Dépendence, the iconoclast, 23-year-old Brussels gallery that built a trusted reputation as an “artists’ gallery,” is closing.
“Galleries come and go. Some are short-lived but leave a clear trace, others endure for decades without changing much. Dépendance has been there for twenty-three years and now we feel it’s time to say good-bye,” stated the gallery (spelled in all lowercase) via press release sent last night.
Co-founded by Michael Callies, a former artist, and Stephan Jaax, a former banker, the gallery resisted expansion during its over two-decade-long history. With its single location in the city, Dépendance was a highlight of the Brussels’ gallery scene, while also promoting its artists internationally. It stewarded their participation in international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale, Skulptur Projekte, Münster, Documenta Kassel, and at institutions such as MoMA, New York, Tate Britain, Stedelijk Museum, and many others.
Dépendance represented about 30 artists, many of whom joined through early connections to the acclaimed Städelschule in Frankfurt, where Callies, a conceptually-oriented artist, studied. They include artists such as Thomas Bayrle, Michael Krebber, Henrik Olesen, Thilo Heinzmann, Sergej Jensen, and Haegue Yang, who all stayed with the gallery over the years. Additional acclaimed artists on the roster include Josef Strau, Ed Atkins, Allison Katz, Oscar Tuazon, and Jana Euler, to name a few.
In a 2020 interview Callies discussed the gallery’s artist-led approach: “I see the gallery more as a work that is close to what I was doing as an artist…I was always very engaged in making the shows, even because there was no budget to do otherwise. For example, with Nora Schultz we chose and sourced her materials together. It was a relationship of trust with the artists, as they thought I had some good ideas…. I still needed to find a way to create, and that was the gallery.”
Asked about differences between how Dépendance has evolved, and what young galleries face today, Callies said that, “for us it was important that in the exhibitions the artists could always do whatever they wanted without thinking about commercial success. That may have changed a bit [for galleries today], but not for everyone.”
On the gallery’s Instagram page, leading figures within the Brussel’s art scene have been commenting on the closure since the announcement. “This is really sad news,” wrote Brussels dealer Jan Mot. “Your gallery has been such an important and inspiring place, and not just for Brussels. We are many to be grateful for what you and your team have done.”
When ARTnews asked the gallery to explain why they were closing now, they responded in writing that, “We would like to let the press release and its ambiguity speak for itself as that has always been the spirit of the gallery.”
In their statement, the gallery said they are entering a transitional period for closing out any administrative or organizational needs, while the website will remain active as an archive.
