Walking into Cinq Gallery, you’re immediately greeted by a familiar feeling and the friendly face of owner Scott Dawson. Moving from room to room, it is abundantly clear that the pieces and the gallery as a whole are one of a kind.
Art has been the connective tissue throughout Dawson’s life. Originally from New Zealand, Dawson has traveled all over the world and, here in this country, has lived in Chicago, Santa Monica and Dallas. “Travel is a great tool for inspiring the imagination,” he says. While visiting Dallas, he found a space that resonated to him as unique and special, and the venue organically evolved into the gallery it is today.
Opening in early 2015, Cinq Gallery has been focused on making connections. “It’s about connecting the guests to the art, artists to collectors and collectors to the pieces they are looking for,” Dawson says. He also feels it’s important to help people understand an artist’s perspective, technique and the context in which art was created.
“The Design District is filling up with a younger audience interested in learning more about art and owning original pieces displayed in the galleries they frequent,” Dawson adds. So, he designed a unique feature in Cinq Gallery called the “Start Your Art” wall. This wall is composed of many smaller paintings by the same artists featured throughout the gallery. The original artwork is small in scale and priced to sell. The hope is to encourage new buyers while providing new pieces for veteran collectors with limited wall space.
Dawson doesn’t have to look hard to find gifted artists to feature—the artists come to him, primarily through submissions on the gallery’s website. Many are local to the DFW area and exclusive to Cinq Gallery within a 50-mile radius. Dawson says, “For me, what makes owning a gallery special is the ability to give artists a platform to showcase their work, and the privilege to have them be a part of your life.”
As the gallery continues to grow, Dawson plans to attract even more accomplished artists while maintaining a mix of well-established and emerging talent and keeping quality consistent.
New to Cinq Gallery are renowned, internationally exhibited artists Khoo Sui Hoe and Juan Luís Jardí. Both oil painters feature colorful figures and landscapes inspired by life. Similar to Dawson, they also believe that art should be felt as well as seen. Another artist of interest is John Peralta, who creates unconventional sculptures from iconic metal objects. Peralta exposes the inner workings of sewing machines, cameras and guitars using self-developed techniques for suspension.
Looking to the future, Dawson is excited to physically expand the gallery. Currently housing about 17 artists, including his own figurative paintings, he’ll be able to add more sculpture elements after the expansion to feature 30-plus artists. Further into the future, Dawson would love to have galleries in different cities, including in New Zealand, so he can go back and forth!
Dawson is quick to point out he has a much larger stock of art that what is exhibited at any given time, and if a buyer is looking for something specific, he can bring out additional pieces from the back, where he keeps countless more works.
Ultimately, Dawson believes that art should be an adventure, and he makes sure that Cinq Gallery fulfills that aspiration for visitors and patrons alike.
Kasey Goedeker is a Dallas-based freelance writer, social media expert and fashion blogger. For more information visit runninginheelsblog.com or hello@runninginheelsblog.com.
