The Kalashnikovv Gallery was established in 2013 by long term collaborators M.J Turpin and Matthew Dean Dowdle out of frustration with the current South African Contemporary Art world and by extension, the prevailing “white cube” gallery discourse.They chose to create a hybrid space, bouncing to-and-fro between an independent artist run space, project space and commercial gallery space. Another key factor in the gallery’s inception was the decision not to compartmentalize creativity by showing art that is solely validated through academic practice and saleability. the Kalashnikovv ethos will forever champion the progressive alternative, the “outsider”, the artist as curator and the independent artist in all their creative guises and manifestations. Their existence is an endeavor to change perceptions around art, to move the industry forward as a whole, to be a catalyst for change and to make art accessible for all. Kalashnikovv strives to create exhibitions and scenarios that will cause artists, curators and the public to question their own place in this ever evolving art world.
Mission Statement:
The very nature of art questions the status quo. It gives voice to those who cannot speak. It is a platform for those who are not heard or seen.
Kalashnikovv is a contemporary fine art gallery and project space that is dedicated to providing support to both emerging and established South African artists.
Kalashnikovv challenges the conventions of the art gallery in its manifestation, conduct, audience and motivation. Convention has made art a pastime of the elite. Kalashnikovv is a re-articulated exhibition space, orientated towards the deconstruction of the art–space.
This allows Kalashnikovv to be the first gallery to stop asking what art is, and rather answer where it can be found.
