Frank Gonzales, ‘Harbinger’
The Roq La Rue gallery is an institution in the Seattle, Washington, art scene. Founded by Kirsten Anderson in 1998, the gallery has been instrumental in the Emerald City and beyond. It has helped shape global art movements, including Pop Surrealism and New Contemporary, and, early on, it showcased the work of artists like Todd Schoor and Mark Ryden.
Over the past two and a half decades, things have grown and changed for Roq La Rue. The gallery has moved physical locations multiple times, starting first in the Belltown neighborhood before ping-ponging to different areas of the city. Now, Roq La Rue is returning to where it all began. The gallery recently christened a large space in the same neighborhood and celebrated with three different shows: Spectacle du Petit, a group show of small works; Unveiled, a four-person show featuring large-scale works by Beth Cavener, Josie Morway, Carles Gomila, and Jason Puccinelli; and Frank Gonzales’ solo show titled Frequencies.
“I couldn’t be more excited for this new chapter for the gallery,” Anderson tells My Modern Met. “This is actually our eighth location over 27 years, and as much as we’ve (mostly) loved our previous locations—something about this space really radiates a certain magic.”
With this new location in the Northwest Work Lofts, Anderson and her team have done extensive renovations to create an “elevated, elegant space” for their artists and exhibitions. “We also built out our ‘book nook’ and have coffee available so visitors feel welcome and comfortable. We’ve definitely noticed people hang out more and really take their time with the art. Our opening night celebration in the new space was joyously bonkers—and we saw folks come in from all eras of Roq La Rue’s history and locations. Creating this little oasis seems to be the right thing for these times.”
Roq La Rue has exciting plans for the future. To see upcoming exhibitions and projects, visit the gallery’s website and Instagram.
The Roq La Rue gallery in Seattle, Washington, has recently reopened in a new space in the bustling Belltown neighborhood. The opening celebration was bustling:
View this post on Instagram
The large space held three shows for its reopening. One was a solo show by artist Frank Gonzales titled Frequencies.
Frank Gonzales, ‘Space is the Place Acrylic’
Frank Gonzales, ‘Petrichor’
Frank Gonzales, ‘Keys to Heaven’
Frank Gonzales, ‘Color Claret’
Another exhibition was Spectacle du Petit, a group show of small works.
Rand Babcock, ‘Arcanum Spei’
Femke Hiemstra, ‘Lueurs d’Espoir’
Amy Sol, ‘Shadow Wanderer’
Chil Mott, ‘Worker’
Jean Labourdette, ‘Portal’
The third show was Unveiled, a four-person exhibition featuring large-scale works by Beth Cavener, Josie Morway, Carles Gomila, and Jason Puccinelli.
Beth Cavener, ‘Captive’
Josie Morway, ‘In the Path of Totality’
Jason Puccinelli, ‘Bred in the Bone’
Bella Ormseth, ‘Winter Dreams’
Roq La Rue: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Roq La Rue.
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