Meet the Gallerists

When Paula Cooper opened her gallery in 1968 SoHo, she was 30, a mother of two, and had no long-term plan. But she did have faith in artists, many of whom have since dominated the contemporary discourse, including Sol LeWitt, Carl Andre, Jo Baer, Dan Flavin, and Donald Judd. 

From the start, Paula Cooper Gallery has been defined by a commitment to activism, regularly supporting and highlighting organizations fighting for social justice. From an initial focus on Minimalism, her program has since expanded to incorporate younger artists such as Tauba Auerbach and Liz Glynn. The best advice she can offer, she says, is to ‘encourage artists.’ Art Basel caught up with the gallerist during the installation of the gallery’s anniversary show. In this exclusive interview, she revisits her storied career.

‘Artists in South Africa certainly have something to say’-Jonathan Garnham, Founder of Blank Projects

Cape Town native Jonathan Garnham left South Africa during the Apartheid era. An artist by training, he came back in 2005 to start a project space, which has since then become one of the country’s most sought-after commercial galleries. Blank Projects is a staunch champion of emerging South African artists, including performer and video artist Donna Kukama, Cinga Samson, best-known for his intriguing fictional portraits, and Igshaan Adams, who made a name for himself with his meticulously woven abstractions.

For its debut in Art Basel Miami Beach’s Nova sector, Blank Projects will present a new body of work by the Malawian-born, Johannesburg-based artist Billie Zangewa. Inspired by the artist’s daily life, the delicate silk collages articulate a female perspective that has never been more urgent. 

"What really attracts me from art is the powerful way it has to communicate between different kinds of people and different kinds of societies.” – Leopol Jose Maria Mones Cazon, Director of Isla Flotante

Friendship, cooperation, and platform: these are the three words Leopol Jose Maria Mones Cazon uses to describe his Buenos Aires-based gallery Isla Flotante. Founded in 2014, Isla Flotante represents eight young Argentinian artists, all of whom focus mainly on contemporary political issues in their work. As Cazon says, “We believe in politics as the most strong tool to make more equality and justice in our environment.”

Isla Flotante is located in the southern part of Buenos Aires in the La Boca neighborhood - an area named for its proximity to the mouth of the Riachuelo river - designated as an arts district by the city and loved by both tourists and locals.

For the Positions sector of Art Basel in Miami Beach, Isla Flotante will exhibit an installation of 65 canvases by Mariela Scafati.

“I love what I do...It is my passion and the center of my life." - Andrée Sfeir-Semler, founder of Sfeir-Semler

When Andrée Sfeir-Semler’s Beirut gallery opened at the start of the Cedar Revolution, the future of the gallery was already shadowed in doubt. ‘You had the feeling that the war was starting all again...You wouldn’t be able to leave your house after 7pm and that’s bad for an opening,” she says, laughing. ‘And we had 1800 visitors. And it was…I get emotional.' 

Located in the industrial Quarantina area, the large and light-filled gallery represents more than just the chic parts of the city. ‘The city is a city of contrast. You have beauty and ugliness next to each other. You have reasons to make art every second…’

Sfeir-Semler will be participating in the Galleries sector of Art Basel's Miami Beach show for the first time, and exhibiting works by artists such as Etel Adnan, Walid Raad, Akram Zaatari, Timo Nasseri, and Yto Barrada, among others. 

"When you are an artist, you also see your gallery as something artistic." - Michael Callies, founder of dépendance

Founded in 2003 by Michael Callies, dépendance is a Brussels-based gallery participating in the Nova sector of Art Basel's Miami Beach show and will exhibit a variety of works by artists such as Ed Atkins, Gillian Carnegie, and Peter Waechtler.

According to Callies, Brussels – like Berlin - was an ideal location for burgeoning artists thanks to its supply of studios and living spaces, crucial to the art scene. The artists represented by dépendance create complex works not easily digested – this, he says, is what makes the art interesting over time.

The basis of Callies' gallery is a preoccupation with the artists' perception of the gallery space and how it reflects their ideals. A former artist himself, he sympathizes with the artists' need to see the gallery as an artistic organism and not just a business. "It's not only about the business - we also sell dreams here."