Why 221B Gallery? Reflections from its curator and creator

Now that 221B Gallery has been launched in the virtual realm for a couple of months, it’s time, and perhaps past time, for me to share the rationale, intention, and vision behind its inception. I have been a practicing artist for most of my life which, in my mind, encompasses all my artistic pursuits, including making work, writing, lecturing and organizing exhibitions. The combination of ideas and sensorial experiences are key to my exploration of art as a discipline, and my work as a curator provides an opportunity to engage those aspects as they are present in the work of others.

Except for my personal artwork, I also envision all those pursuits to fall under the umbrella of education. To me, one of the least attractive parts of the art world is the business and commodification of the object and experience. While I have been the curator of over eighty exhibitions, from small non-profit spaces to large museums, I always avoided getting into the commercial handling of art. It always seemed to me to be a slippery slope, and I have observed that for many well-intentioned people the original impetus for becoming an art dealer often changes over time. I like to remind students that with the emergence of art dealers in mid-19th century France, they were simply considered part of the merchant class.

I’ve wanted to have a platform for presenting thought-provoking and beautiful work for about the past ten years, but it was only soon after my arrival in Trinidad (June, 2020) that a number of factors coalesced to make it possible. 221B will be both a project and exhibition space, and an opportunity for artists to experiment, present works-in-progress, possibly derive inspiration from the region and history around Trinidad and otherwise be somewhat free of the constraints which sometimes accompany traditional features of “the white cube.”

Covid has had a profound impact on life throughout the world since early in 2020, and will undoubtedly be present for the indefinite future. Work by Jo-Anne Green will be the inaugural physical exhibition at 221B; however, there will be a simultaneous expansion of the virtual galleries on the website.

221B will be about communication and dialogue – it is not intended to operate simply as a “broadcast.” Broadcasts only go one-way, while communication is a two-way exchange. I hope that the projects and work presented will stimulate conversations. To that end, there are no dumb questions – only dumb answers.

Looking forward to our creative exchange and more coming soon.

-Mark Johnstone, 221B Gallery Owner and Curator