Bold moves are not the province of only artists: Dealers have to make them too, as when Mariane Ibrahim moved her gallery from Seattle to Chicago over the summer after
working in the Pacific Northwest for seven years. “It’s what defines the gallery—taking calculated or uncalculated risks and going with a feeling,” says Ibrahim, who was raised in Somalia and France.
She shows many female artists of African descent, as with the current show of Ayana V. Jackson, “Take Me to the Water,” which displays the artist’s striking, rich photographs.
Ibrahim also uses her art fair booths to introduce the work of her roster—like Negar Farajiani and Zohra Opoku—to the wider world. “I love being at the starting point and building a foundation with an artist,” she says. “The gallery is not old, so there’s a reciprocity. We’re going to grow together.”
