Not everyone feels comfortable when it comes to discussing contemporary art. Many feel ignorant when names of artists, artistic movements, or techniques are used to describe a work of art and its uniqueness. In fact, in some cases, people find it intimidating even entering a gallery space – ringing the doorbell as if they know exactly where they're going and that they belong. At first sight, 187 Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv's newest contemporary art showroom, feels just like one of those unreachable spaces – when standing outside the space, there's no telling of what is inside, there's no name on the door, and no windows that might reveal the space's interior. Just a black, metallic wall and a doorbell.
Contemporary 187 Art
The Israel Trail Procession, Ayelet Carmi and Meirav Heiman
After a tour of the new space, in which Eliahu and Eliaz introduced their model to Impact Collections' members and revealed their favorite artists currently on display, the members were invited to join a short lecture by artists Meirav Heiman and Ayelet Carmi, whose works are currently on display. The artists spoke about their individual work as a painter (Ayelet) and photographer (Meirav), and then turned to the main event – their collaboration on "The Israel Trail: Procession", a 13-minute video work featuring dozens of people walking while using multiple devices in order to avoid touching the ground. The artists shared behind-the-scenes footage, their thought process, and some excerpts of the result.
Contemporary 187 Art
But once you're in, the space becomes much more customer-friendly, as the welcoming faces of owners Israel Eliahu and Shoham Eliaz meet visitors for a private tour. This is all part of their strategy. The enigmatic entrance is intended to project that the space is by-appointment-only, but once a meeting is set (and anyone can book one!), the space indoors and the people who run it will do anything to make you feel like you belong.
Contemporary 187 Art
Eliahu and Eliaz know exactly what they're doing with this approach, and they have the experience to vouch for it – Shoham has a background in management and Israel has 12 years of experience in strategic planning and PR for art and artists. They opened the space to offer an alternative to what they see as the outdated gallery model. At 187 Contemporary Art, there are no exhibitions, and the artworks are hung in a French Salon style – crowded on the walls – just like at the Louvre in the 18th century. The relationship between the owners and the artists is also quite unique, as it includes no exclusivity agreement(meaning artists can sell their art anywhere), the showroom's commission is only 30 percent (much less than the average Tel-Aviv gallery), and all prices are visibly listed. As Israel puts it – here, what you see is what you get. And you know he means it, as the sentence decorates the gallery wall in pink neon.
The Israel Trail Procession, Ayelet Carmi and Meirav Heiman
187 Contemporary Art was the perfect place for such an intimate conversation between artists and spectators, and many of the members felt comfortable enough to ask whatever was on their mind, embodying, in a sense, what Israel and Shon have been saying all along – that a showroom like this is the new way to buy and discuss art.
