Regen Projects II, one of the premier galleries in Los Angeles, provides exhibition spaces and services to represent and promote work by both local and international artists including Lari Pittman, Walead Beshty, Doug Aitken, Wolfgang Tillmans, Anish Kapoor, and Dan Graham. The dynamic of two gallery buildings, separated by a distinctive physical space, allows Regen Projects to offer a unique viewing experience, unlike any in Los Angeles.

PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY FOR CREATIVITY

Regen Projects first occupied an existing building on Almont Drive in West Hollywood and later incorporated an additional space along Santa Monica Boulevard. The additional location provided more street front visibility and allowed for more office space, a bookstore, and the opportunity for a different type of exhibition space.  Physically divided by Almont Street, the two gallery spaces provide artists and curators the flexibility to show different types of work, or to fully consider the installation of art works. While the spaces are straightforward, their proportions, thresholds, and quality of light, were carefully considered.

The physical architecture is quiet, but the planning and quality of space is rich and supports the work which is shown within. The original Almont space is proportionally square, lit by skylights. This gallery operates as an experiential project room where an artist installs his own work. The Santa Monica Gallery, also lit by skylights, is a more traditional space for the display of large bodies of work by single artists, or groups, but can be configured by curators and artists depending on intentions.

A PLACE OF COMMERCE

Creating gallery spaces for professional artists, compared with more traditional museum spaces, requires a different set of considerations. While both types of spaces are showcases for art, the goals are different, as a gallery space deals more directly with the business of art and not simply the presentation of art. In a professional gallery, the artist can more directly determine the forms in which work is presented, with insight from the gallery owner. The design of Regen Projects allows for flexible opportunities to show and engage artworks, with consideration to the artist’s intentions.

Each space relies on a circulation path through parking lots. Although this was contingent on the existing site plan, the intent was to offer both social space, and further installation space. At the same time this highlights self-awareness of Regen Projects’ location in Los Angeles, as well as its location of commerce. There is an understanding, as one enters the building, of space as intimate and passage like, fully considered in terms of human scale, which enriches a viewer’s engagement and experience with the work.