Lélia Mordoch: Is Art an Antidepressant?

Lélia Mordoch

By Sophie Videment

“A work of art is not gratuitous; it’s always the expression of an inner need. One either rips one’s guts out to create or remains silent,” Lélia Mordoch says. Owner of a successful gallery with two spaces, one in Paris, the other in Miami, Mordoch’s success is driven by her passion for art and her vivid desire to share this passion. The December exhibition of the Miami space is organized around the publishing of the book Is Art An Antidepressant? created for the 21st anniversary of the gallery.

Sophie Videment - You own a successful gallery with two spaces in Paris and Miami, you are participating in international art fairs…tell us about your trajectory as a gallerist. How did this success happen?

Lélia Mordoch - The key to this success is my love for art. I opened a gallery in Paris, Saint-Germain des Prés in 1989, just before the art market crisis-at the worst moment-and I had the chance to survive and grow when other galleries had to close their doors. I have always wanted to be a gallerist because I love to make people discover the art of today. The artists I represent, I have discovered them myself when I visited their studios, or in the streets, or when they came into my gallery to show me their work. I first loved their work, but you can’t avoid to also love the person when you love the work of an artist. The work is the translation of the human being. Today, I still show lots of the artists with whom I have begun working, and we have become a kind of team.

Lélia Mordoch Gallery in Miami is located at 2300 North Miami Ave, Wynwood Art District.

S.V. - You inaugurated your Miami space in 2009. Opening a new space in another continent, in another market, is a huge challenge. What drove you to do it?

L.M. - I came for the first time to Miami to exhibit in a fair in 1991, when Art Miami, the fair created by Lee Ann and David Lester, was starting. Immediately, I was attracted by the city and by the collectors I met. The American public buys what it likes with enthusiasm. It is a very spontaneous public with whom you can share your passions. Immediately, I dreamed of opening a gallery in Miami. As you stress it, it is not as simple as that. So I waited for the right moment. I begun working with Daniel Fiorda, whose studio I had visited in the Lincoln Road Art Center in the ’90s. Quickly, as he was located here, he started to help me build the booth for the fairs and prepare the exhibitions in Florida, Miami and Palm Beach. It is thanks to Daniel, who manages the gallery, that I was able to open the gallery in Miami.

S.V. - You represent artists from Japan, France, Spain, some are renowned, some are emerging. How would you describe the artistic line of the gallery? What are the shared elements in the work of the artists you represent?

L.M. - The artists that I represent may seem at first sight very different, but they all have in common this visceral need to create. They create with their body and soul. Art is the essence of their being. I feature what I love.

S.V. - Participating in several art fairs all over the world represents a substantial investment. Is participating in an art fair more of a communication tool for the gallery, or do you see it more like a platform to expand to other markets? In which fairs will you be present in the next months?

L.M. - The contemporary art fairs are a scene for the artists. They facilitate the public and the artists to discover what is new on the international art scene. And, of course, to meet new collectors, art dealers and artists. Art fairs are live creation laboratories. The big contemporary art fairs are the best places to sell but also to buy, and superb exhibitions like the Venice Biennale reflect the spirit of the time. Art is a thermometer and a barometer of its time. Art can only be contemporary.

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Julio Le Parc, Forme en contorsion sur fond blanc (detail), 1966, 39.5” x 12” x 6”. Denise Rene Editions.

S.V. - How would you define the role of the gallerist in the international art market?

L.M. - My goal as a gallerist is not to speculate on art works but to feature art and make the world discover artists; to share my passion; to make the public discover new things that reflect our era. To touch collectors, but also students, children, the man of the street. It is always an enormous pleasure for me when, at a fair, the technicians, electricians, firemen, police agents, stop to watch the art pieces, to comment, bring a colleague and say, “Come and have a look at this, it’s fantastic!” When I exhibited Patrice Girard and his sculptures, which include real fish, the public was astonished. That is when I met Carolina Sardi and Daniel Fiorda. I organize shows for people who are able to stop in front of an art piece and let their emotions take the lead, for all the ones who take the time to really watch. I don’t believe that the public is very different in Paris and Miami. Today we all live in similar worlds. Painters of today, whether they like it or not, are all children of Van Gogh and Vasarely.

S.V. - Can you tell us about the book you are currently publishing to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the gallery?

L.M. - The December exhibition is organized around the publishing of the book Is Art An Antidepressant? It’s the approximate translation of the original French edition, L’Angoisse est-elle soluble dans l’Art? published for the 20th anniversary of Lélia Mordoch Gallery in December 2009. It is a retrospective of the gallery exhibitions in the United States for the last 20 years. Works by artists such as Julio Le Parc or Garcia Rossi will be next to artists from another generation such as Emmanuel Fillot, Patrice Girard, Daniel Fiorda, Carolina Sardi, Keren… I wrote this book over the years; it gathers texts written for each show and anecdotes which give the reader an idea of what can be the life of a gallery. It is also, in a certain way, a history of 20 years of contemporary art. I’d like to add that I like writing and candles on birthday cakes. Twenty years of a gallery, it is the ideal opportunity to publish a book. The French book had a lot of success, including in Miami in spite of the language barrier. So I decided to create an American version, which at first was only supposed to be a translation. But I couldn’t resist to tell the story about opening the gallery in Miami. And in one year, you always have more things to tell.

Patrice Girard, Still Life, 2005, rice paper, metal, herrings, 20" x16" 2"

S.V. - What do you think about the Miami art scene?

L.M. - First, Art Basel Miami Beach is one of the major art events in the world. We are very happy that it takes place here; for a week, Miami becomes the world capital of art. Miami is a real city, a city that grows every day in spite of the economic crisis, which touches everyone. It is a cosmopolitan city, one of the major cities in the United States, and one of the most pleasant ones. So, there are lots of collectors and art lovers in Miami and in Florida. It is for them that I opened my gallery in Miami. I believe that every one of us in Wynwood contribute to the artistic creation of this city. This year is very special for me. I am currently in Cameroon, in Yaoundé, with Jonathan, my six-month-old baby. I am with him since mid-June. He is my son according to an adoption judgement from the Cameroonian law, but due to administrative complications, I don’t know if I will be able to be in Miami for the publishing of my book. I can’t miss any of his smiles, so Daniel Fiorda will do his best! To come back to the title of the book, I’d say that the question itself provides the answer. To cite Jewish wisdom: ‘There is no answer, only questions.’ ‘Is Art An Antidepressant?’ Try it and see for yourself.

Lélia Mordoch Gallery is located at 2300 North Miami Ave. Wynwood Art District, 33127. Phone 786 431 1506 / www.galerieleliamordoch.com / lelia.mordoch.gallery@gmail.com