Margaret Lee & Oliver Newton

JAE KIM: 47 Canal has carved a distinctive niche in the New York art scene. What principles and values serve as the foundation for the gallery’s programming and contributions to the contemporary art landscape?

47 CANAL (MARGARET LEE & OLIVER NEWTON): Neither of us had ambitions to become art dealers, but in 2011, we found ourselves in the position to open a gallery for a very specific group of artists who, at the time, were building practices that aimed to address the seismic shift in culture, politics and ecology that was looming on the horizon. We felt it was important to build a gallery to support artists who were concerned with the present day and near future. The first 10 exhibitions set the foundation for the gallery, and this is where we learned the fundamentals of working closely with artists to bring their first solo exhibitions to fruition. Since conditions are always changing, aesthetics and conversations shift, but what remains constant is our desire to work with artists who engage with the world and are grounded in some sense of external relationality and to continue to provide a space for artists to develop their exhibitions intuitively, thus allowing the gallery’s identity to be built with and alongside the artists. 

JK: The gallery is located in the heart of Chinatown. How has the cultural context of this area influenced the gallery’s identity? Can you elaborate on the interplay between the gallery and the local environment?

47 CANAL: The discussion on art galleries’ negative impact on working-class neighborhoods intensified amid NYC’s affordability crisis, displacing longtime residents and small businesses. Initially located at 179 Canal Street and later moving to 47 Canal Street before its current spot at the corner of Grand and Eldridge, our gallery has thrived in the local culture. Recognizing the need for community involvement to combat displacement, we engaged in local activism, supporting Christopher Marte’s City Council campaign and joining the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side. This collaboration broadened our perspective, highlighting the interconnectedness of cultural and small business sectors and fostering solidarity in anti-displacement efforts. In erasing the distance between ourselves and our neighbors, we were able to deepen our understanding of place and the role art and artists play within the community. 

JK: The connection between a gallery and its artists is often described as a symbiotic relationship. In the case of Elle Pérez, how would you describe the depth of collaboration and understanding that has developed between them and 47 Canal?

47 CANAL: Elle is a great example of the impact artists have on the growth and development of the gallery. When we first saw Elle’s photos, we were intrigued, but it was really after meeting them and learning about their formative years being part of a DIY punk scene in the Bronx, along with their dedication to teaching, that we knew it was a perfect match. Recently, Elle gave an artist’s talk where they made the point that their first audience for their photos were the people they were photographing, which is how they were able to quickly understand the trust needed between the subject and the photographer and to build a practice that strived to shift away from the exploitative and extractive tendencies that can arise within the medium. Being within the world and in the community, letting those things influence their perspective, allows Elle to make pictures that exude intimacy and trust between those within the frame and the photographer. Being able to work with Elle reminds us that our work with artists has to be grounded in trust and reciprocity.

JK: Embracing a spectrum that spans from noncommercial performances (such as Miho Hatori’s performance collaborations) to fashion presentations by the New York-based label CFGNY, what philosophical underpinnings guide your decisions in curating a space that not only showcases artistic expression but also engages in the diverse languages of creativity?

47 CANAL: This carries over from 179 Canal, which was originally a one-month project that continued month to month for one year. There were so many artists’ and musicians’ projects that I wanted to include within this short time frame, so I tried to pack in as many projects as possible. Layering performances into exhibitions and encouraging artists to invite and program events during the run of their shows. I felt this honored a NYC model that I learned from in my younger years. Being that free real estate was and is hard to come by, those who had access to space felt the need to host free events and offer space for artists to present their visions outside of tightly curated invitational projects. This didn’t seem out of the ordinary at all, maximizing the use value of our space, which lays dormant outside of gallery hours. It’s not so much that the artists we invite in for noncommercial performances didn’t have other opportunities, it is more that we gave them time and space to workshop ideas on their own terms before perhaps performing in a more traditional venue. It also puts us in close proximity to the practices of performers we respect, a behind-the-scenes view into how artists problem-solve and hone their practices. This “back of house” activity is what keeps us going and what continues to excite us.

<Read the full interview from Issue Seven>