintings stand out miles away.
Chen Li, Evening Autumn Clouds, oil on canvas, 130 x 97cm. Photo © Katrine Levin Galleries
How have you personally found representing artists who as of yet have no extensive networks in the West?
If there was an existing network to jump into, boy, would I jump! Only kidding! I think it’s been great. It took a year to figure out what’s what and how to run the place, and I worked hard for it. But I think that the artists’ living further away from the mainstream is what makes them and their art so fresh and desirable. Their cultural sub-contexts come out really well against what we see in the gallery scene here in London.
I think that the artists’ living further away from the mainstream is what makes them and their art so fresh and desirable.
For example, in his first year on the international stage, Chen Li is already being collected in the U.K., U.S., and Italy. And the Royal Academy shortlisted works by both him and Gao Xiang for the Summer Exhibition. I’m really happy, fingers crossed for the final results in May!
Gao Xiang, Pagoda of Horses II (The Dreams? series), 2008, oil on canvas, 61 x 46 cm. Photo © Katrine Levin Galleries
Hurrah, that’s great! Considering that context, how do you think Chinese artists themselves feel about being represented in the West?
This is an important part of my work actually. It’s ironic because on the one hand there’s a strong desire to be recognised in the West, despite the vibrant Chinese market and the relatively higher prices that can be realised there these days. On the other hand, some artists have had bad experiences with foreign dealers so there are issues of trust. I was lucky to get “on the inside of Yunnan“ through family, and once the trust was there, you see that there’s a lot of willingness to be discovered and to work together.
Is Katrine Levin Galleries doing any collaborative projects?
Andre’s got the perfect eye. He snaps at just the right moment in a mid-air jump because he’s done it himself!
Yes, we are one part of the Levin Miller partnership, representing former Royal Ballet dancer turned fine art photographer Andre Uspenski. This is a bit of a departure from my “further afield” artists! With his former life in dance, Andre’s got the perfect eye. He snaps at just the right moment in a mid-air jump because he’s done it himself! It’s breath-taking work. We’ll doing an exhibition of his fine art photography, “Andre Uspenski: A Dancer’s View”, at the Old Truman Brewery in Spitalfields, 28 April – 16 May. Come by! You can see more info at www.levinmiller.com.
And finally, what’s next for Katrine Levin Galleries?
Oh, so many plans! There is Chen Li’s exhibition in June and Gao Xiang’s in November, both in London. I’m also preparing to include the Georgian artists in next year’s exhibitions and to expand the exhibitions to New York, where I have an extensive network from my years as a lawyer in the city. I’m also thinking about something in Italy, close to Milan, since there is strong interest in Chinese contemporary art there. Meantime, I’m working on a documentary pitch about the artists of Yunnan and after that, Georgia. And of course, I will continue discovering and promoting new artists from further afield.
Katrine Levin. Photo © 2016-17 Katrine Levin Galleries
Go see Chen Li’s inaugural exhibition in London
Chen Li: Paintings from the Heart
19 June – 1 July 2017, Katrine Levin Galleries at the Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, W1T 4RJ. Find out more on www.katrinelevin.com.