Fabien Castanier is a native of Paris, where he previously worked in the TV and film industries. He moved to LA in 2002 to focus on his true passion—art—and established the Fabien Castanier Gallery.

ARTILLERY: What’s the one thing all the artists you show have in common?
FABIEN CASTANIER: Over the course of our time together we have not only created strong working relationships but ongoing friendships. Trust and dedication are the main elements we all have in common, and without this it would not be possible. I value these traits in all our artists and it’s allowed us to build a strong program.

You have been working with artists who, by your definition, have “urban contemporary” experience. In your opinion, how does this art change when it’s brought from the street into a gallery?
As the art changes in context from street to gallery, the audience changes, that’s the main difference. The artists also take that into consideration when making the work. To quote RERO, a French conceptual artist who works in public space, ‘The context where I install my artwork is the most important so it’s about how my work interacts with the place.’

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You’re opening a new gallery in South America. How did you choose this location? How will the art you show here be different?
Yes, we are opening a new space in Bogotá, Colombia and I am very excited about it. I have strong personal ties to Latin American culture and their artistic language speaks to me. Colombia, particularly the capital, Bogotá, has a burgeoning art scene with exciting gallery programs, art fairs and museums. It’s rapidly becoming an important commercial center in Latin America and continuing to grow. I plan to continue our established program there as well as creating new connections with Latin American artists. There will be a crossover focus between our gallery program here in LA and our gallery in Bogotá. This being said, our next exhibition in June in Los Angeles will be a Latin American group show, guest-curated with Cecilia Fajardo-Hill, an art historian and curator specializing in modern and contemporary Latin American art.

How does your experience in Los Angeles differ from Paris?
I had more holidays in Paris and used to walk much more! But seriously, it is hard to compare because I have been here in Los Angeles for so long. I have great experiences in both cities.