The Scrappy Way for London’s Galleries after Brexit

Freddie Powell’s tiny gallery called Ginny on Frederick occupies a former sandwich bar in London. With the city’s art market shrinking and some of the big players gone, young dealers are emerging to showcase the work of emerging artists.

Condo, an innovative gallery sharing program that encouraged London dealers to partner with international partners, has also left the city. In 2021, sales at UK dealerships and auction houses are down to around $11.3 billion, accounting for 17 percent of the global market.

“With this new grant opportunity, the City continues to support the recovery process. It seems that the new documents and tariffs are especially scaring off customers from the European Union.”

Dealer Ellie Pennick, 26, after reviewing the customer database, says that there is a decrease in Europe and an increase in Asia and America, which is certainly related to Brexit and shipping costs. A second-floor space overlooking a series of railway arches used as body shops opened in Hackney, East London, just over a year ago.

She added that it is difficult, but we are making a profit. Crime and vandalism can be committed by people who may or may not be alive and are often exacerbated by mental health issues and increased social stresses such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated economic impact.

Unable to pay for graduate school at the Royal College of Art, Pennick founded her dealership with a stated mission of empowering underrepresented voices and protecting the next generation of artists and collectors, according to the Guts Gallery website. The latest exhibition is a group exhibition of women artists who painted body paintings on the theme of birthdays, hysteria and consumption.

One of the featured artists, Dallas-based Caroline Zurmeli, draws eerie close-ups of party wear using nail polish on wood panels. Works in exhibitions cost between $2,200 and $15,000, Pennick said, and 70 percent of them have already been sold.