In this month’s ‘Spotlight Feature’ Chris Gunness talks to Selena Cerami of the Eve Leibe Gallery one of the newest arrivals in the heart of Connaught Village
Chris: Tell me about the history of your gallery: how did it begin and where is it now?
Selena: The gallery was born in late 2018 as a nomadic project, initially hosting pop-up shows in different neighbourhoods of London displaying emerging London based and international artists. The gallery has rapidly grown, during the pandemic we shifted from physical to digital, creating exhibitions in virtual ad-hoc spaces while adjusting to the global situation. With the end of lockdowns and the commercial reopening, we resumed our programming of physical shows between Italy and the UK. Eve Leibe will now embark on a new chapter, one that is permanent and no longer nomadic. We have found our home in West London, in Connaught Village.
Chris: What is your philosophy and mission?
Selena: Eve Leibe Gallery believes that contemporary art has an intrinsic value for society that enriches people’s lives, offering multiple reflections on how we live and how our futures might be. The gallery supports and promotes emerging and mid-career artists of diverse origins and backgrounds. The gallery showcases artists whose work investigates various themes engaging with different mediums. Cultivating and encouraging dialogue between the artists and the audience, the gallery aims to raise awareness on various societal issues, tackling and questioning systemic racism, sexism, classism.
Chris: And what about your artists: how do you choose them and where do they come from?
Selena: We exhibit artists from all over the world, North and South America, Germany, Italy, Spain, Taiwan and the UK of course. We love to showcase international artists that perhaps you would not normally see in London, giving them and the passers-by the chance to meet, dialogue and engage. Nowadays, we believe Instagram is a very powerful tool to discover art and artists, it creates such a sense of community that it becomes very easy to just start messaging with someone about their work and then you end up doing a studio visit and meeting other artists and doing more studio visits. We find it very funny to meet artists through social media, it feels a bit like a dating app!
Chris: What in particular attracted you to our neighbourhood?
Selena: Eve Leibe ended up in West London a bit by chance, we were looking for spaces in London and after a few exhibitions in Shoreditch, and Chelsea we wanted to try something new. As soon as we arrived in Connaught Village we felt very welcomed and included. The community here is lovely and we love welcoming passers-by to our shows! This area has a special aura around it, with all its little cafes, cute boutiques and lovely shops, we feel very much at home.
Chris: And what about your artists – how do you choose them and where do they come from?
Selena: We exhibit artists from all over the world and the UK of course. We love to showcase international artists that are perhaps not seen in London yet, giving them and the passers-by the chance to meet, dialogue and engage. We believe Instagram is a very powerful tool to discover artists, however, we end up doing studio visits as soon as can, personal connection is also very powerful.
Eve Leibe Gallery, 12 Connaught Street, London W2 2AF.
www.eveleibegallery.com
info@eveleibegallery.com
Facebook: eveleibegallery
Instagram: @eveleibegallery
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