Left to Right: Viviane Mehr, Jillian Ross, Amé Bell
REGISTER HERE: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZvKaNzlmR6ytEQ2jxw0s9g
As part of our ongoing Conversations on Collecting series, this two-part miniseries will focus on the impacts that COVID-19 has had on artists, galleries, curators, studios and online entities operating within the complex ecosystem of the international art market in South Africa, Canada and beyond. Presented in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver.
This week’s session features VivianeART, a Calgary-based contemporary commercial art gallery, alongside David Krut Projects, a Johannesburg-based alternative arts institution, to discuss the challenges encountered by each organization over the course of the past year and how they’ve persevered to overcome these obstacles. Today’s conversation will centre on stories of creativity, innovation and adaptability within Canadian and South African commercial arts institutions. Speakers include VivianeArt founder/owner Viviane Mehr, David Krut Projects’ gallery manager Amé Bell and master printmaker Jillian Ross.
Building on one of Griffin Art Project’s mandates to examine new currents in contemporary collecting practices, Conversations on Collecting is an ongoing series that considers the methodologies, thematics and narratives that shape collecting practices in Vancouver, Canada and beyond.
VivianeArt
VivianeArt is more than a gallery. It’s a gathering place, where artists and art lovers can come together to share their passion for great work. VivianeArt champions the careers of artists who challenge the boundaries of art, the way it’s made and the way it’s shown. Representing a diverse roster of emerging and established Canadian and international artists, founder Viviane Mehr and her team believe in the power of art and its ability to inspire, invigorate and transform. To help fulfill their vision of becoming a space for all things art, VivianeArt has brought together a knowledgeable and dedicated team of experts who amongst themselves have earned degrees from The Alberta University of the Arts, Concordia University, The University of Calgary, The University of Alberta and The University of Toronto. VivianeArt is a member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada (ADAC) and the Contemporary Art Galleries Association (AGAC).
David Krut Projects
David Krut Projects has locations in Johannesburg and New York, and is an alternative arts institution dedicated to encouraging an awareness of and careers in the arts and related literature and media, and to promoting contemporary culture in a dynamic, collaborative environment. David Krut’s art activities started in London in the early 1980’s when he published an edition by British artist Joe Tilson. He has since curated exhibitions of contemporary works on paper in various international locations. In 1992 he became active in South Africa, publishing the editions of William Kentridge. David Krut Workshop (DKW) is the centre of David Krut Projects’ (DKP) artistic collaborations. The workshop has been involved in exciting print collaborations with artists since 2002.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Viviane Mehr
Viviane Mehr is the Founder/Owner of VIVIANEART, a contemporary commercial art gallery in Calgary with a primary mission to support emerging and mid-career Canadian artists. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Alberta University of the Arts (previously ACAD) in 2010 and opened her gallery in 2013. Previously, Viviane had a near twenty-year career as a professional Social Worker. This background has proven very beneficial as Viviane has worked to establish herself as a gallerist on the local, Canadian and International art scenes. She considers relationship building at the very core of her success. This, paired with her commitment to invest in what she believes in, has kept her afloat in a very challenging market. Viviane served on the Board of Directors for MOCA Calgary (now part of Contemporary Calgary) until she opened her gallery in the fall of 2013. She is currently Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors for One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre Company in Calgary, Alberta.
Jillian Ross
Jillian Ross has been the Master Printer and Director of the David Krut Workshop (DKW) in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the past 16 years working with celebrated South African and international artists in collaborative printmaking. Most notably, Ross has been collaborating with William Kentridge since 2006 on several of his major print series and has produced over 150 works. Throughout her work, particularly in the publicly accessible open-studio format of DKW, Ross has promoted and enhanced artist, collector and general public knowledge of printmaking through educational workshops, knowledge sharing and the gallery program at David Krut Projects with Gallery Director, Amé Bell.
Ross and her family have recently relocated to Canada, to her home province of Saskatchewan, where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Art with Great Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan in 2002. During this challenging pandemic year, she has been developing new relationships and projects while working across oceans in order to build new ways of collaborating with international artists through printmaking. The result is as a soon-to-be released collaborative print project with the University of Alberta and William Kentridge.
Ross will continue her inclusive collaborative work with the David Krut Workshop (DKW) and other project partners in Canada and South Africa - bridging her two home countries - by continuing and developing relationships with artists, printmakers and collaborators.
Amé Bell
Amé Bell is the Gallery and Sales Director at David Krut Projects and current Ph.D candidate at the department of Art History at the University of Witwatersrand. As Gallery Director she is responsible for all projects and operations regarding the gallery and art fair exhibition programmes, local and international sales, and the direction of all gallery and bookstore staff administration, sales and communications. As an accomplished book designer and curator, Bell has worked with many local and international artists, collaborating on exhibition making and publications documenting their practices.
She works closely with Master Printer Jillian Ross and with the David Krut Workshop (DKW), which is located at Arts on Main, Maboneng Precinct, in the inner city of Johannesburg. Bell connects young artists to DKW allowing them to gain collaborative editioning experience by working with a skilled team of printers. Bell has further been involved in early childhood development activities and children’s printmaking workshops which promote arts education among the youth.
