Saturday Night in the City

Kiana and I didn’t know what to expect when we decided to go down to a small gallery opening Kiana had heard about through a friend’s instagram. The friend was promoting a show at Lubov Gallery where she works as gallery associate. But stepping onto the second floor of 373 Broadway and immediately know we’re in the right place. There’s laughter and loud conversation that we walk towards down the hall, and when we round the corner we see people spilling out into the hall, chatting in small groups and passing around beers from a plastic ice bin tucked in a corner.

Megan spots us and ducks through the crowd to give us a hug and thank us for coming. The gallery is busy, the small, entirely white room where the show is opening isn’t big enough to fit everyone, thus the hanging out in the hallway. Some are friends of the artist, Jenna Westra, whose show is opening tonight, others we talk to are devotees of the gallery itself. As we stand chatting with the gallery owner and curator, Francisco Correa Cordero, people keep nodding, smiling, waving at him, thanking him for the great show. He’s buzzing with energy, it’s clear that he loves to watch people enjoying Westra’s show and the event.

When we ask him what goes through his mind when putting together an opening, he barely pauses before answering. It’s all about celebrating the artist, he says, celebrating their incredible work and having a good time. He wants people who come through to feel comfortable, keeping casual and friendly so everyone would feel welcome to stop by and hang out, meeting new friends and catching up with old friends. He nods at a guy standing a few feet away from us, gesturing him over, and telling us that he’s been to every opening night since Lubov opened in 2016. Grinning widely, the visitor admits he’s missed one or two while traveling abroad, but whenever he’s in town, he makes a point to come out. Living only a few blocks away makes Lubov the perfect place to come see for reliably good exhibits and a nice night. They catch up for a minute before Francisco gives him a hug and lets him go to check out the main event, Westra’s work.

Lubov Gallery is open Thursday–Friday: 4–7pm; Saturday–Sunday: 10am–6pm. Follow them on Instagram.