Nothing is forever and we all know it, but knowing that fact doesn’t make the passing of a much loved artist-run gallery any easier. Gallery Wren will be closing its doors on Wednesday September 7th after four years under the directorship of Vicki Papageorgopoulos and Melody Ellis. Taking over the space that had been Rubyayre Gallery, the new management embarked on an ambitious exhibition program that – true to its nature as a come-one-come-all and somewhat curated hire space – was a wildly eclectic showcase of nascent talent. The gallery featured a huge number of artists [often in group shows that shoehorned dozens of works into its modest space], launched a studio residency program and for a while even turned into a doppelganger gallery confusingly re-named Francis Baker-Smith. Papageorgopoulos and Ellis were also early supporters of The Art Life and invited a member of the team to appear on their FBI radio show.
After a triumphant four years- Wren will be closing its roller door in September. We have been volunteering our time for 4 years to run WREN and now it’s time for us to give some of our own individual projects some attention as well as finish our studies etc. Over the years we have exhibited countless artists and supported numerous exchange projects and live events at the space…As well as setting up a wren studio residency program. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Australia Council for the Arts and the NSW Ministry for the Arts for their funding and the opportunities it provided us to support young and emerging artists. We would also like to thank ARTSPACE for their ongoing support and assistance. Thank you to EMOH design family for all the design work they have done for us. We are very thankful to all our volunteers over the years who gave up their time to look after the Gallery. Most of all we would like to thank you for supporting WREN by coming to our openings and consistently visiting our shows. Thanks
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Vicki Papageorgopoulos
Melody Ellis
The gallery closes with a party on September 7 (6-9pm, Cnr Riley and Reservoir Streets, Surry Hills) and an exhibition with works by Camille Serisier, Kathryn Gray, Sean Rafferty and a performance called Blue Vein Days, Hot Haloumi Nights by MT Hopp. We shouldn’t feel too bad, we suppose, because an opportunity now exists for a new space to take over from Wren. Who is up to the task?
