The classic Italianate storefront can be found on East Mercer Street, near Summit Avenue. For more than a decade the space has been used as a private residence. Walking by it over the years, it seemed to be a space waiting for its true potential as a gallery. But no more. Earlier this year, when Justine Ashbee and Joel Leshefka learned from the owners of the No Space Gallery in the same building that the space was available, they jumped at the opportunity. Thus was the Cairo gallery born."We felt compelled to build upon Seattle's network of small, artist-run spaces that we feel have had an incredibly positive impact on the arts community," said Leshefka regarding why the pair started a new gallery in a down economy. "Cairo gives us the ability to work with artists not already represented in Seattle by providing a platform in this unique building. Character seems to becoming more scarce as the city continues to grow."
Ashbee and Leshefka have tapped Alika Cooper, Pete Kuzov, Kyle Ranson, Chad States and Edie Tsong for the group exhibition "The Garden of Earthly Delights," which runs through Sept. 9. The exhibit fills the front gallery space admirably with photographs, drawings and paintings. Some major hits in the show include the almost Cycladic environments in the photos of Pete Kuzov. Four photos hung in a grid combine to give an ethereal prehistoric narrative with tiny elements of modernity subtly slipped in. Alika Cooper's gouaches are masterful examples of the dynamism that marries line and color together. Chad States serves up two photos from his highly regarded series on the nature of masculinity. In context, the works seem to relate to each other not so much by style but by a conceptual structure.
Ashbee and Leshefka jointly shared the duties as co-curators of this exhibition.
But if that were all there was to it, Cairo would be just another nice little gallery on the Hill. But the pair have greater expectations.
"We view it as an ever-evolving space. The model of gallery in front, boutique in back will likely continue as a standard model for the space, but there are periods where it will resemble something entirely different," Leshefka said.
Moving into the boutique in the back, the first thing that strikes the eye is the sound system for the space. A 1960s era cabinet stereo, with a fold-out turntable drops a vinyl LP onto the rotating surface. Albums available for purchase stand at attention on top of the cabinet. Audiophiles can get such LP's as a comprehensive double-disc "Prism of Now" by the Portland-based band White Rainbow, or "Dance Positive" by Karl Blau or a disc by Adrian Orange and her band, among others.
A circular table displays limited-run, printed ephemera. Pieces from locals, like bag painter and Joe Bar curator Chris Crites, to works like Toby Liebowitz's "How To Feel Safe Amongst Others," a handcrafted Vellum Book, are displayed with a circular symmetry.
"Cosmic Wonder Free Press 2" published by Nieves includes two audio CDs by Yoshimo and Maeda featuring improvised tracks of the live performance held at the Center for Cosmic Wonder in Tokyo. A rack of custom designed T-shirts just begs to be rifled through. The 100 percent Pima cotton shirts are decorated with the snakes and geometric shapes that inform the Cairo aesthetic. LULU vintage wood drop earrings and other custom-crafted jewelry are sparingly displayed on the opposite wall.
Ashbee and Leshefka have bold plans for the future.
"We are working on booking music shows to begin in late August, and are developing some one night showings of short and feature length films that will begin in mid to late September," Ashbee said. "Fundamentally, we are attempting to provide a space for everyone. From college students to collectors, Cairo is a space that hopefully gives something back artistically, and also allows individuals to take something home with them if they like, whether that is a $5,000 painting or a $3 zine. The point is that folks engage."
By engaging with artists who are their same age, the pair are not sitting around waiting for opportunity to knock. Like true artists in the new indie, DIY post-punk culture, they are getting down to the basics of making a creative community happen. Keep your eyes on Cairo and don't be to startled when the corner of Summit and Mercer becomes the next big thing on Capitol Hill.
Cairo is located at 507 E. Mercer St, Store hours are Thursday through Sunday 2-7 p.m. For more information, call 453-4077 or visit http://cairocollection.blogspot.com/
Steven Vroom writes about visual art for the Capitol Hill Times, and is the host of the podcast Art Radio Seattle on www.vroomjournal.com. He can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com.
