K Contemporary

 Denver | Santa Fe

Since its inception, K Contemporary has distinguished itself by recontextualizing and advancing the dialogue about our experience of art. This artist-centric gallery emphasizes contemporary and conceptual art with rich historical context, providing patrons with engaging exhibitions, pop-ups, art interventions, and participation in prestigious art fairs. Notably, K Contemporary has showcased its commitment to the art world through participation in renowned international art fairs such as Zona Maco in Mexico City, Untitled Art, Miami, and The Armory Show in New York City. Through these immersive and experiential displays, K Contemporary serves as a catalyst for meaningful discussions about the role of contemporary art in society.

As part of its growth, K Contemporary is excited to announce the opening of its second location on the historic Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This new venue will further broaden its reach and enhance the dialogue surrounding contemporary art in a vibrant artistic community.

In the years since opening the gallery, Doug Kacena (the owner),  has facilitated exhibitions at major institutions like Crystal Bridges Museum, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Denver Art Museum, and internationally-recognized events like the Venice Biennial, the Sharjah Biennial and Biennial of the Americas. While rotating gallery exhibits are a big part of K Contemporary’s presence, its most renowned displays come in the form of art interventions K Contemporary organizes with the artists it represents. Regularly,  K Contemporary seeks out unusual locations and situations for exhibitions, like the Colorado Governor’s Residence at Boettcher Mansion in Denver, and the unprecedented #ArtFindsUs mobile art exhibition that roamed the streets of Denver, Boulder and surrounding cities in quarantine during the international pandemic. 

Whether our artists are exploring the complexity of American values, the subtle power of iconography, technical processes and materiality, personal histories, human connection, or contradiction and perception, ultimately all return to a similar conclusion: that art, no matter how it is rendered, provides a sanctuary for the soul. 

K Contemporary’s mission is to foster  an environment that helps artists develop their ideas and produce artwork with depth and contextual significance, while creating a platform for regional artists to have national and international influence, and bring incredibly engaging work from international artists to the West. K Contemporary aims to revolutionize the role of a contemporary gallery in the community. K Contemporary is a member of Denver Art Dealers Association (DADA)

THE 10 BEST BOOTHS AT UNTITLED ART MIAMI BEACH

Salomé Gómez-Upegui, Artsy.Net

"Denver's Art Champion; Doug Kacena is changing the way art galleries operate in Denver"

-Ray Rinaldi, Denver Post

 

5280 Best Art Gallery: K Contemporary 

"K Contemporary’s reaction to the trials of the past year is a shining example of constraint breeding creativity. Forced to temporarily shutter in March, the cutting-edge LoDo gallery took to the streets with the #ArtFindsUs project—a roving exhibition that displayed larger-than-life artworks on a billboard truck—and a live performance by acclaimed artist Carlos Martiel that was projected onto the 16th Street Mall clocktower. This is just a taste of the ingenuity that oozes from the three-year-old gallery owned by Doug Kacena, who approaches his beloved business with one question: 'How do we get people to be more excited about and engaged with art again?'"


- Christine Deorio, Hillary Masell Oswald, Michelle Johnson, 5280 Home

 

"Doug Kacena has turned Denver’s commercial art scene on its head, upending many of the current, common assumptions about where for-profit galleries are headed in the 21st century."

​- Ray Rinaldi, The Denver Post

Submissions

We are not currently accepting new artists to our gallery roster but are always interested in familiarizing ourselves with new work. Please send an email to gallery@kcontemporaryart.com with your artist CV and a link to your artist website / social media. Please note that, because of the high volume of inquiries, we are not able to respond to every submission and may not be able to respond to or return submissions sent in the mail. No walk-in submissions will be accepted.