ApArt Makes its New York Debut On The Upper East Side
ApArt – The story of how a private gallery made its public début in New York City
High End Weekly™: Tell us about ApART, your background in art and how it led you to launch apART?
Thais Marin, Co-Founder of apArt: The gallery started because my husband is an artist and creative from the advertising industry (Leo Macias, CCO of DDB Colombia) and I felt that is was necessary to have a space to share and showcase his artwork. One day we decided to buy a bigger apartment that would allow us to build an art studio inside the apartment. One day, as we were traveling to Berlin, we discovered Christian Boros and the way he would let people into his own home to view his art pieces. This brought us insight. We decided not only to have an art studio but instead build an art gallery inside our apartment and have people come into the apartment to see the art exhibitions. The successes then came when people discovered the art displayed in an art gallery inside of a private residence!
I grew up watching my mom paint and that inspired me with creativity. Plus, I always would decide to draw instead of watching TV with my brothers. That led me to a career in the advertising industry where I could use my creativity. I was once an account and interactivity professional in the advertising and marketing industry and handled several brands such as Disney. McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Avon, Embraer, Carregour, Extra, iG Internet, Bradesco Bank, among others on a global, regional and local level. I also worked on strategic campaigns involving global licensing with DreamWorks, Turner, Nickelodeon, Fox, Viz, Imagius, Televisa, Paramount, Mattel, Wild Planet, 4kids, LucasFilm, Marvel, Sanrio, Lego, Hasbro, DicComics, and WarnerBros. Recently, I’ve worked for The Walt Disney Company as a Sales Promotional manager where I improved my experience in marketing.
Being a multitasking, avant-garde professional, I wanted to go beyond creativity. So, I developed a creative art concept based on developing new artists, especially from the advertising industry. I built the first art gallery in a private apartment in Brazil, that is now is taking place in other cities such as New York and Bogota. Through this creative economy concept, I can be in closer contact with creative professionals, whom I believe may be able to inspire me in some type of way. Creative writing is another one of my passions, and I had published two young adult fiction books from a trilogy called “Wild Horses”, which have already been distributed in Brazil and Portugal.
High End Weekly™: What makes your gallery unique? Tell us about your first show here in New York City.
ApArt: Besides being an art gallery built inside of a private apartment, another differentiation of apart is the artists. We celebrate artists! We present them to the world of art. We assist them until they are prepared to be a real artist. They feel so overwhelmed with gratitude to have this opportunity that they never imagined they would have. We prepare them for the conventional galleries. We believe the reason apArt is so sought after is that we’re doing business with generosity, we’re giving people a way to see art and experience it in an unconventional way. We’re giving them the opportunity to buy their first piece and to the artist the opportunity to sell their first art piece.
Another service that we brought to Brazil that turned out to be a huge success was the art rental. People become very curious about it, and to our own surprise, we’re the first gallery to bring it to Brazil. We plan on growing the art rental in New York as well.
The big challenges are to turn new buyers into future collectors and to make time for all the artists that deserve to have their work exposed. We believe the reason apArt is thriving is that we’re doing business with generosity. We’re giving people a way to see art and experience it in an unconventional way. We’re giving them an opportunity to buy their first piece and giving the artist the opportunity for them to sell their first piece.
High End Weekly™: Why New York?
ApArt: New York is a place where people really watch what is going on. We believe that by investing in New York we can help show people the message of art. Because apArt’s concept is to provide opportunities to new artists, specifically from the advertising market, we decided to have it here because it’s one of the most important areas for the advertising market. Also, New York is a great place for opportunities in the art industry!
High End Weekly™: What is the first artwork/artist that captured your attention?
ApArt: I use Instagram, and I believe it is a great tool to see art, to see great photos. I follow Marcello Serpa on Instagram and was surprised to find out that he’s an artist. I watched him my whole career and never realized that. His art has a presence and a great mix of colors that are very ludic. People look for this kind of art. Art that takes them to another world, another fantasy world. Marcello’s art is also very family friendly. We sold almost every piece and pretty much all the buyers have a family and children.
High End Weekly™: What type of art does ApART focus on? And what do you look for in an artist?
ApArt: Our main goal is to be recognized as the type of art gallery that prepares artists for the conventional galleries and builds more collectors. We look for art that represents the beauty, the beauty inside and out, and that really shows the artist’s soul. The artist should be a beginner in the art world but should have a passion to create inside and out.
High End Weekly™: When did you realize that the business of art was something you wanted to be the cornerstone of your life?
ApArt: Diane von Furstenberg once said, “Generosity is the best business if you do it, they all come back to you.” Everything that I heard that day from her was fitting to me and the path that I was on to develop apArt. All the work we do stand for the artists. To help them begin their career and aid them from start to finish, and then we let them free. Free to start their own path, but we never abandoned them. We follow them and keep selling their art as much as we can. We become fans.
High End Weekly™: Do you believe that smaller galleries can innovate in order to survive the age of “Mega-Gallery?”
ApArt: Yes, I do believe that. There are so many ways, one of them would be building new collectors. There is so much to be done.
High End Weekly™: When is your next show here in New York, and what do we have to look forward to?
ApArt: Our next show will be a Japanese one. We are looking to find artists that have an eye for Japanese art.
