"The power of art is considerable. But it is not enough on its own. We must act. And act now."
The Caring Gallery's very first Caring Podcast presents its manifesto, with the voice in french of Florence Manuguerra, its founder. This innovative gallery proposes to use contemporary art as a tool to create a more just and sustainable world : beyond the simple theme of its exhibitions, The Caring Gallery has a virtuous economic model, giving part of its sales to partners charities. Listen and discover the manifesto of a new kind of gallery.
Let's start at the beginning with a few words about the emerging adventure of The Caring Gallery... I wanted to create The Caring Gallery to offer the public a contemporary art directly in touch with the great challenges, also contemporary, which are traversing our society. To this, I will be told that it is the role of artists to bear witness to their time, to denounce its flaws and to anticipate its transformations. It is true. But it is also true that today, some artists more than others feel "responsible" for ensuring that their art can contribute to the emergence of a more just and sustainable society.
It is with these artists that The Caring Gallery has the ambition to collaborate. Their works do not only bear witness to climate change, the endangerment of biodiversity, economic imbalances, social injustices and all the "isms" (racism, sexism, integrism...) that make our relationship with the other too often deviated, hindered, tarnished, prevented.
Their works do what only art can do: they summon us, challenge us, connect us in an instantaneous, memorable and sensitive way with what time, difference or geography prevent us in real life from considering as "our business".
The power of art is considerable. But it is not enough on its own. We must act. And act now. This is the meaning given by the UN to its 17 goals to build a more just and sustainable world by 2030.
So for me, launching a gallery in 2021 meant creating an effective gallery model: one that puts contemporary art directly at the service of action and mobilization of everyone.
To do this, The Caring Gallery has a few specific features, which make it both obvious and a first:
1. An impact-based business model: by donating a portion of its revenues to partner charities, the gallery allows the buyer of a work to directly experience its positive impact on the field and to be an actor of change
2. Artistic choices guided by a common thread, that of Care: this humanist ethic of "taking care" will be the guiding thread of our collaborations and commitments.
3. Finally, a gallery thought as a media, relaying the innovative ideas of personalities who move the lines. Their testimonies have value as examples.
"In this "Caring Podcast" we give a voice to those who, at a given moment, have decided to do things differently in order to place the human being and his fragility at the heart of their concerns. And that changes everything."
Florence Manuguerra founded The Caring Gallery with 25 years of experience in the art and corporate world. She was director of development for Beaux Arts Institute after having founded and directed for eleven years an art and culture consulting agency for brands, La Compagnie. She has created numerous experiences allowing different audiences to discover contemporary art and meet artists and art experts. Previously she spent nine years in the marketing and advertising departments of the PSA group.The Caring Gallery is an artistic and humanistic project that synthesizes her values and her way of considering entrepreneurship.