Chichester art gallery on South Street closes after 11 months

In September, KUNST Art Gallery opened it’s doors on 39 South Street in Chichester. It was known for it’s street art and local art work on display. It also featured a graphic design school in a separate area of the building.

At the end of last year, Sussex World interviewed the gallery owner, Bill Strohacker when they had recently opened. When asked about why he chose to set up shop in Chichester, he said: “I’ve lived in Chichester for the past 20 years. I ended up moving my family here whilst working in a different industry. I was doing some teaching and once I moved on from there, I decided to set up my own thing.

"That’s how my design school started. I got people involved who I'd met in the industry like Jamie Hewlett, who is the creator of the Gorillaz artwork, and a few other known people. When I was setting up the gallery, I contacted Jamie to sell his work."

However, just under a year has passed and the shop has closed its doors for the last time. In a recent interview after the KUNST Art Gallery closure, Bill Strohacker said: “I’ve been running the gallery for just under a year. Unfortunately, we’d seen a massive decline in sales and haven’t been able to fully support the gallery. We’ve had to take the sad decision to close.

"The idea of the gallery was to have something a bit edgier in Chichester. A little bit more independent than the corporate galleries, hence the type of works we put on display such as street art, graffiti, and supporting local artists too.

“I want to thank everyone who bought things from us and supported us, I really appreciate what they’ve done for us.”

Bill Strohacker also hinted that this wasn’t the end of his ideas for an ‘edgier’ art scene in the city. He added that ‘There still is room for something like this’ and would like to ‘plan something else in the future’.