Darren Flook and Christabel Stewart have announced that Hotel, the gallery they founded in 2003, will close on Nov. 18, at the end of the current exhibition of works by Mike Bouchet.
The gallery began as an exhibition space in Flook and Stewart’s Bethnal Green apartment. It recently returned to Bethnal Green after three years in Whitechapel. In addition to Bouchet, the gallery represents more than a dozen other artists, including Agnieszka Brzezanska, Joyce Pensato and Mark van Yetter.
“Financial issues” are the cause, according to a statement that also cited the gallery’s history of granting many artists their debut solo shows, and of frequently offering lodging during their projects to artists visiting London from elsewhere.
With New York dealer Elizabeth Dee, Flook is a co-organizer of New York’s Independent art fair, and he will continue his work with the fair, he told A.i.A. via e-mail, adding that Stewart will continue as art editor at Tank magazine and is considering other curatorial offers.
Flook told A.i.A. that reaction to the announcement of the gallery’s closing has brought a certain satisfaction. “Sometimes as a gallerist, you’re not sure what effect you’re having, if anyone notices much or is interested at all. What has been nice is to find that some people did care, some did notice and a tiny few were influenced. And that is all we hope for in the art world—just to add something to the conversation.”
