“Coral Contemporary Gallery” was born behind closed doors in 2018 while Isabel lived in San Francisco. At the beginning of 2019, this young Argentinian entrepreneur moves to Miami, where she prepares to open Coral Contemporary Gallery for the first time in the Midtown neighborhood, between the Design District and Wynwood.
The opening exhibition will be a collective show of all the artists that the gallery represents today: Andrés Paredes, Lucas Pertile, Harumi Abe, Truong Tran, Romina Salem Taborda, Lules Fiorenza, Francisca Oyhanarte, Magdalena Trucco, Micaela Suide and Denise Laws.
How was the artist selection process? What are you looking for in them?
I’m constantly looking for artists. I seek to exhibit works that I would hang in my house. Those will be works that I would like to see every day, that comfort me or generate something positive when I see them. The selection process was very natural with each artist and I think that is a very important aspect: to connect with the artists and feel that we both go towards the same direction. When you establish a working relationship is important to be transparent and always try to do and be the best you can. Therefore, commitment and respect are key in this commitment.
Is it a mix between Argentine and North American artists?
For now, I work with local (North American) and Latin American artists but I am always open and looking for artists from anywhere in the world.
What challenges face someone when opening a new space and in a foreign country?
I face countless challenges. To start with, you don’t have your affections, those faithful “supporters” that will be there for you no matter what and also everything you star is from scratch. From finding the right (and more effective) provider to facing a different culture (different manners, ways of relating, etc).
It is a process that takes time of adaptation and learning but from the beginning, it was a challenge that I liked to face, after all, “if you don’t risk you won’t win”. The most important thing is to be open, organized and always move forward and never give up.
I also believe that the biggest challenge of opening a gallery is to keep it open through time and for that I think it’s important to be very proactive.
You are a graduate student of Marketing as your bachelor degree, how do you think this career helps in your work today?
I studied marketing many years ago and worked on it for five years. Right after that, I got involved into the art world. For me, the most important aspect for a working person is his/her work experience. Basically, the best tools and learning you will gain it with practice in the actual workspace along with your values, ideas, and predisposition.
Do you feel that you have to face certain prejudices for being ‘the daughter of’? (Isabel is the daughter of Isabel Anchorena, renowned gallery owner of the Buenos Aires scene)
Perhaps I sometimes felt the prejudice that by opening a gallery, and my mother already has one several years ago, that mine was going to have had the same style and “personality” than my mothers.
I learned a lot from her but the reality is that, although we look alike in many aspects, in many others we are very different and that is also reflected in our personalities and own projects. Each one has its own point of view, style and way.
What are the goals of a young gallery in the future?
After studying the master’s degree in Museum Studies in San Francisco, I got to know more about museums and all the different department it has. As a global cultural institution, museums open their doors to everyone creating programs that invite people to learn and enjoy at the same time. This is why, in addition to aiming to participate in an art fair next year, my main focus now is to put into action the program of the gallery that will consist not only on showcasing and selling artworks but also doing artist talks, lectures, debates, and analysis.
The idea is that the gallery works as a place to connect, learn and share ideas. Each presentation will be followed by an audience participation in which people will be able to ask questions to the artists/presenters. All gallery program will be free and open to the public. In this way, the gallery aims to leave behind the typical “gallery scene” and move towards a more “museum oriented” perspective.
Coral Contemporary Gallery will open its doors on October 24 at 6 pm at 30 nw 34 street, Midtown, Miami, Florida.
© All images courtesy of Coral Contemporary Gallery
