Behind-the-Scenes at La Gale Sayulita Contempo Art & Concept Store

At La Gale, mother and daughter Claudia and Alina, team-up to empower established and emerging Mexican contemporary artists in Sayulita. Today we speak with Alina about her passion for art, her own artistic heritage, and the talents in which she chooses to work.

Alina, how was your interest in contemporary art sparked?

Since I was little, my mom, who’s now my business partner, used to take me to all the art exhibitions in Mexico City. Later, as a young adolescent, I started traveling around the country and became more and more fascinated by the urban culture and artistic agenda in México. The scene is huge and buzzing with art exhibitions, and artistic (street) art statements in so many forms. I think immersing myself in the scene is where my love for art started.

Would you say it takes an artist to know one? In other words, does your own artistic heritage help you find and connect with the high-level artists La Gale features?

That’s a good question. I think it may be more about being open and connected. I studied Live Show Production, which means that on a professional level I was very much engaged in the artistic community. I also loved theater and music festivals. I started to watch and read about all kinds of art forms as much as I could, and I developed a deeper connection to the art itself, as well as to the message I personally wanted to share with the world through the art we feature in the gallery now.

What is it like to work together with your mum on a daily basis?

That’s a tough one! It’s great, although at first it was a little hard because we were juggling between keeping our gallery in San Miguel de Allende and the new one in Sayulita running. But we have managed to find quite a healthy balance now. I also see how much I can learn from my mother as a business woman, as well as a human being. She’s always been such a hard working mom. She truly is my role model in many ways.

There are a lot of galleries and handicraft stores on the market these days. How do you differentiate La Gale from the rest?

I believe we are featuring an interesting collection of the best contemporary projects and designers without loosing the roots of traditional Mexican art. La Gale is also a place where you can find recognized artists mixed with talented up-coming artists and designers. It’s definitely a place to start for spotting new Mexican talents!

With La Gale, you dabble in pretty much every imaginable field of art. Would you say the cultural statement is the common denominator?

Yes! Without the inspiration from traditional Mexican folk art or the cultural statements that are going on all over Mexico, we wouldn’t be here. Over the past few years, there has been a creative buzz taking over artistic Mexico. I believe this awakening of talent originates from the fact that we are dissatisfied with what is going on in our country on many (political) levels. The pieces we selectively feature generally carry a rich cultural heritage/statement.

There’s an impressive list of talented artists you work with. Will you name one that you think the world needs to know about?

Actually, for the upcoming International Women’s Day, and because we are female business owners ourselves, I’d like to suggest the art works of Nabs D. She’s a painter and muralist based in Mexico City, who paints beautifully freaky characters with surrealistic dark surroundings. Another inspiring talent is Maria Canfild, who’s also a talented muralist and visual artist. She travels all around Mexico to paint amazing animal creatures. For Casa Ballena in Sayulita, she just finished painting a beautiful whale mural.

Where can we find you?

You can find La Gale Sayulita at Av. Revolución #64, next to Hotel OZ in Sayulita, one block away from the plaza. Also, if you find yourself road-tripping to San Miguel de Allende, make sure you visit La Gale SMA at Hernandez Macias #48.