David Totah Opens TOTAH Gallery in New York's Lower East Side

David Totah, born into a family of collectors and dealers, opened TOTAH Gallery in New York's Lower East Side in February 2016. The inaugural exhibition, 'Verba Volant, Scripta Manent,' paired Italian conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti with American Mel Bochner, highlighting their shared use of language and unconventional media (Boetti's cotton embroidery, Bochner's velvet). The show attracted nearly 400 visitors and was listed as a must-see by Artforum and Artnet. Totah, who became a U.S. citizen after 22 years, aims to create a cultural hub rather than a traditional gallery, with long-running exhibitions (three months each) and a mix of works for sale and historical loans. His current show features architect-artist Lauretta Vinciarelli, whose works were recently acquired by MoMA for a retrospective. Totah's stable also includes Aleksandar Duravcevic. He plans to add a Los Angeles-based artist soon. The gallery hosts free film screenings twice weekly and commissioned Kenny Scharf to paint its shutters, referencing the area's street art history. Totah emphasizes intuition and synchronicity in his curatorial approach, rejecting coincidences and seeking artists who convey mystery.