-Words by Lauren Kramer Photography by Lia Crowe

It91裸聊视频檚 a thundering, rain-filled day in April, but there91裸聊视频檚 a peace and calm that hovers over on Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 Homer Street. In a 3,000-square-foot space filled with stunning pieces of contemporary art, Jennifer Kostuik reflects on art and why people buy it.

91裸聊视频淪ome buy it because they like the colours or texture91裸聊视频攙ery surface things,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淭hey like how a piece of art makes them feel. For others it91裸聊视频檚 because they have a connection to a particular work and can91裸聊视频檛 get it out of their mind; they don91裸聊视频檛 know why they love it, they just do. And some people like to meet the artist and hear the story behind the work. The art represents a change they91裸聊视频檙e going through in their own life.91裸聊视频�

As the owner of the gallery, which is celebrating 25 years in business this year, Jennifer sees herself as a broker, easing a customer91裸聊视频檚 way through an art purchase. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 almost like being a psychologist,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚 know what my artist is saying and I91裸聊视频檓 figuring out what my customer is looking for, even though they may not know it.91裸聊视频�

A Canadian raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Jennifer studied art history at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, initially intending to be an artist herself. Early on she realized she didn91裸聊视频檛 have the vocational drive to produce art full time, and felt she could better fulfill her creative process by promoting living artists. Post-college she worked in Toronto, learning about contemporary Canadian art before moving to Vancouver in 1996 to open her own gallery.

In 1997, her gallery opened with a collection of work by artists who had previously been represented in a gallery that had just closed. Those first years included a steep learning curve, Jennifer admits.

91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 have a formed relationship with those artists, and because I didn91裸聊视频檛 know them and wasn91裸聊视频檛 behind the ideas that inspired their work, I found it difficult to sell some of their art.91裸聊视频�

As she began to understand the significance of choosing her own aesthetic and having meaningful relationships with her artists, Jennifer began actively pursuing artists she wanted to represent. She flew around Canada to meet them and perused artists worldwide. She was looking for art that spoke to her and that would resonate with her clients in British Columbia, as well as with new clients made through exhibiting in international art fairs in Miami, San Francisco and New York City.

91裸聊视频淎s a gallery owner, I believe you need a good working relationship with an artist, like any business relationship, because art is very personal,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淎rt is an expression of someone91裸聊视频檚 soul, the spirit inside of them. And you91裸聊视频檙e representing someone else91裸聊视频檚 career as much as you91裸聊视频檙e furthering your own career. So, I worked hard at going after artists whose art I related to, who I wanted to represent, and who I felt I could work with.91裸聊视频�

Today she represents 27 artists, ranging in age from 32 (Whitney Lewis-Smith) up to 72 (Stu Oxley). Just over half the artists are Canadian, while the remainder are from the United States, Europe, Mexico and Argentina. Just five of the artists are local to BC: photography artists David Burdeny, Judy D. Shane, Philip Jarmain, Whitney Lewis-Smith and painter Ghislain Brown-Kossi.

The price tags of art in Kostuik Gallery vary significantly, ranging from $650 up to $50,000 for the most expensive pieces. Jennifer91裸聊视频檚 advice to buyers is that if you91裸聊视频檙e buying anything over $20,000, 91裸聊视频渁sk who the artist is and why their work is in that price range.91裸聊视频� Anything below that number is within the average range, she adds.

91裸聊视频淎rt is an investment, and I believe it91裸聊视频檚 the best investment in any volatile market,91裸聊视频� she says unequivocally. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a better investment than gold because it never depreciates, it always goes up.91裸聊视频�

She cites the work of local artist David Burdeny as an example. 91裸聊视频淗is photography is collected internationally and his market value has gone up more than 50 per cent since 2001.91裸聊视频�

Jennifer has developed a knack for knowing what her local customers are looking for. So, when American artist William Betts recently offered to send her a selection of line paintings from the series he had first exhibited and sold successfully with her in 2007, she gladly accepted them.

91裸聊视频淢y newer clients had never seen this series before and I had a collector of Betts91裸聊视频� work itching for more, so I had a feeling it would fly,91裸聊视频� she recalls. 91裸聊视频淚t did. I sold six of his pieces in one week!91裸聊视频�

Some gallery clients are personal art collectors, while others are corporate clients including CBRE Ltd, Concert Properties and Hollyburn Properties. Liquidity Wines in the Okanagan featured a collection of work by David Burdeny and Philip Jarmain.

Jennifer relishes her connections to her artists and watching their work develop.

91裸聊视频淚 love forging new relationships with artists, and I really believe in what I do and in what they do. I believe having art in one91裸聊视频檚 life is a need, a necessity, and that91裸聊视频檚 why I do it,91裸聊视频� she says.

The bonds with her artists are deeply personal, and many artists have become close friends. Often, the relationship is collaborative. The artists understand what Jennifer sees in their work, and sometimes even request her feedback on their new creations.

A collector herself, it can be hard for Jennifer to resist adding to her personal art collection.

91裸聊视频淚 know what the best artwork is and it91裸聊视频檚 hard not to buy the best of the best that you know your artists have made!91裸聊视频� she admits.

As she reflects on 25 years in Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 art world, it91裸聊视频檚 gratitude that Jennifer feels first and foremost.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 been a tough journey running a gallery in this city, but I91裸聊视频檓 very grateful for being able to do what I do here,91裸聊视频� she says, adding, 91裸聊视频淭he past two years were the best I91裸聊视频檝e had in a long time, perhaps because of the pandemic. People weren91裸聊视频檛 traveling and weren91裸聊视频檛 distracted by life, so they could focus on themselves, their homes and their office spaces. I had the opportunity to reconnect with clients I hadn91裸聊视频檛 seen in years, and met new clients that finally had time to enter the doors of my gallery.91裸聊视频�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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