LONDON.- Gallery 8 has announced an expansion into New York after ten years on Duke Street St James, London. The move, announced and directed by Gallery 8 London owner Celine Gauld, is an opportunity to return to the curatorial role as well as repurposing the successful London model.

Gallery 8 New York will provide a spacious gallery in a newly developed and historic 19th century building in Harlem. A corner space on historic Striver’s Row, the gallery will contain vast street-facing windows, that placed in front of partitions, allow for the work on display to be witnessed by passersby. The gallery is located on Frederick Douglass Boulevard (cross street 139th Street), and is a stone’s throw away from the City College of New York campus.

Gauld has, since 2008, managed the London space as a rental venue in response to the burgeoning luxury retail market that has driven many galleries out of Mayfair. Seeing the need for high quality temporary exhibition space in central London, and the exclusion of many artists and independent gallerists, Gauld created a strong, profitable and sustainable model for the short term rental art market.

Now, seeing a similar trend in New York where rents in established areas are skyrocketing and again driving galleries out of the more affluent neighborhoods, Gauld has expanded to replicate the Gallery 8 model in the US and increase her own curatorial activity. Gauld has been co-curating with roaming gallerists Coates and Scarry since 2013, and together with them will launch FACTION Art Projects as the inaugural show in the New York gallery in February 2018.

Gauld says of Gallery 8 New York: I was keen to expand in London, but properties are now so expensive, that New York has become an interesting option. Having looked throughout the city, I realized I did not want to compromise on space. In Harlem you can still get the most extraordinary space. I’d rather have something amazing in Harlem than something mediocre on the Upper East Side. I also believe the New York market is very welcoming and open. Our two locations are very different, St James very traditional and conservative, Harlem is edgier, and I’m welcoming the change in projects we can deliver here.

Regarding the new project FACTION, Gauld adds: FACTION is a new flexible model, offering an alternative to the traditional gallery - artist dynamic. FACTION offers curation as part of the package to artists from all over the world who are unrepresented in New York. Each project will have its own life and sense, and that’s the beauty of it. Harlem is an exciting and historical neighborhood. It’s inspiring to be part of that and feel the atmosphere that is there. FACTION’s approach will enable us to work with a diverse range of artists. Our one ethos is difference. We hope to push the boundaries both of what is accepted as an art zone outside the recognized enclaves, and as a business model. When you’re outside the expected, you have the freedom to explore, and challenge.