{"id":18255,"date":"2013-04-13T14:07:33","date_gmt":"2013-04-13T18:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=18255"},"modified":"2013-04-30T10:10:08","modified_gmt":"2013-04-30T14:10:08","slug":"interview-with-corrado-de-luca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=18255","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Corrado De Luca"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interview with Corrado De Luca owner of\u00a0 De Luca Fine Arts | Gallery by Emese Krun\u00e1k-Hajagos (E.K-H)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>De Luca Fine Arts | Gallery owner Corrado De Luca (left) and film director David Cronenberg (right)\u00a0at the opening of Claire Weissman Wilks show on March 28, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n

E.K-H: When and where did you first open your gallery? Why did you choose Toronto?<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: The gallery is the result of dealing with and promoting artists from Italy – starting with my father Giuseppe De Luca – to galleries and collectors in Canada and USA, mainly in Toronto, in Montreal and in New York City such as Carrier Art Gallery, Odon Wagner Gallery, Artcore Gallery, Drabinsky Gallery, Gallery 7 in Toronto; Dominion Gallery in Montreal among others. After promoting my father for a while his representing galleries in Italy suggested that\u00a0I should\u00a0introduce other Italian artists as well. Not long after that I got a group of collectors that become \u201cregulars\u201d here in Toronto. That’s why I chose Toronto. I then started to short-term rent gallery spaces for shows from Italy that I curated. That led to a full time gallery (by appointment only at first) on Queen West, at Dufferin. The gallery was there for more than 6 years. Then in October, 2011 I moved to the current location at 217 Avenue Road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span>Opening reception of Steve Rockwell, dArt burger, <\/em>July 5, 2011, one of the last shows at the Queen West\/Dufferin location. Photo: Terance Brouse<\/span><\/p>\n

E.K-H: What the name of your gallery De Luca Fine Arts | Gallery means? What does the Fine Arts part stand for?<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: The name of the gallery is my last name De Luca and fine arts is because, especially at the beginning, I was dealing with well-established Italian artists. Lately the gallery\u2019s program has been changed as I also represent Canadian artists now, and more contemporary art as well. The gallery also represents a tight group of very interesting installation-based artists. I do work with galleries in Italy and the goal is to promote Canadian artists over there.<\/span><\/p>\n

E.K-H: How do you choose your artists?<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: The selection of the artists is a live and dynamic process. I don’t have a specific method. I choose what speaks to me and what I think my clients would appreciate and\u00a0understand but also accept in terms of a challenge. The tricky thing for most galleries – especially at the beginning and financially speaking – is to be able to present innovative and strong artists that introduce new ways, themes and techniques in their work. This is a challenge because most art buyers in Toronto are still very conservative and not really risk takers; or they don\u2019t feel \u201csafe\u201d to buy artwork until the artist is really well-known (media and museums) and therefore very expensive. It takes time and money for a gallery to achieve that even when the artists are solid. Also, intellectuals and of course artists are the first ones to appreciate and understand very well how and when a gallery is pushing the boundaries but most of them don\u2019t have the financial resources to actually collect\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Installation view of the Group Show, Holiday Exhibition<\/em>, December 8 – February 2, 2013, with\u00a0Attila Richard Lukacs’ work\u00a0 (on the left). Photo: Corrado De Luca<\/span><\/p>\n

Lately the art scene in Toronto is becoming more “International”, though the art buyers still seem to prefer to collect Canadian artists. It is a good thing of course and it\u2019s good when Canadian artists are acquired by important collectors and museums in Canada. It\u2019s important that dealers and galleries help “internationalize” their artists’ career also. If not once the artists try to expand to International markets or galleries, their quotation might be very high but their reputation would not be internationally well-known enough to back it up. With my gallery, what I try to do is introducing the artists I work with in Italy and in Europe.\u00a0 Art fairs as well are very important in promoting artists.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Installation view of Tony Calzetta’s show, April 14 – May 5, 2012. Photo: Corrado De Luca<\/span><\/p>\n

