Project Native Informant, an east London gallery known for its adventurous program featuring artists like DIS, Sin Wai Kin, Juliana Huxtable, and Hal Fischer, is closing after 12 years. Founder Stephan Tanbin Sastrawidjaja announced the decision on Instagram on October 31, citing a volatile and unsustainable global economic, political, and social environment, along with personal factors. The gallery had not staged an exhibition since July 2024 and had previously lost commercially viable artist Joseph Yaeger, who signed with Modern Art and Gladstone in 2023.
The closure reflects a broader downturn in the art market, with other galleries like Nir Altman's Munich space also shutting down. Project Native Informant played a key role in launching emerging artists, such as Yaeger, whose auction record reached £203,200 at Phillips. The loss of such a gallery highlights the challenges faced by mid-sized commercial spaces in a precarious economic climate, impacting the ecosystem for experimental and emerging art.