Third Floor Gallery was an independent charitable photography gallery in Cardiff Bay, Wales that operated from 2010 to 2016. It predominantly featured documentary photography, often premiering new work with the direct involvement of the photographers.
Third Floor Gallery was set up and initially run by photographers Maciej Dakowicz and Joni Karanka, and later photographer Bartosz Nowickii, with help from volunteers. It continued to be self-run with volunteer staff and was self-financed through various grassroots sources. It was noted for its use of social networking for engaging with visitors and volunteers at a time when that was not common place for galleries.
Photographers that exhibited at Third Floor Gallery include Martin Parr, David Hurn, Tom Wood, Chris Steele-Perkins, Larry Fink, Mark Cohen, John Bulmer, Rob Hornstra, Simon Roberts, Peter Dench, Ewen Spencer, Ken Grant and Vanessa Winship.Love in a cold climate. Sunday Times, 7 February 2010.
Description In January 2010 founding trustees photographers Maciej Dakowicz and Joni Karanka invested £1000 each to cover a quarter of the lease and the service charges for a loft in Bute Street, Cardiff Bay. Third Floor Gallery opened on 12 February 2010 with an exhibition by Peter Dench. From the beginning volunteers helped sustain the gallery with donations of money, and with help hanging exhibitions and staffing. Within the first year of operation, Bartosz Nowicki joined as third trustee and they received charitable status.
The gallery continued to be self-run and self-financed. Rather than being grant funded, it was financed through a variety of grassroots sources: financial donations from visitors; some of those involved in running it auctioned off their own photographs; donations were solicited via requests through social networking services; and the photographer whose exhibition was showing donated an object from or related to that exhibition that was auctioned off.
It was noted for its use of social networking for engaging with visitors and volunteers at a time when that was not common place for galleries.
In March 2012 the gallery expanded to a second floor with an additional gallery, digital darkroom, and dedicated space for community usage. It closed in 2016.
Awards 2011 Epic Award (Wales) from Voluntary Arts Network (VAN), for the best voluntary arts groups in the UK and Ireland
Exhibitions 2010 – LoveUK by Peter Dench 2010 – Up West by David Solomons 2010 – Muse by Jocelyn Bain Hogg"Muse – Jocelyn Bain Hogg at Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff Bay." Western Mail, 23 April 2010. 2010 – ffotoCardiff group exhibition by Jocelyn Allen, Gawain Barnard, Craig Bernard, Rick Davis, Malika Delrieu, Paul Gaffney, Rob Gunn, Radoslaw Komenda, Kate Mercer, Bartosz Nowicki, Gareth Phillips, Chiara Tocci, James Thomson, Rob Watkins and Rajan ZaveriFfotocardiff, Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 6 August 2014. 2010 – For Love of the Game by Chris Steele-PerkinsJoni Karanka, "For Love of the Game ", artcardiff.com, 2 June 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2013. 2010 – Paradise Rivers by Carolyn Drake"Photographer giving rivers a modern twist." Western Mail, 16 July 2010. 2010 – strangelands by strange.rs street photography collective 2010 – Street Photography Now. Photographs from the book Street Photography Now (2010) by Christophe Agou, Arif Aşçı, Narelle Autio, Polly Braden, Bang Byoung-Sang, Maciej Dakowicz, Carolyn Drake, Melanie Einzig, George Georgiou, David Gibson, Bruce Gilden, , Andrew Z. Glickman, Siegfried Hansen, Markus Hartel, Nils Jorgensen, Richard Kalvar, Martin Kollar, Jens Olof Lasthein, Frederic Lezmi, Jesse Marlow, Jeff Mermelstein, Joel Meyerowitz, Mimi Mollica, Trent Parke, Martin Parr, Gus Powell, Mark Alor Powell, Bruno Quinquet, Paul Russell, Otto Snoek, Matt Stuart, Ying Tang, Alexey Titarenko, Nick Turpin, Munem Wasif, Alex Webb, Amani Willett, Michael Wolf, Artem Zhitenev and ."Street photography now at the Third Floor Gallery ", In-Public, 5 October 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2013. 