E.K-H: Please tell us something about your Italian connections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: My Italian connections are the result of growing up with an artist, my father Giuseppe De Luca, in Milan. Since I was little, I would be hanging out at galleries and museums\u2026 At home, dinner guests were always other artists, gallery owners, curators among other art lovers.\u00a0I have been exposed to “art talks” and “art-business” all my life. Because of school I lived in Germany and England where I frequented artists\u2019 studios and galleries. In fact, before I came to Canada I promoted my father in Germany as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

E.K-H: You recently moved into a new location on Avenue Road. Why? How is it working out for you?<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: The move to Avenue Road is still a new reality so I am still considering it an \u201cexperiment\u201d. The area is very well-established and the\u00a0residents say they are very happy to have a contemporary gallery in their neighbourhood. Though in general, if a gallery presents “commercial\/decorative art” the location is very important since foot traffic is what one wants. If a gallery presents “contemporary art” especially, the location is not that important as the gallery would be more a destination point. Collectors would come regardless of the gallery\u2019s location. Now the gallery\u2019s program is moving toward a more contemporary direction, also with installation-based artists like Barb Hunt, Janet Bellotto, Max Streicher, Scott Eunson and two more important artists to be soon announced. That\u2019s why I am planning to have a second location (or just a larger one) later on, but even in a more remote or industrial area, to accommodate those types of art-projects\/exhibitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span>Barb Hunt, Metal Dress<\/em>, from her show Steel Dresses<\/em>, May 12 – June 16, 2012. Photo: Corrado De Luca<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span>Janet Bellotto, The Lure<\/em><\/span>, digital video, 2011, from her show The Lure<\/em>, November 3 – 27, 2011. Photo: Corrado De Luca<\/span><\/p>\n

E. K-H: Are you satisfied with sales in your gallery?<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: Yes, I have to say that it has been growing little, by little. Some of my artists sell more than others. Some are collected by the same person while others are a one-time-purchase by different buyers. Sometime it is a challenge for a gallery not to go for the easy way, selling “easy art”. That might be financially better of course but mainly for the short period and not for the long-term vision. I myself want to go after my vision and try to build something. Building artists\u2019 careers gives me great pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Galleries too are affected by the social media and the new marketing approaches. I think that these days more than in the past, the buzz but more like \u201cglamour\u201d around the owner\/director and the gallery is more important than the actual art. Same thing is for an artist when being a very popular figure as a person. Most people don’t really know how to \u201cjudge\u201d art, by themselves, or don’t have the time to do so. Everything is high-speed and has to \u201cshock\u201d so there is a risk of promoting art the same way, more like \u201ca brand\u201d. I feel that the romanticism of collecting art is being lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damien Hirst for example. He is leaving Gagosian after a long collaboration\u2026 Some critics believe that it’s just part of his strategy to \u201cmake people talk\u201d about him, since in recent auctions his quotation went down by 25% and some pieces haven’t even sold.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span>Installation view of the Group Show, Holiday Exhibition<\/em>, December 8 – February 2, 2013, with Putti<\/em> by Max Streicher (on the left). Photo: Corrado De Luca\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

E.K-H: You just hired Walter Willems as co-director and Laura Keeler-Lavin as assistant. The Gallery was so packed at the opening reception for Claire Weissman Wilks\u2019 show on March 28, 2013 that people had to wait outside to get in. It seems you are doing really well. What are your future plans?<\/span><\/p>\n

Corrado De Luca: We\u2019ll see. It also depends on the response from patrons but as I said, I intend to have a second, larger location where I would curate installation based exhibitions and also invite other curators to do so,\u00a0mainly from Italy. I just hired two new people as I want to have a strong team around me in order to archive my goals. I have a few projects in New York City as well. I am also working on a project to create a \u201cbridge\u201d between Italy and Canada (both ways). In fact the gallery has just announced the cultural partnership with L\u2019Altra Italia. Many interesting things will be coming\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The opening of Claire Weissman Wilks show, From the Beginning <\/em>on March 28, 2013<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Emese Krun\u00e1k-Hajagos<\/strong><\/p>\n

I myself want to go after my vision and try to build something. Building artists\u2019 careers gives me great pleasure<\/p>\n

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