Novus Contemporary Art Gallery
The Approachable Art Gallery
Fittingly taking it’s name from the Latin words for new and innovative, over the last three years Novus Contemporary Art gallery on Burton Road has steadily earned itself an excellent reputation owing to it’s unique collection of photography, glasswork, sculpture and paintings. Owned and managed by Mark Feneley - who in a previous life was a general manager in the leisure industry - the Novus philosophy is a simple one: to create a stylish yet relaxed gallery offering what Mark describes as “affordable pieces that speak for themselves”.
BEYOND LEISURE
Considering he used to oversee the running of a fitness centre, it’s fair to say that Mark’s journey into art is by no means typical of your average “gallerist” - or gallery owner, as he rather humbly prefers to be known. Novus wasn’t born from some boyhood dream. Mark admits that it wasn’t actually until he hit his thirties, when he became friends with a gallery owning couple, that his mind began to wander beyond leisure:
“I began to realise I had an eye for art, and started to believe that running a gallery was something I could be successful at,” he says. “Around the same period I had also reached a point where I’d achieved all I had set out to do career-wise but found I simply wasn’t happy anymore.”
Having decided to set up Novus, the move from his home town of Beverley to his wife’s native North West could have turned out to be a very different one. “It was originally between Stockport and Southport,” he says- “until I came to West Didsbury and fell in love with it." And so Novus was born.
UNLIMITED FREE BROWSING
But far from being a hindrance, the fact that Mark hasn’t spent his whole life within the art industry actually seems to give Novus an edge, as he appears extremely in tune with his customers.
“I’m not from an art background. I couldn’t be an art snob even if I wanted to be - so it’s much more of a level playing field when people come in here,” he explains. “I actually think that people are scared to go into a lot of galleries- they think they’ll probably have to swipe a gold card just to get through the door."
In contrast, a visit to Novus is all about feeling comfortable enough to enjoy the wide range of contemporary art on offer, without feeling intimidated or pressured to buy.
“Basically people are free to come in and see for themselves. If they want to buy something that’s great. If not then that’s fine too,” says Mark.
SPECIAL COLLECTION
In keeping with the overall atmosphere of the gallery, the thinking behind the art collection is also refreshingly unpretentious.
“We’re not trying to sell to footballer’s wives,” Mark says.
Instead, customers have the opportunity to pick out something a bit different, something that they wouldn’t necessarily find hanging in someone else’s living room. The appeal of this is obvious to him.
“As people get older their aspirations change. They start to outgrow IKEA and DFS- they want something different, something unique”.
The most notable of examples of this philosophy at work include the bold depictions of young women by the Manchester based Argentine, Rosana Ibarrola - and the colourful abstracts by Philippe Aird, a Stockport based artist who in his youth was taught by none other than L.S. Lowry.
In a nutshell, what Novus can offer its customers is an opportunity to purchase striking pieces that can also be savoured safe in the knowledge that there aren’t thousands of identical prints doing the rounds.
WHERE NEXT FOR NOVUS?
“I’d love to have a recognisable brand of shops in the area, so that if you think about buying a new piece of art you instantly think Novus."
But having seen numerous businesses around him come and go over the last three years, Mark's just happy to still be doing something he enjoys so much.
“It’s been a gamble and I’m working harder than ever but I have no regrets as I love doing it”.
To learn more about Novus visit www.novuscontemporaryart.co.uk. Or even better, pop in and see for yourself!
Words by Chris Dolan
