MANAYUNK

Originally Published in Manayunk.com Magazine

By Scott Edwards

Between the basement-to-roof renovation and a meticulously thought-out interior design, The Bazemore Gallery itself is intended to be every bit the featured attraction that the contemporary paintings hanging on its walls are.

“I worked hard to preserve the historical significance of this building by paying close attention to restoring the buildings beautiful front faҫade. The interior was a different story as I had to replace nearly everything.” says Lenny Bazemore, the gallery’s owner and curator. A Main Line resident and seasoned real estate developer, Bazemore bought the building, which sits just beyond the corner of Main and Grape streets in Manayunk, and opened the gallery, his first, on the ground floor last October. But a dramatic overhaul unfolded across the months in between. Several vacant years had exacted an ugly toll. The lone survivor: a Jordan Ivanov wood relief of the canal that was found in the basement in 12 pieces. That, at least, Bazemore could restore. It hangs today in the gallery.

All of that, though, was merely a precursor to the actual origin of the gallery: the conception of its interior. During a trip to China in 2012, Bazemore studied under Wang Xun, a master of feng shui, the ancient Chinese philosophy that, basically, aims to achieve a harmony between us and the environments through which we move. For as long as he can remember, Bazemore, who’s known among friends as Zen Len, was drawn to nature, color and symmetry. But it wasn’t until he was introduced to feng shui that his own world aligned. He designed—is designing (it’ll always be a work in progress)—the gallery accordingly, right down to the hanging garden that’s comprised of ferns and purple orchids, among others, and meant to counter the exposed-brick walls.

“I didn’t want to sell, so to speak, people when they came in here,” he says. “I wanted them to interact with the space and the energy of the space so that they would feel more comfortable and relaxed.”

The feng shui elements—wood, fire, metal, water and earth—will be considered, too, in selecting the art that Bazemore will exhibit. The gallery’s first major show, which was on view in April, featured Hong Kong artist Justin Y, who paints vivid abstracts with his fingers. Next up is James Brantley, a Philadelphia mainstay and, like Justin Y, a member of the new generation of impressionists, who favors pastel cityscapes and humble portraits.

A basic, personal bond, though, is what ties these shows and those to come to the gallery foremost. “The premise of the gallery is really the fact that my wife and I are art lovers, and we’ve been collecting for years,” says Bazemore, a painter himself who’ll be exhibiting in Germany, Belgium and France over the next two years. They don’t gravitate toward certain genres or even media. Bazemore expects to remain as open-minded as a curator. And should a sprawling, impressionistic landscape balance a living room, all the better.