Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Meet Durban Gallerist Karen Bradtke

Karen Bradtke was born in Midland, Michigan, USA. She obtained a BA Degree in 1979 in Geology from Macalester all the while taking classes in Fine Art. She moved first to Europe and then to South Africa where, in 2002, she obtained a B Tech Degree in Fine Art from the Durban University of Technology majoring in sculpture.


After finishing this second degree she decided to purchase a property where she could create artists’ studio spaces which could be rented out and where she too would be able to work as an artist. ArtSPACE durban was born in 2003 when she and her husband and partner of 35 years Claus, bought a warehouse in Durban where one floor is a dedicated studio space and the other is a gallery space.
In 2007 she opened another gallery in Berlin, Germany, called artSPACE berlin and in May 2011 she opened a gallery for young artists called the COLLECTIVE.


ArtSPACE durban:

3 Millar Road
(off Umgeni Road)
Durban, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)31 312 0793
info@artspace-durban.com
www.artspace-durban.com

artSPACE durban is a contemporary art gallery which offers artists’ studio spaces to both local and foreign artists on one floor; as well as hiring out exhibition spaces to artists on another floor. It also provides expertise in marketing, sales and promotion of these artists and their works.
artSPACE durban exhibits the work of emerging and established artists and provides a space for artists to meet and interact with one another. It encourages the public to view the exhibitions and to establish a dialogue with the artistic community. It holds open evenings during exhibitions where people can meet the artists and relax in the company of others.
The gallery exhibits works by emerging as well as by established artists over three different areas: the Main, Middle and Front Room galleries. It displays works of art in a variety of art media ranging from paintings to installation works. The gallery caters to all tastes and is an educational tool in giving the public access to the variety of art being produced by a wide range of artists. It has a seating area where people can sit, relax, and read about art.
artSPACE durban is centrally located, accessible by public transport and has plenty of parking.
Since its inception in 2003, artSPACE durban has held over 150 group and solo exhibitions of works by emerging as well as by established artists. These exhibitions have been in a wide variety of media including metal, fibre, canvas and paper. It has presented exhibitions of photography, books and installation art.
For the past 7 years, artSPACE durban has been the local collection point for important exhibitions such as The PPC Cement Young
Concrete Sculptor Award in 2008 and 2010. It will be the collection point for the upcoming ABSA L’Atelier Art Award (March 2013) and the Sasol New Signatures Competition (July 2013)

artSPACE Berlin

In 2007 artSPACE durban opened a sister gallery called artSPACE berlin which was located in Berlin Mitte in Germany. There the gallery provided a platform for contemporary African artists to exhibit their work in one of the most vibrant cities in Europe. The gallery closed at the end of October 2010 due to the illness of the owner.

the COLLECTIVE:


48b Florida Road
(entrance in 4th Avenue)

Greyville, Durban 4001
Tel: 031 303 4891
info@thecollective-durban.com
Gallery Curator: Amy-Jo Windt
Email: amyjo@thecollective-durban.com
Cell: 082 711 4465


[Gallery Assistants: Lisa Herselman and Sayuri Naidoo]
In May 2010 artSPACE durban set up the COLLECTIVE, an initiative to promote the work of younger, emerging  Durban artists. Like artSPACE it is also located centrally.
The COLLECTIVE includes not only Visual Arts, but music and poetry as well. It also provides a platform for Street Art, Comics and Graffiti. It acts as an agent to promote and sustain works by Durban artists in other hubs in South Africa, including Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The COLLECTIVE is a user friendly venue and has a coffee shop with Wi-Fi availability for artists and the public - a space which provides a venue for edgy, vibrant artists who want to work and exhibit in a collaborative environment with writers, artists and designers. It is a place to meet like-minded creative people inspired by the space around them. The COLLECTIVE shares creative ideas but also includes business and technology.
Its immediate neighbour is the famous Ike's Bookshop which stocks rare and second hand books and other publications.
The COLLECTIVE provides a venue for workshops, seminars and art classes and says Karen:”The COLLECTIVE is what the art community makes it.”