This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Tucked behind a massive rusted water tower on the Goat Farm’s main campus lies a jewel box gallery space. Walking up to it from the parking lot, the entirety of the space is visible through its front windows. But do not be deceived by this gallery’s small size. The Pollinator Art Space, run by Sabre Esler, has big ambitions.
Founded in May 2024 by Esler, Pollinator had been stewing as an idea in her mind for several years. Nearing the end of her graduate program, Esler was in search of a space to exhibit her thesis artworks — a task she found nearly impossible. There simply weren’t many spaces open to receiving submissions or rentals from artists. This stumped Esler and has become a central tenet of the gallery’s mission. But more on that later.
At the same time, Esler had been working in an artist co-op, Three Gals and a Gallery, a space run by her and two others. This somewhat sporadic project had been in operation for years, but, as Esler elaborates, working with others always necessitates diluting each person’s vision to some extent.
Esler longed for a space she could call her own and in which she could enact her unaltered vision for a gallery. Esler’s years of gallery experience and her observation that Atlanta needs more art spaces for experimental artwork led her to open Pollinator.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Pollinator Art Space
Credit: Photo courtesy of Pollinator Art Space
Drawing its name from the natural process of pollination, one in which cross-species collaboration breeds strength and resilience, the gallery wants to be every artist’s first — not necessarily their first exhibition but a first for their studio practice. Leaning into its small size, the gallery encourages artists to exhibit new work that is either installation or experimentation focused.
The beauty of a small space is that weirder ideas can be executed without grappling with an unwieldy amount of space. Take for example, the exhibition “Grounded,” which presented Casey McGuire, David Robinson and Lizzy Storm last August and September.
Along the left wall was a vortex of ceramics by Robinson, glazed in such a way as to have an uncanny similarity to rocks. In the back corner, Storm’s paintings featured earthen colors and handprints, as if they have been taken straight from a cave wall to the gallery. Along the right wall, a bright orange kite swung amid foam blocks carved to resemble igneous rocks. These artworks, none of which are presented in traditional methods — rectangular formats, at standard heights and spacing — encapsulate the mission of the space.
The gallery’s current exhibition, “You Kissed Me First,” up through April 11, is a two-person exhibition featuring Jody Fausett and Sharon Shapiro. Plastering the walls are photo collages incorporating clippings from magazines like Playgirl. This undeniably erotic exhibition is charged with juxtaposed images of erotica and everyday objects. How does eroticism appear in everyday life? How do we respond to it when we find it?
The gallery’s next show, “Lost Horizons,” presenting Jennifer Diaz, Heather Bird Harris and House of Tau, will open on April 17 with a reception 5-9 p.m.
Having been open for nearly a year, the Pollinator Art Space has begun to receive regular submissions for exhibitions, a practice Esler intends to keep long term. As she says, if you’re not always looking, you’re standing still.
IF YOU GO
Pollinator Art Space
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; by appointment Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays. 1200 Foster St. NW, Studio 109, Atlanta. thepollinatorartspace.com
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Leia Genis is a trans artist and writer based in Atlanta. Her writing has been published in Hyperallergic, Frieze, Burnaway, Art Papers and Number: Inc. magazine. Genis is a Savannah College of Art and Design graduate and an avid cyclist with a competition history at the national level.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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