AucArt - Artist Interviews

In the Studio with Atillio Esposito

Italian contemporary visual artist Attilio Esposito creates suspended images in the embryonic state, building personal links between abstraction and stylistic academia painting. We met with Atillio to tell us more about his practice, growing up in Lecco, and the journey to the artist he is today.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

I didn’t start yet. I mean , it’s a definition that I use, but only to point what I am doing, as a functional word, not an appellation. I feel like an artist when someone appreciates my work, but it doesn’t last long and I immediately go back being Attilio.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? How has this impacted your work?

I’m Italian, I live in the district of Lecco where I was born and raised.

I was born in the early 1980s and experienced the economic boom as a child. Like so many from my generation, growing up among stickers, films, television and colorful toys, with the idea of a certainly magnificent and idyllic future. Summer holidays were always an adventure along the boot, in a camper with my parents and my two sisters, visiting magnificent villages, beautiful landscapes, folding maps, long but wrong roads, closed-end roads and some family quarrels but always with the head in the clouds. Adolescence with the advent of the internet and the very fast technological evolutions was the period in which I slowly returned to earth. As the world discovered how to transmit more and more information faster and faster, we were starting to walk alone, without having the ability to hide our pimples and our deep sense of inadequacy.

I never accepted to lose those feelings of security, adventure, continuous discovery, even if since years I relocated permanently on planet earth.

In my works there is the continuous effort of a positive approach to a reality of dissatisfaction and the acceptance of the sense of inadequacy.

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. Have you gone through the traditional route of art school and what was your experience?

I have always enjoyed drawing and creating, attending an art high school and then a fine arts academy was a natural choice. When I was just twenty, I had the opportunity to start my artistic career after winning a painting award. I learned a lot but having had these possibilities quickly, pushed me to detach myself from the world of art, doing other kind of jobs to get to know myself, to better understand my needs and my languages.

What’s the message of your work? How would you describe your aesthetic?

I am currently focused on this creative process which is closely linked to my state of mind and my attempt to bring to the surface a positive and constructive approach to internal chaos, to the absence of security. I strive to always find new compositions, more or less subtle links between colors and primordial shapes, in suspense between the primitive form and a meaning. In the same way, I believe that I seek a balance in a life that is too fast and doesn’t offer eternal points of reference.

My current aesthetic is certainly linked to Italian and European pictorial, sculptural and architectural production from the Renaissance to the Baroque and Rococo but with deep roots in modern abstract painting. From ancient history I take the sense of order and balance that during more than 300 years has been able to follow the evolution of the sense of beauty. The painting of the 20th century has given me a conceptual reading and that subversive, revolutionary freedom that I need to create the raw material for my work.

Are your works planned? What do you want people to take from your work when they view it?

In my creative process I like to allow both creative freedom and planning. I have kind of three steps, ranging from the wildest and most primitive to the most careful and accurate. When I model plasticine I allow myself the freedom to not give myself an aesthetic guide, planning and control come later, when I start creating the composition and especially during the painting phase. The title comes last and is my personal reading.

I heavily rely on the primitiveness of forms to establish contact, create an image in which everyone could recognize their thoughts. Shapes that don’t keep the signature of those who molded them but that at the same time are intimate.

In this pictorial series, I heavily rely on the idea that the social context and the people who observe it define the true meaning and importance of a work. I reserve the task of producing and being creative without planning too much.

Who and what are your greatest influences?

Mentioning the artists I look at in this period, I would say Pontormo, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Pieter Paul Rubens, Canova, Cazimir Malevič and Alexander Calder, but they are just a few, I observe and appreciate a little of everything. I can find new inspiration by watching a documentary on TV as well as taking a walk or just listening to a song.

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

Dissatisfaction, the desire to change is an excellent engine when there’s possibility to concentrate on work, without too many distractions.

The space in which I work at the moment is messy but at the end of each painting I always try to regain clarity by putting everything in order and then starting to work again.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise? How has your art evolved?

