Maxwell Rabb talked to Harlan Levey about the role of small galeries in building artists' careers and placing work in institutional collections.
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"In Brussels, Harlan Levey of Harlan Levey Projects—which has placed upwards of 60 works in major collections such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art—underscores the importance of community building—especially because neither he nor his wife and gallery co-founder, Winnie Kwok, came from an art background. After founding the project space in 2013, the two gradually expanded their networks, approaching their relationships with their artists to reach “long-term” goals.
In the early years, balancing side jobs while nurturing the gallery, their focus was not solely on selling but on showcasing and promoting impactful ideas. This ethos led to a more educational approach, creating a space for academic dialogue between artists, gallerists, and collectors alike. Though the gallery has grown into a more commercial space, this philosophy built the foundation for how they think about cultivating their artists’ legacies.
Willehad Eilers, Mercury, 2023, installation view Resonance. Interventions in the Collection, Kunsthalle Bremen, 2023. Photo credit: Tobias Huebel
Levey’s approach to artist representation involves a cyclical strategy of dedicating the gallery’s attention to one artist more at a given time. “There are so many people practicing today; there are so many galleries; there are so many institutions, even in a tiny country like Belgium and a tiny city like Brussels,” he explained. “So, maintaining that awareness and giving that opportunity to show different facets of [an artist’s] practice is essential. We really push, and once we start to do that, there’s a lot of activity over the course of a year or two.”
One such success story is artist Emmanuel Van der Auwera, whose work was featured at the House of Electronic Arts in Basel. Another is Marcin Dudek, whose recent show at the IKOB Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgium was a significant achievement for the artist and the gallery, following a series of five solo shows at its Brussels space. “I would say the strategy there was constant effort: constant advocacy and constant platforms you create with and for the artist,” Levey said.
Emmanuel Van der Auwera, The Sky is on Fire, 2019, Installation view Emmanuel Van der Auwera: Seeing is Revealing, 2022, HEK. Photo credit: Frank Wamhof
Above all, Levey echoes both Carvalho and Barrett by saying getting artists noticed by museums is about patience and community-building. To Harlan Levey Projects, promoting an artist is about educating—whether for collectors or curators. “There’s no formula,” he noted.
Smaller galleries play a crucial function in the art world by steadily guiding emerging artists to the spotlight. Their persistence and nuanced understanding of the art world quietly shape the future of contemporary art—placing emerging talent in museums worldwide.
