The Suyama Space: Belltown's Stealth Gallery

OK, so it's not really a gallery per se, with things for sale and such; it's more of an exhibition venue for larger installations - I'm trying really hard not to use the word "space" too often. Either way, it's well worth a visit. Since 1998, curator and gallery co-founder (with George Suyama) Beth Sellars has been presenting three exhibitions a year by various and diverse artists in the atrium of the Suyama Peterson Deguchi design firm at 2nd & Battery. I've been past this place about a million times before I dared to ring the buzzer to be let inside. This is what I saw:



Pretty spectacular, no? This current installation is called Grotesque Arabesque by Dan Corson. It shows through December 18th. The great thing about this piece is that it seems to expand space. The atrium area measures something in the neighborhood of 40' x 20'. But through the use of low light, black light and reflective surfaces, Corson manages to make the area seem huge. This installation bills itself as "otherworldly." That actually might be a bit of an understatement. My photos only capture one aspect of the piece. To fully appreciate it, you need to see it with your own eyes. And in order to do that, go to Suyama Peterson Deguchi any weekday during business hours, ring the bell (to the right of the garage door), walk up the ramp and soak in the vibe. It's free and you can spend as much or as little time there as you'd like. It may be the coolest thing you do all week.

If you'd like to see photos from past exhibitions, visit the Suyama Space's website. There is some truly incredible stuff there. Until just recently, I was hardly aware that such a wonderful place was just down the street.

(Cross-posted at the Seattle P-I Belltown Blog)