Backed by Global Experience, PALAS Gallery Opens in Sydney

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On February 24, PALAS, a new contemporary art gallery with an international focus and an impressive roster of artists will open in Sydney.

The new venture is founded by Tania Doropoulos, former artistic director of Frieze London and Frieze Studios, and most recently director of Anna Schwartz gallery in Melbourne, and Matt Glenn, former director of Sadie Coles HQ. The pair describe the gallery as growing out of ‘a need to start something in Sydney that could be connected to other parts of the world.’

‘Our goal is to extend the visibility and practices of Australian-based artists to a broader global audience, and to offer opportunities to artists further afield to work with us in Sydney,’ they said.

Doropoulos and Glenn shared that the gallery’s name, PALAS, originates from an accident ‘between an artist and an AI, Greek mythology, nature, and the tarot.’ It’s well reflected in their expansive new premises, a two storey, mid-century factory warehouse in Zetland, a light industrial area on the fringe of Sydney that in recent years has transformed into a fashionable neighbourhood.

With a ground floor space for exhibitions and a second floor to present works and host artists and events, it also encompasses the founders’ vision for their joint venture. ‘We align [PALAS] with hospitality, which in Ancient Greece was a moral obligation, rooted in generosity and reciprocity,’ they said.

With over two decades of experience working with artists at blue-chip galleries in Australia and abroad, the pair is well placed to deliver a dynamic programme of exhibitions. They have already assembled a roster of high-profile Australian and international artists for their 2024 programme, including Sydney-based Shaun Gladwell, Canadian artist Tamara Henderson, and Irish artist Eva Rothschild.

For its inaugural exhibition opening on 24 February, PALAS will present Nothing Is Universal, Not Even Air, Melbourne-based artist and noise-musician Marco Fusinato‘s first solo exhibition since his representation of Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2022. Fusinato will show a series of silkscreen paintings selected from more than 16 million images that appeared as part of his 200-day performance in the Australian pavilion.

Doropoulos and Glenn are ‘deeply connected’ and have long-standing relationships with all the artists in their 2024 programme. ‘It establishes the rigour of practice that we want to represent,’ they said.

Marco Fusinato, Nothing Is Universal, Not Even Air, will open 24 February 2024 at 42 Hansard Street, Zet­land, Syd­ney. —[O]

Main image: Tania Doropoulos and Matt Glenn. Photo: Josh Raymond.