Matter Gallery

What Matter Gallery does

Matter Gallery is an independent, privately held contemporary art gallery founded in 2017 by Lara Morton and headquartered at 104 A — 344 Westmoreland Ave North in Toronto, Canada. The gallery operates from a single 1,300+ sq ft multi-functional space featuring polished concrete floors, white walls, and a garage-style door, and represents a roster of eight artists from regions historically underrepresented in Western art markets, including Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America (Malekeh Nayiny, The Nest Collective, Simon Back, Gözde Ilkin, Aydın Büyüktas, Siwa Mgoboza, Jake Michael Singer, and Helen Teede). Its core offering is curated exhibitions of photography, painting, sculpture, tapestry, and works on paper, supported by professional art services (collection development and consulting, artist commissions, framing and installation, restoration and conservation, and appraisals), plus a complementary event-space rental line.

The gallery's revenue model rests on three streams: commissions on artwork sales (priced by direct inquiry rather than publicly listed), professional art services billed as fee-based engagements, and event-space rental of its physical venue. Go-to-market is event-driven: exhibitions, artist talks, panel discussions, and film screenings at the gallery and at partner venues such as First Canadian Place (via ArtsBrookfield) and OCAD University, alongside participation in major Toronto cultural events such as Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Distribution combines the physical Toronto storefront (open by appointment and Tuesday–Saturday) with an owned e-commerce storefront at mattergallery.com/store, where transactions still flow through direct contact. No external funding, parent company, or institutional shareholders are disclosed; ownership and strategy are founder-controlled, with Program Director Zack Pospieszynski leading curatorial direction based on 30+ years of international art-world experience including a prior 12-year directorship of Peak Gallery, Toronto.

Name

Matter Gallery

Legal name

Matter Gallery

Website

https://mattergallery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Matter Gallery is an independent Toronto contemporary art gallery representing eight artists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, generating revenue through art sales commissions, professional art services, and event-space rental.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Contemporary art gallery
• Art sales
• Artist representation
• Art consulting
• Collection development

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Sales and Commissions: The gallery sells artworks from represented artists through its gallery space and online store, earning commissions on sales. Artworks are available in various mediums including photography, tapestry, painting, sculpture, and works on paper. Pricing is handled through direct inquiry and contact with the gallery.
2. Event Space Rental: The gallery's 1300+ square foot modern space with polished concrete floors, white walls, and garage-style door is available for private event rental upon request. The space includes in-house amenities such as a fully equipped kitchen and washroom.
3. Art Services: Matter offers comprehensive art services including collection development and consulting, artist commissions, framing and installation, restoration and conservation, and art appraisals. These professional services generate revenue alongside art sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Matter Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Toronto that represents artists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, selling original artworks including photography, sculpture, painting, tapestry, and works on paper through its physical gallery and online store. The gallery also offers art services such as collection development, consulting, framing, installation, restoration, conservation, and appraisals, and rents its space for private events.

Product overview

Matter Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with a global mandate that represents artists from Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. The gallery offers a comprehensive range of art services including collection development and consulting, artist commissions, framing and installation, restoration and conservation, and art appraisals. Their core offering is the physical gallery space (approximately 1,300 square feet) available for exhibitions and private events, complemented by an online store where artworks from their represented artists can be purchased. The gallery represents a roster of international artists including Simon Back, Malekeh Nayiny, Aydın Büyüktas, Gözde Ilkin, Siwa Mgoboza, Jake Michael Singer, Helen Teede, and The Nest Collective. They specialize in multiple mediums including photography, tapestry, painting, sculpture, and works on paper.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contemporary Art Sales Sale of original contemporary artworks including photography, sculpture, painting, tapestry, and works on paper by represented artists from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Available through the Toronto gallery and online store, serving individual collectors, public institutions, and corporate buyers.
• Online Art Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Represents artists from multiple continents including Africa, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ArtsBrookfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2018Matter Gallery participated in the ArtsBrookfield exhibition 'Under The Sun' curated by Kelly McCrae at Toronto's First Canadian Place. The exhibition featured work of 16 artists including gallery artist Siwa Mgoboza. The exhibition title references 'everything under the sun'—everything that is possible or can be imagined.
• OCAD UniversityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 November 2017Matter Gallery hosted an artist talk at OCAD University featuring Siwa Mgoboza in November 2017, providing educational programming and community engagement for art students and the broader Toronto arts community.
• Scotiabank CONTACT Photography FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2017Matter Gallery participated as a featured exhibition venue in the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival in May 2017, the largest photography event in the world and a premiere cultural experience in Canada with over 1500 artists in 200 venues. The gallery featured internationally renowned Iranian artist Malekeh Nayiny in an exhibition titled 'Traveling Demons'. This partnership elevated the gallery's visibility within Toronto's arts community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• 1x1 Art Gallery: Smaller-scale contemporary gallery in Toronto focused on emerging artists. Comparable in size and exhibition-driven model, though with a less differentiated regional curatorial mandate than Matter's global focus.

Direct peers

• Bau-Xi Gallery: Established Canadian gallery with locations in Toronto and Vancouver representing contemporary artists. Directly comparable as a Canadian commercial gallery selling contemporary works through physical exhibition space, with a longer operating history and broader artist roster.
• Olga Korper Gallery: Long-running Toronto contemporary art gallery representing mid-career and established artists across painting, sculpture, photography, and works on paper. Comparable in operating model, primary sales, and Toronto collector base.
• Division Gallery: Toronto and Montreal contemporary gallery representing established and emerging artists in photography, painting, and installation. Comparable scale, multi-medium focus, and Canadian institutional connections.
• Cooper Cole: Toronto contemporary gallery representing emerging and mid-career international artists. Similar in scale, contemporary focus, and exhibition-driven model targeting younger collectors and institutions.
• Peak Gallery: Toronto contemporary gallery previously directed by Matter's Program Director Zack Pospieszzynski for 12 years. Directly comparable in programming philosophy and former leadership continuity.
• Patel Brown Gallery: Toronto-based contemporary gallery with programming focused on diverse, often underrepresented artistic voices. Closely comparable in curatorial identity and Toronto emerging-collector base.
• Nicholas Metivier Gallery: Toronto contemporary gallery representing established Canadian and international artists. Closely aligned in offering medium-mix contemporary works, exhibition programming, and Toronto collector engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO): Major Toronto public art museum with far broader collection scope and operating scale. Comparable as a Toronto art destination and potential institutional buyer/partner, but operates as a nonprofit museum rather than commercial gallery.
• The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery: Toronto's leading public contemporary art gallery focused on international contemporary programming. Comparable as a Toronto contemporary art venue with exhibition-driven model, though nonprofit and at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mattergallery
• Instagraminstagram.com/mattergallery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mattergallery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Matter Gallery