Voices: Asya Geisberg, New York
Asya Geisberg
Asya Geisberg of her namesake gallery, located in Chelsea, New York City.
Installation view of the solo exhibition by Rebecca Morgan Town and Country at Asya Geisberg Gallery, 2019, Courtesy of Asya Geisberg Gallery
Tell us about why you decided to open a gallery.
I am eager to mine all the unexhibited art that we know is produced with so much heart, intellect, and emotion, and get it into the arms of people who are hungry for it. People who crave the intellectual exchange, the paths that these works take them on, and the way these artworks then interact with and grow from everything else in their homes and collections. It is amazing to be a part of a journey of an object from its maker to an art audience, be it critic, curator, collector, etc.
Katarina Riesing, "Disco Fever”, 2019, Dye and embroidery on raw silk, 18h x 17.50w in. Courtesy of Asya Geisberg Gallery.
What does success as a gallery director mean to you?
Changing the conversation, whether through solo shows that bring someone new to the fore, unusual pairings in group shows, or artist talks where the personality and communication style of each artist provides the audience an otherwise missing intimacy.
At what point in your life did you first learn about the art industry? What called you to it?
I made art from a very early age - it was what got me through my immigrant journey to the US. As an adult, I was never sure what to commit to with art - I liked talking about it, writing about it, making it….and finally the gallery let me look at art from so many different angles, audiences, and time frames. I feel connected to the process from all of my different experiences leading up to running a gallery.
Installation view of Angelina Gualdoni, “Folds and Fields”, 2016. Courtesy of Asya Geisberg Gallery.
What is your favorite thing about your gallery space?
I’m lucky to have a backroom, which operates as an intermediary space - part office, part storage, part exhibition, part sneak peek at the operational aspects such as art handling. People feel like they are getting to see the “man behind the curtain”, and I think it demystifies what a gallery can appear to be.
Asya Geisberg Gallery back room with artist Trish Tillman. Courtesy of Asya Geisberg Gallery.
Tell us about one artwork you love living with and why.
I have a Loie Hollowell painting - acquired just before she sprang off. Its imagery vacillates between positive and negative spaces, each morphing into something bodily or facial. I can stare at its exits and entrances and be transported to someplace new each time.
Painting by Loie Hollowell, “Transformation in Blue”. Courtesy of Asya Geisberg.