Practical Strategies for Founding an Off-Space

This course is designed for participants with little to moderate experience working in off-spaces, but who have an interest in either starting their own, or simply arranging an exhibition at an off-space as a guest curator. We will discuss conception, preparing the space for an exhibition, funding, how to approach artists, promotion, installation, and what you can do after the conclusion of a show to make it known and successful course will have a primarily practice-based approach, and assist participants in developing materials for either a current project, or a project idea that can be applied to future opportunities as they arise.

Ella Krivanek has years of experience in off-spaces and in developing shows in non-institutional spaces. She was the founder of the independent gallery Space Space, which existed in Tokyo from 2014 to 2016. Subsequently, she went on to curate exhibitions in Johannesburg’s Maboneng Precinct and August House; the Brunswick Sculpture Centre in Melbourne; and Dynamo’s Project Room 13 in Zurich. She is a frequent advisor to galleries and off-spaces in Europe. Since receiving her Master of Advanced Studies (Curating) from Zurich University of the Arts in 2019, she has moved to Berlin, where she currently works with artists and galleries, assisting with the development of their written output.