Founded in 2011, Dama Gallery is an independent contemporary art gallery built on curatorial rigor, artist advocacy, and a belief that great art comes first. What began in Ventura, California, has evolved over more than fifteen years into a multifaceted contemporary art platform with locations in Los Angeles and Texas and a history of international programming in Mexico City. Across its history, Dama Gallery has presented hundreds of exhibitions and worked with artists at every stage of their careers, from emerging voices to established and internationally collected artists. The gallery’s “art first” objective is guided by a commitment to technical mastery, conceptual depth, emotional resonance, and work capable of sustaining a meaningful relationship with its audience over time.
While exhibitions remain at the center of Dama Gallery’s practice, the gallery has expanded its role within the contemporary art ecosystem through artist representation, art advisory, collection development, publications, educational initiatives, and original media. Its approach is intentionally personal: artists are known beyond their wall labels, collectors are given meaningful context around the work, and every acquisition is treated as an opportunity to build a lasting relationship between artist and collector.
Dama Gallery’s media initiatives extend that philosophy beyond the gallery itself. The Gallery Hangover Podcast, hosted by founder Yessíca Torres and produced by Torres long time friend and creative collaborator Rodrigo Aguilar, offers candid conversations with artists, collectors, and creative professionals about the realities of making, exhibiting, and collecting contemporary art. The podcast is IMDb-credited, further establishing Dama’s expanding presence across the broader media and entertainment landscape.
The gallery has also produced a growing body of short films, artist interviews, and studio features documenting the people and processes behind contemporary art. These projects offer audiences a more intimate understanding of artistic practice while creating additional points of connection between artists, their work, and potential collectors.
Today, Dama Gallery continues to operate as an independent gallery with the standards and ambition of a much larger institution. Its pursuit is straightforward: to identify exceptional artists, present their work with intention, cultivate meaningful collector relationships, and create a lasting environment in which contemporary art can be experienced, understood, and collected.