All Visual Arts

All Visual Arts was founded in 2007 as a radical departure from the traditional gallery model. Created by art expert Joe La Placa and hedge fund executive Mike Platt, the organization functioned as both a commercial gallery and a private patronage vehicle. Unlike typical spaces that simply display finished work, this enterprise acted as a producer, directly funding artists to create ambitious, large-scale projects that might otherwise have been impossible to realize due to financial constraints. In 2010, the organization established its permanent headquarters in a five-thousand-square-foot warehouse at 2 Omega Place in Kings Cross. The choice of a raw, industrial warehouse reflected the founders' desire for an expansive, flexible environment that could accommodate experimental installations, storage, and office operations all in one. The space served as a home base for a specific stable of artists, including sculptors like Kate MccGwire and Alastair Mackie, whose complex works often required the high ceilings and generous floor plans found in this repurposed setting. The philosophy behind All Visual Arts was deeply influenced by Joe La Placa’s background, which included working with legendary figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. La Placa envisioned the gallery as a bridge between the arts and sciences, frequently collaborating with specialists in fields like psychiatry and physics to inform the creative process. The gallery promoted the idea that art acts as a vital tool for human resilience, and it frequently staged thematic group exhibitions that sought to blend aesthetic beauty with intellectual inquiry.