Owners Cody Fitzsimmons and Christopher Scott established Tureen in a former pharmacy in Oak Cliff, deliberately avoiding the Design District. The gallery opened in 2023 with chipped tile floors and tin ceilings, drawing its name from Louise Lawler’s photograph Pollock and Tureen.
Fitzsimmons, an art advisor and collector, describes the gallery’s approach as having no specific niche. He curates a global roster of artists, aiming to reflect their ideas rather than his personal preferences. His strategy involves alternating exhibitions to prevent similar shows from appearing consecutively.
The current exhibition, River Shell: The Dust is Here to Stay, features the multimedia artist and cofounder of PRP (Permanent Research Project). Fitzsimmons notes that Shell blends abstract and figurative elements, with a focus on the human body. The show includes found objects like a rearview mirror from Shell’s previous vehicle, along with watercolor torsos and sunflower paintings.
Shell, who also creates films, describes his work as exploring concepts of time and color. He characterizes his artistic style as split between dark and light elements, describing the overall effect as jazzy. The exhibition title references a background prop from the film Paris, Texas.
