A sneak peek at the first exhibit of Gtz Art Gallery. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.

A new art gallery is coming to West Davis Street.

Gtz Art Gallery from Josue Gutiérrez will serve as a space where art and design converge, with a particular focus on emerging artists. 

“Basically, the goal of this space is welcoming all the artists that … they’re looking for this voice. They’re looking to be seen,” he said. “I think this is a great tool, a great space to make that happen.”

Before falling in love with art three years ago, Gutiérrez studied global business in Mexico. He then spent seven years working in that industry. 

“I quit, and I started getting into art,” he said. “It was a hard decision because you’re not in corporate (where) you have your salary, you have a schedule, you have a boss. So, breaking all that system to create your own system. It seems fun. It seems like ‘Oh, that’s the dream,’ but actually it is kind of hard.”

Starting as a self-taught artist, he credits the support he received from those close to him, who have helped him to pursue his art ambitions.

“The people who surround you are really important. They 100% encouraged me to make this decision because sometimes I’m insecure. I don’t know if this is the best moment, should I wait?” he said. “It is like, it is never going to be the right moment. You just need to do it. And I think that’s how these dreams start.”

For the first Gtz exhibit, Gutiérrez is showcasing 27 pieces of his own work with plans to have an open call for local artists in the future. The selected works come from three of his prior exhibits outside the new gallery: Metamorphosis, Bloom and Raw.

Metamorphosis was Gutiérrez’s first exhibit as an artist. He describes the work as encapsulating his time evolving on his own terms. For Bloom, Gutiérrez said that he was going through how he saw things from a new perspective as an artist.

“And it was for me, like, everything was beautiful. I can’t explain how I changed a lot. That’s why Bloom is a part of this,” he said.

Raw was an exhibit he did while in Mexico, where he recently spent seven months waiting for an update to his legal status to return to the U.S. He said that exhibit was meant to highlight the part of life that is not always comfortable.

“There is not always good, always beautiful, sometimes we’re going through something like bad moments or situations, but we need to deal with it,” he said.

In addition to the selected pieces, the gallery will incorporate pieces of furniture to further curate the space. Though Gtz Art Gallery is not open to the public just yet, Gutiérrez said they are hoping to announce the official opening date in May.

Gtz Art Gallery is located at 1314 West Davis St., Ste 120.