In the end it was a celebration, a party for the artists, scenesters, art lovers and collectors who had discovered Hudson/Linc and made it a stopping place on the Los Angeles art/photography pilgrimage. Hudson/Linc opened in 2012 to show a mix of photography, painting and sculpture from a variety of emerging and mid-career artists. Unless you paid attention or stumbled onto it you probably missed it – and now it is gone. Forced out by rising rents, the closing show was a pastiche of all that had been seen there before. Fifty artists and photographers were represented, all with works priced at $1000 or less. No aesthetic theme, just the title, One For the Road. Gallery owners Steven Wolkoff and Nick Lisica were philosophic about the venture and the future, talking about the possibilities of another gallery down the road.
There are a thousand galleries like Hudson/Linc. Opened by optimists and lovers of images they eke out a living or stay open by supporting their love with their day job. They are the training ground where young photographers learn how to exist…or not…in the art world and they offer us all a place to see talent and ambition emerge.
