PSFK is happy to feature RENTAL Gallery at our NYC Conference taking place on Thursday. RENTAL, founded by Joel Mesler in 2005, embodies an alternative vision of the traditional gallery model -based on artist representation – by offering a full-service platform for art galleries from the US and abroad to produce temporary art exhibitions within their NYC space. In support of our conference, RENTAL will be showcasing a special selection of selected works from their past exhibitions on the second floor. We asked Philip Deely, RENTAL’s Director since 2007, to share some of his insights and explain a little more about what the gallery is all about.
What makes RENTAL’s business model unique?
RENTAL is unique because as a business, it falls in the gray area between the traditional art gallery, the non-profit art space and the for-profit art fair; unlike a gallery, we do not represent artists - unlike a non-profit art space, we are a for-profit company – and unlike an art fair that might last a week, the exhibitions that we produce tend to last a month. RENTAL is best viewed as a “readymade gallery,” in essence, a platform for art galleries. We provide everything an art dealer needs to produce an exhibition in New York; staffing, marketing, installation support- everything our clients require to hit the ground running.
Why the decision to forgo the traditional gallery model?
RENTAL was designed to fulfill a specific niche within the art market; namely the need of galleries to expand into new markets and cities without exhausting their capital resources, and for the galleries to have the opportunity to introduce new talent to the art world without the hassle of organizing the show cooperatively with a New York gallery. The art world has expanded exponentially over the past decade and exciting new work is being shown in cities outside New York - RENTAL provides galleries the opportunity to show those artists to the New York market, and offers the dealers the chance to make new connections through RENTAL’s network of clients.
What are the benefits and challenges of this type of model?
One of the greatest rewards for the general public is that every month the gallery is showcasing a gallery from outside New York, and frequently from outside North America. It can be challenging at times to work with a different art dealer and their staff every show, and because the artwork frequently is being shipped to us from around the globe, the logistics of art transportation can be difficult. An interesting result of operating with our model is that while many people come back every month to see our shows, each client gallery draws a slightly different audience, the result of which is that RENTAL’s audience, and the people who buy art from our clients, is fairly diverse.
Explain the process of choosing the galleries you work with. What is their reaction to this type of working relationship?
Galleries interested in presenting exhibitions generally approach us with a proposal – typically a synopsis of the proposed show, along with background information on their artists and reference images. Frequently, we reach out to galleries that we are interested in and initiate a conversation about what sort of exhibition they might want to present. Our decision making process generally considers the quality of the proposed exhibition and the strength of the proposed gallery’s overall artistic program. Once a proposal is approved, RENTAL works to integrate the proposed project into our annual schedule, a process which involves considering how one gallery’s show fits next to another and takes into consideration any specific logistical issues with the show, such as galleries that need more time for an installation. Galleries tend to appreciate the time that we spend curating our programming, and understand that sometimes we decide not to do an interesting show because it does not fit into the current season’s program of galleries. The overwhelming majority of galleries that do go on to produce exhibitions with us enjoy the experience and benefit from it, which is why we have had many clients do multiple shows at RENTAL.
Does RENTAL have any role in the curatorial decisions?
Yes and no. As a “readymade” gallery, we prefer to let galleries produce the shows that they want. RENTAL does frequently work with clients to develop their exhibitions during the planning stages to ensure that the artwork is appropriate for the gallery space, and for the New York audience. RENTAL’s curatorial energies are mostly focused on the development of our programming- in essence; RENTAL curates galleries, not artists.
What are some of the galleries/artists we can expect to see at our upcoming NYC Conference?
The exhibition that I’m putting together for PSFK’s Conference is a selection of some of my favorite works from past exhibitions at RENTAL, and will reflect the wide range of work that we exhibit. Artists in this exhibition work in a wide variety of media and techniques and come from different ends of the globe. The final list of artists and works will be available on the day of the Conference.
Thanks, Philip!
See RENTAL’s works at PSFK Conference NYC.
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