The Beauty of Art with Doug Kacena, Founder of K Contemporary Gallery

PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH

WRITTEN BY ANNIE BLOJ // CULTURE & STYLE EDITOR

ALL ARTWORK AVAILABLE AT K CONTEMPORARY GALLERY

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Annie Bloj: Doug Kacena, the owner of the highly-regarded gallery in downtown Denver, K Contemporary, is an icon in Denver. Known for being a champion of arts and culture locally and internationally, he brings decades of experience and generosity of spirit to everything he does. It was truly an experience to see him in his element, at his gallery, and in his expertly curated home that is connected to the gallery. Not only does he have an exquisite eye for art and artists, but his personal style is unmatched!

Doug, you have created a life in dedication to the arts. You’ve found many avenues of creative expression like your gallery, championing the arts through your work as a board member for non-profits such as RedLine and the DAM, and your own aesthetic. Where does this all stem from?

Doug Kacena: Art can be the catalyst for conversation about everything we experience as a culture. It is a tool for self-reflection and a way for us to better connect and have empathy for others. I’ve seen how art can affect an individual and create real change in the community, and I want it to be more accessible in our lives. It can seduce us with aesthetics into thinking about difficult topics. Plain and simple, art is magic and we need more of it in the world.

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AB: What prompted you to open your gallery, K Contemporary?

DK: K Contemporary has been in the works for a long time. I very much fell into the gallery business backward as an artist fresh out of college, and I owned my first gallery when I was 23. The idea for K Contemporary came into fruition while I was the director of a gallery that was closing after 25 years in business. It was on the back of my Crossover exhibition that was filmed for a PBS special by the amazingly talented David Schler. I identified three foundational principles for the gallery when we first opened in 2017. First and foremost is to help artists make a living.

I see my role as a gallerist as a conduit to let my artists dream big, even monumental in scale, and for us to develop a path together to achieve those goals. The second is to create a platform for my artists to exhibit on the national and international stage. And third, to bring important and engaging contemporary art from around the world to Denver. I see this building as a temple or a church, the artwork as prayers, and I’m the little monk that lives in the back.

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AB: During the pandemic and the closure of your gallery, you came up with some incredibly creative and unique ways to bring art to the community. Can you share how you came up with the ideas, such as a mobile billboard and digitally projecting artwork onto a building?

DK: It came from a place of necessity, based on the stoic idea of ‘The Obstacle is the Way’ (a book I had just read by Ryan Holiday). I saw how the uncertainty we all were experiencing was affecting everyone around me. The billboard trucks, the #ArtFindsUs project, occurred during the lockdown, when I printed out artwork 9’ tall x 18’ wide and had billboard trucks roam the city as a mobile art exhibition. I wanted to share something beautiful with our community. I also wanted to let my artists know I was going to continue to be a platform and find ways to support them outside of the gallery. The project expanded when I partnered with Athena Projects to create a series of art interventions throughout the summer.

During the BLM protests, I had the honor of working for a second time with internationally renowned Cuban performance artist Carlos Martiel. His performances, which primarily address race and identity, had been canceled in Europe. We were able to bring him to Denver with the help of the Biennial of the Americas and my dear friend and curator, Marisa Caichiolo. Since we couldn’t have a live audience in the gallery, I came up with an alternative way of sharing the performance. With the help of the Armory Denver and Nightlights Denver, we were able to digitally capture his performance and project it onto buildings throughout the city, including the D&F Clocktower, History Colorado Museum, the Denver City, and County Building, and a myriad of buildings in RiNo. A fifteen-second clip of the performance was later displayed on the screens surrounding the Denver Performing Arts Complex. I am so grateful to everyone who participated in these events to make them happen!

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AB: Since this is Cherry Creek Fashion, and we were ogling your impeccable taste and insane closet during the shoot, I have to mention your style! What designers do you love and how do you see fashion as an extension of your creative vision?

DK: I love a mixture of classic and vintage styles with bold contemporary patterning and embroidery. Designers like Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Brunello Cuccinelli, Christian Louboutin, Robert Graham, and Paul Smith take up a significant amount of my closet. I absolutely see a direct relationship between the artwork I’m drawn to and the fashion that resonates with my personal style. Brilliant artists like Suchitra Mattai, Ken Gun Minn, Daisy Patton, and Jonathan Saiz adorn their work with fabric, beads, embroidery, found objects, and a combination of material, pattern, and imagery that span beyond historic and cultural boundaries. I don’t believe art should match your couch; it should be bold and inspire conversation. That is how I hope to show up with my style as well.

AB: How do you see the art world shifting and reacting to the intensity of the past year? What's on the horizon?

DK: After every major world event, we have experienced a renaissance, a cultural revolution. During the pandemic, we have had an opportunity to pause and think about what is really important in our lives. Art can play the leading role in guiding our discussions about how we shape the world going forward. I believe in the importance of standing in front of a piece of art and truly allowing yourself to be present. I’m excited about creating spectacles and a context for us to slow down long enough to let art resonate with our souls.

AB: Doug, thank you so much for your insight and everything that you have done for the community. Your take on how art should live and breathe is inspiring and infectious. I can’t wait to see what's in store for K Contemporary and everything you are doing to bring truly great art to Denver. 

Doug Kacena: @dougkacena

K Contemporary: @kcontemporaryart

Photographer: @estherleeleach

Writer: @theblojreport