Considering her previous work, it comes as no surprise that art dealer Magda Danysz’s newest gallery delves into the ephemeral.
After all, she was the one behind the 2013 takeover and temporary revival of the then derelict Parisian nightclub of Les Bains Douches. By her invitation, a collection of street artists from Europe and America - including Space Invader, L’Atlas and pioneer Futura - transformed the City of Light’s answer to Studio 54 into a veritable work of art, destined to be erased after being ushered into a fleeting existence.
With a similar approach, Danysz is taking up residence in London’s Fitzrovia with ’The London Project’, which is slated to run for 100 days at her self-named gallery. For it she will recruit artists - both local and international - as and when the space requires, with the artwork ultimately being erased after time has elapsed. ’The idea is to have people witness this work in progress,’ she explains. ’It’s important to understand that the artistic process is often as important as the result.’
The Charlotte Street gallery’s basement and vaults will be dedicated to private views of the secretive project. The other floors of the airy main space will showcase different facets of the gallery including photography - like that of Alain Delorme - as well as Contemporary Street art and Chinese artists, both of which the curator is known for championing.
Danysz opened her first exhibition at age 17 in a small space in Paris, before opening her first permanent space, MD Gallery, in the city centre. A follow-up on Shanghai’s North Bund district followed in 2012 before returning to the French capital in 2013. As for taking over London, the gallerist and curator is refreshingly candid about its place in her growing empire: ’London is an important step for the gallery. A pop up gallery is a way to test the market and see what can be done, maybe on a longer run.’
