Vancouver gallerist Jennifer Kostuik has a unique take on the importance of visual art to everyone.
“Visual art defines us as human beings; it conveys our collective consciousness. It’s all about relationships, I think. Finding art is the discovery of a new relationship. Art is magical. It can pull you in when you least expect and there are no boundaries or rules to its meaning and relationship to you.”
Sponsored Ads
“Art is magical. It can pull you in when you
least expect and there are no boundaries or
rules to its meaning and relationship to you.”
It’s a philosophy that has served her well over the 25 years she has been a gallerist in Vancouver. The Jennifer Kostuik Gallery of today is an airy, 3000 sq. foot space in the heart of Yaletown. It is spacious and well-lit, enabling her clients to comfortably experience a sampling of the tremendous variety of her artists’ work.
She currently represents artists from Canada, the U.S.A., Europe, Mexico and Argentina, selected for their talent as well as their conviction. “Art is an expression of someone’s soul, the spirit inside of them.” She values technical skills, expertise at presenting ideas, and always, she says, “There has to be integrity behind the work.” Jennifer Kostuik herself is a tall, beautiful blonde. She is Canadian and says she is “kind of a hybrid.” She grew up across the border in the southern U.S. before returning to Canada to attend Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, earning her Bachelor of Art History degree before relocating to Vancouver to start up a gallery in 1997.
After a decade on South Granville, she moved to her current space on Homer Street, providing collectors and first-time buyers options by familiar artists as well as showcasing new artists and themes. She has exhibited at dozens of international art fairs, where she has forged relationships with new visual artists and clients for her gallery while creating greater awareness for the artists she represents. Many of the artists, including all of the sculptors, are adept at personalized and custom commissions.
Almost half of the gallery’s business involves Jennifer Kostuik’s expertise as a consultant , handling measurements, mood, colour, installation details, shipping and timelines.
The gallery has worked with interior designers, architects, corporate and private clients. She will consult in person or remotely: often clients will provide her with images of their interiors, and she will photoshop her recommended artworks to scale onto the images to help them visualize how they will look.
The gallery can help with mounting and framing, worldwide shipping, local delivery and installation—and costs can be combined in “all-in” quotes for clients
Sponsored Ads
“Art is an expression of someone’s soul, the spirit inside them.“
Her taste is impeccable. She was selected to be on the jury of the 2022 Minimalist Photography Awards. According to its president, Milad Safabakhsh, The Minimalist Photography Awards is the only foundation that deals extensively and professionally with minimalist photography as a branch of photography in which the photographic artistic vision takes the lead. Her clients appreciate her expertise and candour.
“I’m extremely honest,” she says. “I don’t want to push anything on anyone.” A visit to the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery enables people to discover exciting new pieces in a variety of mediums, without pressure and at their own pace.
This season, there are new Plexiglas works from Georg Kuettinger’s Interferences series; experimental pinhole photographs by Dianne Bos from her new series Exhalations/Transmissions; and illusionist creations from Judy D. Shane’s Silver White Series.
Also featured are a yellow rendition of James Lahey’s pop style Flight Series; the ever-popular Lee Plaza Hotel Ballroom by Philip Jarmain; three collage gems by Stuart Robertson; a new monoprint and paper painting by Stu Oxley; and selections from the gallery’s April 27th solo show with Vancouver-based emerging artist Ghislain Brown-Kossi.
