There is an art gallery on the northwest corner where Water Street meets Cambie. At night, you can see a neon sign glowing blue. It faintly buzzes, inviting the viewer to contemplate the words. It simply reads: The Liberation of Art.
Lumas is certainly an enlightening place. The double doors open into a wide foyer as a friendly curator welcomes you to look where you feel guided. The mood is relaxed and there is a genuine feeling that whatever artistic piece you might fall in love with, you can probably afford to take it home with you.
Art is for us, by us and not for the few. Lumas has made artistic accessibility paramount and its inclusive reach extends within the support made not just to established but also emerging artists.
As we welcome the 2017 Capture Photography Festival to our neighbourhood, we celebrate the little German gallery that could. Now with over 40 locations around the world, the Liberation of Art is indeed a reality. Gastown is part of the movement and Lumas is the light that shines through the darkness of artistic exclusivity.
We spoke with Gallery Director – Kathryn Moore about setting up in Gastown, their vision and what’s to come.
What attracted Lumas to choose Gastown as a location for its first Canadian gallery?
LUMAS is an incredibly special gallery concept presenting a unique portfolio of international artists in an equally unique space. We refer to our store concept as the Art Collector’s Home – an aspirational version of a home that allows guests to relax, spend time with us and imagine LUMAS artworks in their own home.
When choosing the location for our first Canadian gallery, we desired a space and neighbourhood that was unique in and of itself and would further elevate our ideas by allowing us to blend the LUMAS concept with elements that are uniquely Vancouver. Gastown was the most exciting option for us with its exceptional, one-of-a-kind boutique retail and culinary scene and its focus developing into an increasingly important shopping and cultural centre for Vancouver. We were extremely fortunate to be able to introduce LUMAS as a gallery housed within a stunning space with heritage elements of exposed brick, Douglas Fir beams and flooring, all beautifully complimenting the modern European design elements iconic to the LUMAS concept.
Lumas allows art to be open and accessible to a wide variety of people. What makes Lumas different from other galleries?
The mission of LUMAS is to democratize the art market. To allow a broader section of people to realize the joy of acquiring and collecting beautiful high quality, limited edition artwork. Our clientele is extremely varied and ranges from the first time art buyer to the most avid collector. We offer a substantial photography-based portfolio that is diverse not only in terms of content and technique but also in price and format. Accessibility is created by offering edition ranges that are slightly higher than tradition commercial galleries but are still small enough (on average 100 pieces per edition) to maintain exclusivity, allowing our clients to build a collection that is very unique to their taste and style.
We also carry this focus on accessibility through to our client service. Our goal is to create an atmosphere that is open, warm and approachable for any LUMAS guest regardless of their reason for visiting or level of art knowledge. Our LUMAS Art Consultants love discussing the stories of our artists or artworks and helping clients find artworks that not only will elevate the interior design of their space but that are also inspiring and emotionally engaging.
Can you tell me about anything exciting that may be coming up for Lumas Gastown?
We are so excited to be participating, for the first time, in the Capture Photography Festival. LUMAS is passionate about the continued elevation of photography as a fine art and we have been very impressed with Capture in their highlighting the accomplishments of Canadian and international photographers and the expansiveness of the art form.
12 years ago, the LUMAS brand was born in Berlin, one of the most important international hubs of contemporary art. To honour this heritage, LUMAS will present an exhibition focused on introducing the work of the most popular German artists in the LUMAS portfolio to Vancouver during the entirety of the Capture Photography Festival (April 1st-28th).
The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public during LUMAS business hours.
At the end of May, we will be launching our latest Art Magazine, which will highlight new LUMAS artists, collections and trends. We will host a launch shopping event. People can sign up for our newsletter at lumas.com to get information on this launch closer to the time. They can also follow us on instagram @lumas_canada to stay up to date.
Event details below:
German Haus: Art and Photography
(Kunstwerk und Fotografie)
Lumas Gallery
As part of the 2017 Capture Photography Festival Apr 1 – Apr 28
Exhibited Artists include: Dirk Brommel, Dieter Blum, Thomas Eigel, Beatrice Hug, Werner Pawlok, Sabine Wild
Opening Reception
Thu March 30, 2017
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The reception is from 6pm to 8pm and will offer light refreshments as well as a performance by an improvisational violinist. The event is free but space is limited. RSVP to vancouver@lumas.com
