The arts community is expressing concern over a Vancouver art gallery owner accused of defrauding artists who is considering a move to Squamish.
Sergio Patrich said he is currently looking for a suitable space in Squamish to set up a new gallery.
But a client from Patrich's former business, Gallery O Contemporary in Vancouver, is cautioning local artists against working with the art dealer.
"I am personally owed around $26,000," said Hans Engel, a Toronto based artist.
Engel has since started the blog Gallery Owe, where numerous artists posted complaints about Patrich's business practices. But Patrich is defending himself against claims that he has not paid artists and not returned art following the gallery's closure."We've been slowly getting everyone their art back," said Patrich. "Some of the artists are saying that we took off, but we didn't. Our landlord gave us one day's notice, and now we are looking at where we can go from here. We do still owe him [Engel] some money, but I just don't have it right now. That happens sometimes in a small business."
Patrich also defended the 20 civil claims filed against him in B.C. Provincial and Supreme courts, including one from the federal government's Business Development Bank of Canada, in complaints dating from 1992.
"It wasn't always that we were wrong," said Patrich of the suits.
Local artists and business developers are worried that a controversial gallery owner could hurt the developing art scene."This is definitely not the type of business practice that we need in Squamish," said Krisztina Egyed of the Squamish Arts Council.
"With the Northern Lights Gallery closing there's room for another gallery in town. We are ripe for the picking," said Dave Thompson of the The Squamish Sustainability Corporation (SSC).
Northern Lights owner Connie Spiers said she has not been approached by Patrich about purchasing her store, and will caution her realtor about the situation.