I like to experiment, these works are the result of experimentation themselves , I’ve already in mind several possible evolutions of this work but I continue to accumulate in my head new groups to paint and at the moment I want to continue with this process. I’ve tried to make other kinds of works in the past and I am sure that when I’ll feel the need I will do it again.

I really like the ready-made’s evolutions in the contemporary world, not everything lends itself to being painted even though I am certainly very attached to this medium.

I appreciate the dedication and commitment of painting.

What are your goals for the future?

I’m planning a new group of works always linked to this series.

I would like to continue exploring this language for a while, investigating and evolving my creative process, as I’ve accumulated a lot of possibilities . I’d like the opportunity to prepare a solo show, to see them all hanging at the same time.

Then of course, like everyone else, make a living off of what I love to do.

How have you been keeping creative during the pandemic?

I haven’t been very creative, finding myself live in an apocalyptic film made me slow down a bit. At the beginning of the epidemic, I was coming out of a very productive period in which I didn’t leave home much. The quarantine caught me off guard. I appreciate those who have managed to be productive, personally I have not been able to create much in such a state of alarm.

Posted on by AucArt

Book Club November

November edition:

The AucArt Book Club

We hope you enjoyed sampling our first instalment of Book Club last month. Assuming you’ve come back for more, November’s selection has a lot to offer. Our artist’s have been creative this month, sharing a little something for everyone. From the critically acclaimed, to modern classics; poetry, or one for those hankering after a little self-reflection... During these times of uncertainty, it’s important that we look to literature to provide wisdom, laughter and perhaps most importantly, some much needed escapism.

1. index cards

by Moyra Davey

New York based artist Moyra Davey’s ‘Index Cards’ assimilate her knowledge and ideas on writing, photography and filmmaking. The personal essays layer, self-examine and reflect on the relationship between art and life. Delicately she paints herself without self-aggrandisement, even disclosing her writing and physical frailties, having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007. Encounters begin with photographs, a passage in a book or a memory, she connects subjects to others, generating interesting but unlikely relationships until you are immersed within the texture of her thoughts. Interlacing artists and thinkers into her work, such as Virginia Woolf, Mary Wollstonecraft, Roland Barthes, she explains how she became the artist she is today.

Selected by Amiko Li

2. no longer human

by Osamu Dazai

The critically acclaimed Japanese novel ‘No Longer Human’ (which literally translates in English to ‘Disqualified From Being Human’) details the struggle of Ōba Yōzō from his childhood into his late twenties. The first person narration sees the troubled Ōba struggle to fit into a society which is morally unsound, maintaining a mask of frivolity in order to fit in. The bleak novel narrates a series of events which see the protagonist encounter a series of hardships; including abuse, alienation, suicide, expulsion, addiction, debauchery and incarceration. Whilst many comment on the autobiographical element, as suicide was a recurring theme in Dazai’s work and his own eventual downfall, the focus on Ōba’s alienation within the novel is a condition very poinantly relevant to this day.

Selected by Clarice Hu

3. all quiet on the western front

by Erich Maria Remarque

Set during the first world war, the story opens in 1914 with young idealistic German schoolboys, bursting with patriotism and eagerness to join the war. Relying on Remarque’s own experiences of the war, we follow the short military career of Paul Baumer as he signs up to join the horror and disillusionment of trench life; watching the distance between the opposing sides gradually diminish as the story progresses. The reception of Remarque’s text was polarised. In contrast to the quintessential patriotic rhetoric of the time, the book received a lot of criticism for divulging harrowingly matter-of-fact descriptions, whilst avoiding any clear stance on the war. Not only was it seen to promote pacifism, but many copies were burnt by the Nazi party as Hitler believed it painted the German army with weakness. Such graphic recordings of daily events of the war, however, still hold great resonance with readers today.

