-Words by Lauren Kramer Photography by Lia Crowe

It鈥檚 a thundering, rain-filled day in April, but there鈥檚 a peace and calm that hovers over on Vancouver鈥檚 Homer Street. In a 3,000-square-foot space filled with stunning pieces of contemporary art, Jennifer Kostuik reflects on art and why people buy it.

鈥淪ome buy it because they like the colours or texture鈥攙ery surface things,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey like how a piece of art makes them feel. For others it鈥檚 because they have a connection to a particular work and can鈥檛 get it out of their mind; they don鈥檛 know why they love it, they just do. And some people like to meet the artist and hear the story behind the work. The art represents a change they鈥檙e going through in their own life.鈥�

As the owner of the gallery, which is celebrating 25 years in business this year, Jennifer sees herself as a broker, easing a customer鈥檚 way through an art purchase. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like being a psychologist,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 know what my artist is saying and I鈥檓 figuring out what my customer is looking for, even though they may not know it.鈥�

A Canadian raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Jennifer studied art history at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, initially intending to be an artist herself. Early on she realized she didn鈥檛 have the vocational drive to produce art full time, and felt she could better fulfill her creative process by promoting living artists. Post-college she worked in Toronto, learning about contemporary Canadian art before moving to Vancouver in 1996 to open her own gallery.

In 1997, her gallery opened with a collection of work by artists who had previously been represented in a gallery that had just closed. Those first years included a steep learning curve, Jennifer admits.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a formed relationship with those artists, and because I didn鈥檛 know them and wasn鈥檛 behind the ideas that inspired their work, I found it difficult to sell some of their art.鈥�

As she began to understand the significance of choosing her own aesthetic and having meaningful relationships with her artists, Jennifer began actively pursuing artists she wanted to represent. She flew around Canada to meet them and perused artists worldwide. She was looking for art that spoke to her and that would resonate with her clients in British Columbia, as well as with new clients made through exhibiting in international art fairs in Miami, San Francisco and New York City.

鈥淎s a gallery owner, I believe you need a good working relationship with an artist, like any business relationship, because art is very personal,鈥� she says. 鈥淎rt is an expression of someone鈥檚 soul, the spirit inside of them. And you鈥檙e representing someone else鈥檚 career as much as you鈥檙e furthering your own career. So, I worked hard at going after artists whose art I related to, who I wanted to represent, and who I felt I could work with.鈥�

Today she represents 27 artists, ranging in age from 32 (Whitney Lewis-Smith) up to 72 (Stu Oxley). Just over half the artists are Canadian, while the remainder are from the United States, Europe, Mexico and Argentina. Just five of the artists are local to BC: photography artists David Burdeny, Judy D. Shane, Philip Jarmain, Whitney Lewis-Smith and painter Ghislain Brown-Kossi.

The price tags of art in Kostuik Gallery vary significantly, ranging from $650 up to $50,000 for the most expensive pieces. Jennifer鈥檚 advice to buyers is that if you鈥檙e buying anything over $20,000, 鈥渁sk who the artist is and why their work is in that price range.鈥� Anything below that number is within the average range, she adds.

鈥淎rt is an investment, and I believe it鈥檚 the best investment in any volatile market,鈥� she says unequivocally. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a better investment than gold because it never depreciates, it always goes up.鈥�

She cites the work of local artist David Burdeny as an example. 鈥淗is photography is collected internationally and his market value has gone up more than 50 per cent since 2001.鈥�

Jennifer has developed a knack for knowing what her local customers are looking for. So, when American artist William Betts recently offered to send her a selection of line paintings from the series he had first exhibited and sold successfully with her in 2007, she gladly accepted them.

鈥淢y newer clients had never seen this series before and I had a collector of Betts鈥� work itching for more, so I had a feeling it would fly,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚t did. I sold six of his pieces in one week!鈥�

Some gallery clients are personal art collectors, while others are corporate clients including CBRE Ltd, Concert Properties and Hollyburn Properties. Liquidity Wines in the Okanagan featured a collection of work by David Burdeny and Philip Jarmain.

Jennifer relishes her connections to her artists and watching their work develop.

鈥淚 love forging new relationships with artists, and I really believe in what I do and in what they do. I believe having art in one鈥檚 life is a need, a necessity, and that鈥檚 why I do it,鈥� she says.

The bonds with her artists are deeply personal, and many artists have become close friends. Often, the relationship is collaborative. The artists understand what Jennifer sees in their work, and sometimes even request her feedback on their new creations.

A collector herself, it can be hard for Jennifer to resist adding to her personal art collection.

鈥淚 know what the best artwork is and it鈥檚 hard not to buy the best of the best that you know your artists have made!鈥� she admits.

As she reflects on 25 years in Vancouver鈥檚 art world, it鈥檚 gratitude that Jennifer feels first and foremost.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a tough journey running a gallery in this city, but I鈥檓 very grateful for being able to do what I do here,鈥� she says, adding, 鈥淭he past two years were the best I鈥檝e had in a long time, perhaps because of the pandemic. People weren鈥檛 traveling and weren鈥檛 distracted by life, so they could focus on themselves, their homes and their office spaces. I had the opportunity to reconnect with clients I hadn鈥檛 seen in years, and met new clients that finally had time to enter the doors of my gallery.鈥�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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