Eliza Jordan & Onyedika Chuke
Whitewall
September 12, 2024
Whitewall spoke with Chuke—an artist turned dealer and gallery founder—about establishing a space that embodies his ethos of what it means to create, exhibit, sell, and collect art, and how Way’s latest presentation perpetuates Storage’s message.
WHITEWALL: The first time we visited Storage, you were personally renovating it, and painting the walls that day. Since then, the space has turned into a full-blown gallery. Can you share with us the story of how you found the gallery’s space, why you physically renovated it, and what it’s like now?
ONYEDIKA CHUKE: In 2022, I had been away from art dealing for a year. After completing a massive sculpture project, I realized that I really missed the camaraderie with artists and fellow gallerists, so I started looking for a space. It was 4 a.m. when I found a listing for an office space (which became my gallery) on Craigslist and I connected with the realtor, whom I immediately met with the next day. It was a 2,500-square-foot office loft, with a bar (where my office is now), massive kitchen, and a bathroom located in the middle of the loft. The floors were painted white and the light in the space was obscured by cubicles. I was not able to obtain a loan for the renovation, and the gallery did not—and still does not—have any backers. I was, however, used to various construction projects due to my stint as a super when I was 18 and 19, and seasonal day laborer after graduating from Cooper Union in 2011, so I decided to move forward and renovate the space myself. Since my inaugural TriBeCa exhibition almost two years ago, the audience has grown exponentially as we focus on primary and secondary market holdings. Yet, the blue collar aspect of the gallery remains the same as I endeavour to couple an ambitious work ethic with nuanced sensiblity of sales and curation to ensure that we continue to grow. The gallery opened in 2022 during a massive decline in the art market, making it essential to uphold the values that have brought us this far.