Roq La Rue turns 25
Roq La Rue was started all the way in 1998! Seeking to create a space in Seattle for for the rising “Low Brow” art scene, the newly fledged gallery showed everything from Kustom Kulture art, outsider art, prison art, tiki art, work by underground cartoonists, anything that was sub-culturally influenced and provocative from an art world point of view. As the gallery grew and the artists in the scene started to be less transgressive but more refined, trading kitsch culture fetishizations for magical realism and more nuanced storytelling, the scene shifted into calling itself “Pop Surrealism”- taking its name from a book Roq founder Kirsten Anderson published in 2004 about this particular strata of the art world. Roq La Rue was on the cutting edge of this new movement, exhibiting the best artists in the genre and rapaciously discovering new talents. This led to gaining not only an international roster of artists and collectors, but a reputation for being highly discerning. We are proud of our roots of being a rowdy, scrappy little gallery to a place that seriously and respectfully foments the careers of artists and the collections of art buyers around the world. We are different, but it works. We thank everyone who has come on our journey over two decades and six locations, including all the truly amazing artists and fantastic, supportive collectors and appreciators who have kept us going as we celebrate 25 years in the art world!
