Meet Tyler Park: Gallerist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyler Park and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyler, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My main thought process during the early stages of starting my business was that if I can make through this with everything going on, all the uncertainties, and difficulties of 2020 that I will be better suited to overcome other obstacles in the future.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business, Tyler Park Presents, is a contemporary art gallery located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles that focuses on emerging and mid-career artists. For the past decade I have been working in contemporary art galleries in Los Angeles. I started as an intern in college and worked my way up to director level positions very quickly. In early 2020 the gallery I had been the director at for the past few years let me know that they were deciding to close and I began to think about if it was time for me to open my own gallery. Early in my career working at galleries I knew that I wanted to some day have my own, but I never really knew if it would be financially possible for me. I took a few months to think over and decided to go for it with what little money I had saved and raise some money selling hats with my gallery’s name to friends, family, art collectors, and colleagues. I opened my gallery and first exhibition in September 2020 during really uncertain times. Covid was very active, the economy was weakened, other galleries were closing, and most business were still shut down or limited. My main thought process during the early stages of starting my business was that if I can make through this with everything going on, all the uncertainties, and difficulties of 2020 that I will be better suited to overcome other obstacles in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start off the day by taking them to pick up some donuts from Blue Star in Venice and eat them at Dockweiler beach, where you can plane spot outgoing airplanes from LAX. Then take a walk up the beach path through Venice beach to Santa Monica to have lunch at Cha Cha Chicken. In the afternoon maybe spends some time at LACMA or the Hammer checking out some art. Finishing off in the evening with dinner at Roberta’s in Culver City and drinks at All Season Brewing Co. in Mid-City.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without the help of my family and friends I would have not have been able to start my business. Without their help getting the gallery going through purchasing my hats, helping with renovations, and spending so much of their time helping me the gallery would not exist.

Website: www.tylerparkpresents.com

Instagram: tylerpark_presents

Image Credits
Photographer credit Elon Schoenholz. Artwork credits Evan Whale and Carrie Cook. Courtesy of the Artists and Tyler Park Presents, Los Angeles.