In case you haven’t had enough news about Orchard Street in the last week or so, GalleristNY broke the news in a weekend exclusive that the four-year-old Lisa Cooley Gallery will leave its home at 34 Orchard, between Hester and Canal streets.
It’s good news, though: the gallery is relocating a few blocks away to 107 Norfolk St., the former home of Tonic nightclub, which offers four times the room it has now. The former club, which abuts the residential highrise, BLUE, has been the site of several failed proposals, including a “dining in the dark” restaurant.
The new digs will be designed by Reinaldo Leandro, of Ashe + Leandro, and include a separate space for private events and screenings, as well as a basement-level space.
Here’s more from reporter Sarah Douglas at GalleristNY:
Lisa Cooley currently represents the artists Michael Bauer, Andy Coolquitt, Frank Haines, Alex Olson and Erin Shirreff, among others. Recently, the gallery signed Cynthia Daignault and Alice Channer.
The inaugural exhibition at the new space will be a group show of gallery artists called “Today,” named for a poem by Frank O’Hara. The gallery has not made available an exact opening date.
Reached by e-mail in London, Ms. Cooley said the she was excited about “how [the new space] will inspire the artists.”
Ms. Cooley’s move is significant for the Lower East Side, which, aside from a handful of large Chelsea-size galleries, like Salon 94, Untitled, Lehmann Maupin and Sperone Westwater (which opened in 2010 in a tower that rivals the New Museum in height), has mainly been known for modestly sized spaces and emerging dealers.
Look at that tiny structure between two massive buildings! Good thing it has more room for the gallery, hopefully the gallery breathes life into it.