I have just signed an agreement to create MARS Miami which is truly exciting for me and the next international chapter of MARS.
Over the last 24 years, I have stayed close friends with many of MARS' ex-staff and interns, and Wided Khadraoui was an outstanding young gallerist who went on to work around the world, settling in Miami. It was a natural step then to offer Wided the opportunity to take MARS artists to the USA.
I've always loved connecting people, ideas and places, and that's really how Wided and I think about MARS Miami. For me, this new pop-up model is an opportunity to introduce Australian artists who are doing genuinely exciting, thoughtful, unexpected work and general cool shit to new audiences across North America. There is so much incredible practice happening in Australia that deserves to be part of a broader international conversation, and Wided will create those connections.
MARS is not simply a place that sells art. As longtime members of both the Australian Commercial Galleries Alliance (ACGA) and the global New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), the MARS family sees the gallery as a platform that creates opportunities for artists to meet collectors, curators, museums and collaborators, and for conversations to happen that might not otherwise have existed.
Wided and I hope to build something collaborative and relationship-driven, creating long-term opportunities while sharing some of the most interesting voices coming out of Australia with audiences across North America. MARS Miami is a natural next stop.
Don't hesitate to call or email with your ideas of ways we can extend MARS Miami!
Warmest wishes,
Andy
