Lucinda Bellm on her start with LAMB Arts Gallery.

Words by

Clarissa Bruni

Lucinda Bellm on her start with LAMB Arts Gallery.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background. What were you doing before you set up Lamb?

Hi Emergent! Im Lucinda and I set up LAMB gallery just over 4 years ago. Before this I was working for various galleries, emerging galleries such as Duve Gallery in Berlin to more established institutions such as Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

Why did you want to set up the gallery? How did it start?

I started Lamb on the back end of road tripping through Cuba endlessly and buying up Cuban art works stuffed away in drawers from the 70' and 80's. This led me through South America, to Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Colombia. I started looking at artists all over South and Latin America. My firsts show at LAMB London was all Sao Paulo based artists.

How difficult was it was to get started?

From the beginning I was always aware of the struggle of a young gallery based in Mayfair. But I got a great deal on my gallery and from the first exhibition on we were selling. Don't get me wrong there have been times when we have struggled immensely but we keep going.

How has the gallery evolved since you began?

Initially we started solely working with artists from South America. Over the past few years, we have started representing Portuguese, American, British and French artists, so we have expanded out of that niche, however we still have a strong focus on showcasing Latin American art over on this side of the world.

LAMB Arts Gallery, Sao Paulo

What's the most personally memorable exhibition you've put on?

There have been countless but the one that will forever stick in my mind was my closing show at LAMB mayfair, we held a demolition party (BYOT, bring your own tool) party. We have a full suited and booted march band out on the streets, there was a christmas lights and balloons everywhere and inside the gallery we had built a climbing wall, so the only wall to access the demolition downstairs was to climb. It was an exhibition by Assume Vivid Astro Focus (AVAF), who are simply wild and love to turn their exhibition spaces upside down. Lets just say the gallery was destroyed when I said goodbye to it.

What is it that you love about having a gallery? Is there anything you hate?

I love having access to artists and putting together shows in the gallery, I enjoy so much the access to work with people we enjoy being around and are inspired by. What I dislike about having a gallery is the financial uncertainty at times.

What is it you look for in an artist when deciding to work with them?

Firstly I have to love the work, then it is depended on whether we get on and understand each others methods of working and finally if my clients reacts well to the artist. Those three factors are usually important.

The gallery specialises in contemporary South American art, what's the connection you have with that area of the world?  

I have been traveling and working in South America for years. I represent a lot of artists from this region.

Installation View at LAMB Arts, Sao Paulo

Tell us a bit about your relationship with Brazil and why you decided to move the gallery out there?

I have a great love for Brazil, always have. I have been lucky enough to have been gifted my new space from a Brazilian collector, so we are creating more of a relationship here with clients and the art world and giving more opportunity to showcase European artists here in our gallery in Brazil.

What's next? How do you see the gallery developing?

We have a year long program planned and its all exciting and new here.. Our next show will be a group of 45 artists from Sao Paulo from a artist's group called Hermes, followed by a solo show from our Californian artist Mattea Perrotta. The rest will follow...

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Images from Lucinda Bellm, LAMB Arts