#muzae

Recently we chatted with Brock Brake, the owner of the forward-thinking, community-centered Part 2 Gallery in Oakland. After growing up in Ohio, immersing himself in skateboard culture, and studying in Chicago, Brock moved to the Bay Area to work as a photojournalist and gallerist. We discussed art, community, and if there is a Part 1 or Part 3, and what they might add up to as a whole.

Studio AHEAD: You founded Part 2 Gallery in 2018. What’s with the name? Was there a Part 1?

Brock Brake: So Part 1 was actually called Athen B. Gallery. It was a combination of two names. Athen was my first partner's name and the B was for Brock or Brake. We opened that in 2015. It is actually right next door to where we started pt.2.

I closed Athen B. in the winter of 2017 due to a difference in partnership. I quickly found a new business partner who matched me on the investment and three months later in March of 2018 we began operating as pt.2. In January of this year we actually took back over the original Athen B. It is called Part 2 Gallery because it is our second gallery. We abbreviate it pt.2 to keep it short. I didn't want it to be Brock Brake Gallery. I don't want it to be about me or for there to be any false sense of celebrity as a gallerist like we see so often today in the art world. When people come to the gallery and ask if I’m the owner I'll usually say I just work here.

SA: Tell us about the artist studios connected to pt.2. What role do they play in defining the gallery and how pt.2 establishes community?

BB: When I was brought into what the building was back in 2014, I saw a lot of potential in all the unused space. I started as a gallery assistant with a space called Lequivie that was in the space before Athen B. It was originally a few artists like Cannon Dill, Brett Flanigan, and a few graff heads in the studios behind the gallery / print shop. As Athen B. grew, I took the time to clear out multiple dirty rooms being used for storage and slowly turned them into studios. More and more people came into the mix and slowly a community started building. Over the course of time, eight studios were established. Mostly individual units, some shared. Around 20 people now operate in and around the studios. All have been brought in through peers. We don’t do open calls or anything like that.

SA: Your recent exhibition “A Weed by Any Other Name” is a direct comment on the Bay Area and its residents—resilient, resourceful! Where is Oakland right now in the arts world?

BB: Honestly it is hard to gauge where Oakland is right now in the art world outside of our Bay Area bubble sometimes. I guess to know where something is at you have to look at what it is. Right now the Bay Area in general is taking an L from an economic standpoint, which is an important part to consider when you talk about the art world. Whether it's all the crime pushing businesses out of the Bay or the various housing issues that are addressed by Liz Hernández and Ryan Whelan's exhibition leading to this economic downturn. But there is something important they also addressed that money can't buy though, and that is how strong and resilient our arts community is. We kind of low key have more and more galleries flying in to do studio visits because they can tell there is something here. I think we have some of the best artists in the world here in the bay. I think a lot of really special people have passed by or got their start here. I talk to people about it all the time but there is something special in the water out here, whether you like it or not.

SA: We agree! It must the water.

We love the videos that often accompany a show. They are casual, somewhat intimate conversations with the artists, who often talk freely about their art. Let us turn the camera around, as it were, and ask you what are your thought processes in putting together an exhibition.

BB: It’s hard to describe what my thought process is when putting together an exhibition. My exhibitions revolve around giving the right people the space to say what they want and to do what they want to do. I feel like every exhibition is completely different and they are always encouraging me to grow. To me that is very appealing as it isn't the same cookie cutter thing over and over. It’s a game I can never win and I'm okay with that.

What drives me as a curator / gallery owner is kind of a long-winded answer. In short, it’s to do good. After working in the art world in various roles since 2010, I felt like the Bay Area didn't really have a serious space for my peers to put on exhibitions, so I made one. I was working at a few of the larger Bay Area galleries in various ways and felt a kind of disconnect from what they were doing and what I wanted to do. At pt.2 you don't need an art degree, rich parents, or an influential social media following. I just want you to be a good person and make good work.

SA: Describe to us what Part 3 Gallery would be like.

BB: Oh no. No Part 3 for me. Part 2 has a good head on its shoulders. If anything I'm trying to just focus on the relationships I'm currently fostering at the gallery. I'm about to be 34 years old. I have a one-year-old who I get to spend a lot of time with. A beautiful wife who’s extremely supportive. A great team of artists. I don't need more like that. I'm trying to mind my business and focus on myself. If something happens more naturally then sure, but for now the mindset is less is more.

Photos by Ekaterina Izmestieva