Defying market gloom, Nicoletti gallery in London moves to larger space in Shoreditch

Nicoletti co-directors Oswaldo Nicoletti and Camille Houzé (L-R) outside their new gallery space in Shoreditch
© Jack Elliot Edwards
It is crunch time for galleries: announcements of downsizing and closures come most weeks amid a market slump. Which makes it all the more notable when news arrives of an expansion—as is the case of Nicoletti in London.
The gallery, which was founded in 2018, will move later this month from its space on Vyner Street in Bethnal Green to a converted warehouse in Shoreditch. Although the search for a new location was partially spurred by their landlord not renewing their lease, the gallery's co-directors, Oswaldo Nicoletti and Camille Houzé, were already looking to move. "We were the last space on Vyner Street," they say of the former gallery hub. "We wanted to be nearer other dynamic galleries".
The new space, a former office on Paul Street, fits the bill, being close to contemporary art dealerships Emalin, Hales and Kate McGarry and walking distance from institutions like the Barbican and Raven Row.
Interior view of Nicoletti's new space
© Jack Elliot Edwards
Rather than renting their new space, Nicoletti and Houzé have elected to take out a loan to buy it. This is despite it being more expensive than Nicoletti's current premises, due to its larger size—it contains two exhibition spaces—and more central location.
While it might seem counterintuitive to borrow money at a time when collectors are tightening their purse strings, Houzé says the current "market crisis" is precisely why Nicoletti is widening its ambitions. "This is a way to face what is happening," he says. "The new space is more central and so it’s easier and more comfortable for clients to reach us. We have grown a tremendous amount since we began six years ago. We have evaluated our sales progress and feel that we had done everything we could in the Vyner Street space. You need to keep a sense of progression alive, otherwise you stagnate. Moving into a new space is a way to achieve that."
The new space will open on 19 September with a solo show by the French artist Tarek Lakhrissi. Spit (until 10 November) will include glass sculptures, large 3D-printed sculptures and drawings. It takes as its central motif the act of ejecting liquid from one's mouth—a response to an incident recently experienced by the artist, in which he was spat on and verbally abused for carrying the Palestinian flag at Paris Pride. Some of the works on show will depict tongues locked in embrace, and explore the erotic and violent connotations of being spat on, as well as the often-blurred lines between fear and desire.
A portion of the show was exhibited at the Migros Museum in Zurich, where Lakhrissi recently had a solo exhibition.

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