Robert Diament

Yeah, you were like really fighting for your friends, for the artists that you admired.

And I know that your full name is Marianne Ibrahim Abdi, but it was actually missing in art.

So it wasn't missing in action.

It was missing in art because you felt so like, why are all these amazing talents not getting seen and also not reaching collectors?

I think it's really like patronizing and kind of condescending at the idea that the collectors themselves wouldn't be interested.

It's like if people can't see these artworks, how are they going to discover them?

And I think it's so important, the gallery that you started then in Seattle.

And what was the artist community like in Seattle at the time?

Right, right.

It's also really interesting just thinking of the space that you had in those seven years, like the freedom in many ways.

And I think the artists themselves probably, you know, felt that as an opportunity too, because it's not the pressure of a New York audience or an LA audience or a London audience.

It's

kind of a place that you can put on, you know, artistic shows that actually like have something to say and aren't necessarily about just the commerce, if you see what I mean.

Because I know your opening show was like photography.

You ended up representing artists with all different mediums as well.

Like you worked with textile artists, painters,

You were never shy about experimenting in terms of your program.

I feel like your program was incredibly diverse, not just because of the underrepresented artists in terms of the regions they're from or their background, but even in the mediums that you were experimenting in exhibitions.

And you had success didn't you at the art fairs because I know at the Armory show you won a prize quite early on I think in maybe like your fifth or sixth year of running a gallery but like you were kind of being well received in the art fairs and you know like I mentioned earlier like I've always been really struck by your art fair booths and that's unusual because often art fair booths are just like it really does reduce everything down to the kind of corporate nature the kind of buying and selling of art really.

And what I found about your booths is that you still keep that very strong messaging, almost creating some kind of universe or an environment that is welcoming and also quite cohesive.