Fine art gallery Galleria Balmain is currently running its first in-person six-week pop-up in Shoreditch – a particularly long stint for the fast-moving London art world, said featured artist Mark Sheeky. Mark’s specialisation can best be described as surrealist multimedia, but the gallery exhibits artists of a wide range of styles. The gallery boasts special “artists’ days” where passers-by can stop in, free of charge, to come face to face with the makers of the art they see for sale.
This unique business model isn’t commonplace in art galleries. Mark said: “There are plenty of galleries in London that are never open to the public at all. They only deal with private clients. But there’s a real value in stumbling across art, in discovering it in person.” Mark is among one of 16 artists currently featured at the gallery.
After meeting visitors at the most recent event this past Sunday, he’s looking forward to meeting even more art lovers at the upcoming artists’ days. The pop-up will come to a close on Sunday, November 7th. “It’s a breath of fresh air, really. This was the first event I went to in the last 18 months — when Covid started!”
Galleria Balmain started three years ago as a website founded by Colin Taylor, a former salesman and keen art collector. At the moment, the gallery is a mobile space with ambitious plans to open in multiple locations worldwide. Whilst these plans are still in their infancy, Shoreditch is a strong choice for the gallery’s first show, with a unique mix of corporate workers and younger creatives strolling along the High Street.
Updates on future artists’ days can be found on the gallery’s Twitter @GalleriaBalmain and Mark’s artwork can be found at https://www.marksheeky.com/.