2010/11 – Passing Time by David Hurn 2011 – A Collection by Laura Pannack 2011 – Views from Sochi by Rob Hornstra 2011 – Mi Vida Loca by Joseph Rodriguez 2011 – The North by John Bulmer"The North: John Bulmer's shots capture a moment in time at Third Floor Gallery Cardiff", Culture24, 6 May 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2013. 2011 – The Gathering Clouds by Ben Roberts 2011 – Arab Revolutions 2011 – Of Duties by Stuart Griffiths, Jay Romano and Tim and Matt Bowditch 2011 – Selected Works by Sergey Chilikov 2011/12 – Behind the Curtains by Tomas van Houtryve 2012 – Larry Fink: Somewhere There's Music by Larry Fink 2012 – Touching Strangers by Richard Renaldi 2012 – V.D. by Vincent Delbrouck 2012 – Family by Chris Verene 2012 – The Last Resort by Martin Parr and Tom Wood 2012 – Caravan by Rikard Laving 2012 – Teenagers by Ewen Spencer 2012 – We English by Simon Roberts 2012 – Encuentro by Maurice Gunning 2012 – Burn My Eye by the Burn My Eye street photography collective, Zisis Kardianos, Charlie Kirk, Andrew Kochanowski, Alexandros Konstantinakis Karmis, Frédéric Le Mauff, TC Lin, JB Maher, Jason Penner, Justin Sainsbury, Jack Simon and Justin Vogel. 2012 – Cardiff After Dark by Maciej Dakowicz 2012/13 – Winter in America by Justin Maxton and Erin Trieb 2012/13 Grim Street by Mark Cohen 2013 – After the Fall by Hin Chua 2013 – Life After Zog and Other Stories by Chiara Tocci 2013 – Urban Quilombo by Sebastian Liste 2013 – Georgia by Vanessa Winship 2013 – Muse By Jocelyn Bain Hogg 2013 – Pictures From the Real World by David Moore 2013 – Y Tir Newydd / The New Land by Gareth Phillips"22 September 2013 – 20 October 2013, 3rd floor", Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 6 July 2014. 2013 – Distant Horizons by Transit Collective, Alexa Brunet, Alexandra Frankewitz, Bastien Defives, David Richard, Nanda Gonzague, Yohanne Lamoulere, Helene Jayet. Part of Diffusion Festival 2013. 2013/14 – Close to You by Jacob Aue Sobol."14 December 2013 – 26 January 2014, 3rd floor", Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 6 July 2014. 2014 – Shift: Ukraine in crisis. Photographs by Alexander Chekmenev, Maxim Dondyuk, Corentin Fohlen, Louisa Gouliamaki, Brendan Hoffman, Tom Jamieson, Marco Kesseler, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Donald Weber and Emine Ziyatdinova."Saturday May 3 – Sunday June 29, 2014 ", Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 6 July 2014."Exhibitions: Shift: Ukraine in Crisis", VII Photo Agency. 29 September 2014. 2014 – Flock by Ken Grant"“FLOCK” by Ken Grant", Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 4 July 2014. 2014 – Tableaux Vivant by Alexandra Boulat"Tableaux Vivant – Alexandra Boulat", Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 5 September 2014. 2014 – Swell by Mateusz Sarello"Swell – Mateusz Sarello", Third Floor Gallery. Retrieved 8 March 2015. 2015 – Welsh Farming Community by Peter Jones 2015 – Detroit-Unbroken Down by Dave Jordano. Part of Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography. 2015/16 – The Apollo Archive 2016 – Europa
References
External links Third Floor Gallery web site – as archived at the Internet Archive, 7 March 2016 Third Floor Gallery on Vimeo Professional Photographer magazine audio discussion about Third Floor Gallery opening