The art is always on view at BAMA Galleries, a space filled with natural light from the glass windows that frame the gallery.
Hoboken resident and owner Chris Burkhardt intends to elevate the community through art. He envisions Hoboken as a hub for incoming artists from around the world. The art he picks is reflective of the work he admires and the world he is trying to create.
BAMA Galleries at 936 Bloomfield St. opened in the fall of 2001, not long after 9/11. It was originally titled B.A.M.A., (Burkhardt’s Art Materials and Atelier) until Burkhardt realized that his dream of a basement art supply store with a ground-level studio was unrealistic.
Accordingly, he removed the periods from the name, and BAMA was born. The two full sides of windows frame the inside of the gallery, while light wood floors enhance the room’s spare lines. The artwork adorning the walls imbues the space with a sophisticated ambiance.
A curator chooses
While Burkhardt is proud of the community’s achievements; he shies away from showing only local artists. One of his goals is to introduce outside artists in order to influence and inspire local talent. The process of selecting art for the gallery juxtaposes personal preference and strict business decisions. Burkhardt must consider the demographics in deciding what will sell.
“However, the buck stops at my preference,” said Burkhardt. “Do I appreciate it, enjoy it? It’s a big gamble.”
The deliberation is difficult and the show’s success is often based on chance.
“You’re judged on the job and have to be able to take criticism,” said Burkhardt. “I’ve stopped taking it personally. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.”
It must be working. BAMA is currently focusing on a new tier of higher end collectors. The gallery is moving towards displaying paintings in the $5,000-$15,000 range.
An art gallery offers significant benefits to Hoboken residents.
According to Burkhardt, it not only cultivates their artistic knowledge, but also elevates the stature of the community. He believes it is a testament to the community’s investment in itself as well as its awareness of the world and current events.
Burkhardt is happy to bring this to Hoboken’s burgeoning art community.
Current exhibit In addition to local artists, BAMA has embraced artists from Europe, Mexico, and throughout the United States. The current exhibit, which opened on June 3, represents the gallery’s first artist from France. Bernard Piette resides in Dampierre, roughly 60 miles south of Paris.
Rather than a traditional painter’s canvas, he paints on linen fabric and aluminum sheets. A formalist, Piette focuses on the details of paint and texture. He layers and layers until he gets something he likes and is not involved in naming the end result.
Piette’s work is loosely based on biomorphism, in which shapes within the picture morph into solid forms associated with a living organism.
This compels the viewers to recognize motion within the piece. The paintings on aluminum represent a paradox between the soft, organic quality of application and the mechanical solidity and coldness of aluminum.
The work inspires the viewer to ponder the contradictions between a passive approach and the endurance of a hard exterior. Aluminum’s reflective surface allows the viewer to see oneself and pieces of the room within the painting.
Upcoming shows
The gallery’s next exhibition in July will be a group showing of previous artists. Each show lasts approximately three to five weeks. BAMA will close in August and September for renovations and will re-open in late September with a showing from local tattoo artist Danny Azaceta.
In October, you might be able to view work from a young Brooklyn artist. Burkhardt believes art is a gift.
“Art allows you to enter ‘sacred time’ as long as you want. Time where you’re no longer constrained by time or space or conventional ideas,” said Burkhardt. “A creative gift is special because you give it away and don’t know where it ends up. You don’t know how many people it touches. That’s part of the energy I try to create here.”
BAMA Galleries is located at 946 Bloomfield St. in Hoboken. The hours are: Monday to Wednesday from 6 to10 p.m., Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call (201) 659-8873 or visit: www.BAMAGalleries.com.