About

Volk Gallery is a non-institutional arts venue based in Dundee, Scotland. Consisting of a repurposed nappy vending machine, Volk Gallery is hung in a publically accessible location, operational at all times. A rotation of products are dispensed at a set price of £3 each. Works are completed by commissioned artists and change monthly. In a surprisingly fortuitous visit to Vienna, as a national lockdown took effect, we came across the ‘Mikromuseen: Kunst im öffentlichen Raum’ project. With all galleries and museums closed to the public we found this small entity to be our sole means of discovering new and engaging works outside of the traditional context of cultural institutions. Comprising of eight small Klappenautomat (vending machines) situated within different public interstitial spaces, you would insert a €2 coin and have a small artwork dispensed; varying from postcards to posters. From our first contact with the project we began to consider how a similar model could be applied in our home city of Dundee, Scotland; being a small city suffering from historic economic depression yet with a vibrant arts community kept flourishing by its prestigious art school. With consideration of this dichotomy the concept of holding small collections of work by young and unestablished artists for sale at an affordable price (outside of the standard museum/gallery setting) would help in assisting a means by which the city could offer a sustainable future for creatives.