snarkitecture sculpts historic brick for library street collective gallery

snarkitecture celebrates the opening of its newly-designed space for leading contemporary art gallery ‘library street collective.’ the new flagship gallery is located in the belt of downtown detroit along a once-deserted alleyway, which over the last 5 years, has been transformed into a cultural hub with ongoing public arts programming. this transformation is due largely to the efforts of library street collective founders JJ and anthony curis. the space marks both snarkitecture’s first free-standing gallery, and its second collaboration with the library street collective after its interactive installation, ‘the beach detroit.’

images by PD rearick, courtesy of library street collective | @librarystreetcollective

in the design of its library street collective gallery space, snarkitecture celebrates the brickwork facade of the historic building and sculpts a new textural portal that looks inside. this subtle intervention creates both an opening into the gallery, as well as a public art moment that contributes to the programming along the belt. currently open by appointment, the gallery presents the newly opened exhibition LIGHT, a collection of new works by artist sam friedman and curated by KAWS.

introducing a depth to its signature monochromatic language, the team at snarkitecture designs its library street collective interior with mosaic tiled flooring and a custom reception desk. meanwhile, cove lighting around the perimeter, along with a central halo light creates an even diffusion of light across the space for the exhibition of artworks. from inside the gallery, the facade installation creates an arrangement of bricks that appear to cantilever into the space. in addition to allowing natural light to flood the galley, the excavated brick forms offer an interesting contrast to the refined interior.

prioritizing flexibility, the rear display wall offers exhibition space and provides a partition for the library, office, or a private viewing area for clients. here, the team includes custom oak shelving with integrated lighting and a sliding ladder. library street collective co-founder anthony curis comments on the partnership with snarkitecture: ‘we share so much in common with alex mustonen and daniel arsham, the founders of snarkitecture. the art world can often feel insular but both alex and daniel understand our intentions around accessibility, inclusivity and community.’