SPY Projects is a contemporary gallery in Los Angeles founded in 2021 by Pietro Alexander. This year, Pietro made the decision to move the gallery to NYC, officially closing the doors of the LA space after five successful years. Before leaving, he wanted to properly archive the solo and group exhibitions that lived in that beautiful space. So we decided to put together this book, "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR".
 

Fueled by zyns and caffeine, we spent three months putting the book together fully remotely, with the help of his assistant, Sofia, who was clutch in keeping things moving and helping us along the way. Pietro came to me with a well-organized archive of past shows and documentation of the work, which saved us a ton of time with this project. The book now serves as a record of SPY’s history and the legacy Pietro has built within the LA art scene. I’m especially proud of this project as it’s the most “proper” project to date—Pietro has a sharp eye for detail and was very clear about how he wanted the book to look and feel. We found a layout we were both excited about, giving readers context on the artists/shows alongside images of the work and how the gallery was presented.
 

On December 19th, we came together for the book release, which also happened to land on Pietro’s birthday. Gutes, Megan O’Sullivan, and Ali Royals assisted us, partnering to show their Cloud 9 issue from their publication, Byline. It made for an awesome celebration, and we threw an epic party. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Pietro as he continues his journey in NYC with his fiancée, Sara Apple, and keeps building in his space.