Peep

Peep is a new exhibition and project space in Philadelphia exploring new ways to safely view and exhibit art during the Covid-19 pandemic. Peep will predominantly organize solo exhibitions with some thematic group exhibitions and publications. Peep is located in a 250 square foot renovated studio in Viking Mill, originally built around the 1880's as a textile mill. As an ode to Marcel Duchamp’s, Étant Donnés (on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) a peephole is installed for viewers to peep the exhibitions from the hallway.

Interview with Libby Rosa, founder

Questions by Megan Galardi

Can you tell us about how Peep got started? What prompted you to create this space?
The space where Peep is located now was my first studio in the building and I loved working in the space. To me, it seemed really big even though it's only 200 square feet but it had these beautiful ceilings and a big window. I moved to a different studio in the building and I was trying to find a subletter for the space, but then I had the idea, 'oh my God, why don't I just open up a project space?' At first it started as just one show, but later I decided I might as well make it a permanent thing. Rent is cheaper in Philadelphia compared to what I was used to, so I decided to keep it as a project space. This allows me to experiment with curating shows, which I love to do, without having to use other galleries or exhibition spaces.

Is Peep your first curatorial project or have you been involved with running other spaces in the past?
It's definitely my first thing that I'm totally by myself in. I've curated a number of group shows in New York and in Wisconsin, where I spent a lot of my young adult life, but it has always been through other galleries or institutions. I also have experience working in museums. I worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for awhile in textile conservation, so working with objects and getting things ready for display was a good skill that I gained during that experience. Then, when I was getting my masters at Cornell I was a gallery assistant so I helped put on shows for the university. But this is the first time I get to pick the exact artists that I want to show, and it's so fun.

What do you think sets Peep apart from other artist run galleries in Philadelphia?
I think the small scale is unique. There are a lot of artist collectives here with a bunch of artists that all pitch in and do shows with each other which is really great, but having a smaller space that's focused on bringing artists that I love is different. I really want to engage my network of New York City artists and Midwest artists, with my newer network of Philadelphia artists that I've met.

Peep is also different because its project space and not a traditional commercial space - although a lot of the work shown is for sale and I want to help sell the artists’ work as much as I can—it is not the main goal. I believe this frees up the artists to do ambitious projects instead of focusing on marketability.

What has it been like to open a gallery during COVID-19? How is Peep exploring new ways to safely view and exhibit art during the pandemic?
It has been totally wild! I postponed opening for over eight months, I was initially planning to do this before COVID happened. We were all terrified, and I was going to give the space up. Then three months ago I decided I was going to move forward with opening the space, it was now or never. Despite the fact most people will probably see at least the first few exhibitions all virtually, I felt like it was really nice that it is a physical space and people know it's a physical space, versus it just being an online gallery. Online galleries are great and cool but to actually have a space that is site specific that artists can plan for their work to exist in was important.

The gallery has a peephole installed for viewers to “peep” the exhibitions from the hallway. Can you tell us more about that?
There is an artwork by Marcel Duchamp called Étant Donnés and it's on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It's one of my favorite bizarre, fascinating, voyeuristic pieces of art that I've witnessed. It's basically a tableau, visible only through a pair of peepholes in a wooden door. I thought about the space Peep is in being one rectangle and there being one vantage point that you can see a whole show within, so the peephole is an ode to the Marcel Duchamp work, but it also fits with the small scale of the space. It is also potentially a view that people can see exhibitions without making an appointment. They can always see in from the hallway, with social distancing, so it is a way for people to at least peep a show without a more formal appointment.

Peep is located in Viking Mill, a former textile mill that hosts a number of artists and makers. What are some unique aspects of being part of this community?
Viking Mill is a unique building. It is one of those buildings where the rent is affordable, so you can do whatever you want in the space, or that is at least what I've gathered from the other artists that I've met in the building. It is almost like a Narnia thing that happens here - the hallways are pretty gritty and industrial but then you walk into some studios and they're so beautiful, and you think 'How the heck is this? Did this come from that?' I love that because I feel like it goes with the idea of Peep and it being this view from another world.

What kinds of artwork and artists are you interested in showing in the future?
I'm really interested in having installations be a big part of it. So, not just for me to go into an artist's studio and choose pieces to be in a show, but instead I really want to give a space for the artists to make work within, using the height of the ceiling, using the long walls, but also being aware that it's a small space, so how can artists make interesting work to fit in that realm?

Are there any Philadelphia artists you are particularly excited about?
This first group show has Philadelphia based artist Kieran Riley Abbott. She is a Philly artist that I met at a vegan cooking club run by Katie Garth, who is another Philly artist. I love Kieran's work, I think it's really exciting. Her work was kind of the start of the idea for the Portals show. My friend Alex Jackson is also in the show, and he's new to Philadelphia. His work is really phenomenal. I'm excited that he wanted to be a part of the show. He has a studio in Darby, which is a little further away. Also, Saskia Fleishman, she has a studio in the Viking Mill building, and she will have a show at some point.

Your current exhibition, Portals, is a thematic group exhibition featuring three artists. Can you tell us more about the themes of this exhibition and your curatorial vision?
The name “Portals” really came from the artist’s work. I was trying to figure out how the work was connected. I saw these connections, but I was trying to find a word for what really is at the heart of the connection, and that was “portals”. Kieran Riley Abbott's work is probably the more direct portals, or wormholes - those are the titles of the work in the show. Alex Jackson creates these worlds within his paintings and drawings that really suck you in. Then there is Ellen Siebers' work, which is so beautiful, I've been a fan of it for a long time. It is these really intimate portraits, and views of details that she observes in her life or that come to her from different stories, so in ways that is a portal into her world.

I wanted to start with a group show because I only gave about two months notice so I knew that it was too soon for someone to do a really ambitious solo project. It was nice to open the space with a group show. Pairing people's work is so fun for me. In the future it will mostly be solo exhibitions and two person exhibitions.

In addition to running the gallery you are also an artist. How do you balance your curatorial duties of the gallery with your studio practice?
It was completely new. I think the hardest was in the beginning while I was getting the space renovated. I didn't have time to work on my own work for an entire month, I was just plastering, taping, and painting. I was off work for that month so I was able to do it myself and I didn't have to hire anyone. It has been totally all consuming, but I think now that I have the space established it won't be as labor intensive. It is really fun and I'm fine with it eating up some of my studio time. I love putting shows together and it's an excuse to socialize in this very unsocial world right now.

What is coming up next for Peep?
We have a solo show coming up that will open on January 13th and it will be up for five weeks. It is Amie Cunat, who is a NYC artist and Cornell alum and has been really supportive of me. Her work is really exciting. I thought of her work especially for this space because she does large murals as well as smaller works on canvas, so I am excited to see what she will do in the space.