The Collectors: Abdelilah Chiguer and Norbert Langlois

After the second edition of the Quebec City contemporary art fair in 2014, we decided, with Pascal Champoux, it was time to start a project. We didn’t call it a gallery at first; we began by working with the artists we collect and whose work we love. Our main direction was to represent artists from our generation. Mid- career can be tough for artists, but support from collectors, and institutions and galleries, makes a big difference.

In the beginning, the gallery was not a full-time job; it was a personal project. But the reaction from collectors and artists to our first exhibitions was really great. So after two years, we decided to quit our day jobs. Now as gallerists, we try to talk about artists, about what artworks mean to them and to us. There are many types of collectors. Some, like us, prefer to have a direct relationship with galleries and artists; we often visit artist-run centres, other private galleries, museums… we’re very involved.

This is why we started the gallery with the core values of friendship, respect and education. Art bridges all different life experiences and interests, and that is a way to build community around art. This is how our small ecosystem should work, and we tell that to our collectors. It’s a job and we have to work a lot, but it’s fun—we never thought art would change our lives so much.

This post is adapted from the Canadian Art Collecting Guide, out in our Spring 2020 issue, “Influence.”