Selected by Jack Laver

4. the road to wigan pier

by George Orwell

‘The Road to Wigan Pier’ is a polemical text painting the picture of a broken Britain in need of a remedy where the author offers up socialism. The first part of the book explores the hellish depiction of working-class life in the industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire; exposing the social injustice, unemployment, hunger and the hardship of the mining towns. The second half is a long essay on Orwell’s middle class upbringing, development of political conscience, and a questioning of British attitudes towards socialism. The brilliantly bitter and bleak vision is still topical, exploring our class structures and the notorious north-south divide.

Selected by Ewan Keenan

5. in praise of shadows

by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s essay on aesthetics, ‘In Praise of Shadows’, explores the pleasures of everything from architecture, food, lacquerware to toilets. Praising all things delicate and nuanced, softened by shadows and age, Tanizaki encourages reflection, appreciation and mindfulness. The delightful essay offers a new way of seeing and experiencing the moment which is a contrast to the plastic, functional aesthetic of modern western life. Tanizaki teaches us to embrace the tranquility of consuming even the simplest of incidents wide awake, as the richest and most textured experiences.

Selected by Aidan Wallace

6. poems

by Elisabeth Bishop

‘Poems’ catalogues one of America’s greatest poet’s lifeworks: four published volumes, her uncollected poems and more. Bishop, who gained her greatest notability after she died, was not a prolific writer. Completing only 101 poems during her lifetime, each poem was imbued with extreme precision and accuracy. Perhaps her eye as a painter as well as poet had a part to play in her ability to capture scenes with such attention to detail. Her work has been labelled as possessing poise and balance, a stark contrast to the woolly poetry prevalent during the latter half of her career. Her prevailing themes revolve around human experiences of grief, longing and the struggle to find a sense of belonging. Beginning with the expanse of landscape and geography, her works move towards the interior, exploring internal questions about love, knowledge and perception.

Selected by Nicole Della Costa

7. one hundred years of solitude

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Influenced by modernism and the Cuban Vanguardia, this landmark novel tells the fictional tale of 7 generations of the Buendia family. Living in Macondo, a town they’ve built themselves, the family sustains wars, disasters and but also miracles. The text pivots around the conflict between solitude and love, vividly and tenderly celebrating humanity, whilst blending political reality with the supernatural. Pulsing with colour and life, the reader is transported into the world of “magical realism”, a new genre born out of Márquez’ daringly original work.

Selected by Attilio Esposito

8. courage

by OSHO

“Courage is not the absence of fear”, says Osho. “It is, rather, the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it.” At first, ‘Courage’ presents itself as the manual for the risk taker. Discussing knowledge, rationality, feeling, experience, and the essence itself of human existence, OSHO proposes a re-evaluation of the common strategies we use to face conflict. When faced with uncertainty and change, he proposes celebration. Rather than sticking to the familiar and known, he suggests we learn from change, encouraging adventure, welcoming ‘new’ in order to obtain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world in which we find ourselves. The reader embarks on an exploration of what courage really is and how we come into contact with it during everyday life. Finding inner courage in order to lead a fulfilled and authentic life within careers, relationships and the unknown is later unravelled in OSHO’s text. ‘Courage’ is also filtered with meditative techniques especially created by OSHO to help readers deal with their fears.

Selected by Jay Harper

9. los detectives salvajes

by Roberto Bolano

Set in Mexico city, later travelling through Central America, Europe, Israel and West Africa, ‘The Savage Detectives’ recounts the story of Arturo Belano and Ulises Lima, avant-garde founders of the visceral realist movement, in hot pursuit of obscure poet, Cesárea Tinajero. Beginning with revolutionary fervour of a violent showdown in the Sonora desert, Belano and Lima turn in flight, with a plot marked with jealousy, murder, dispair and insanity. Whilst the storyline is relatively straightforward, the narration, told through multiple viewpoints of the characters the duo encounter, is unique to the text. These voices include an architect being held in Mexico City asylum; the great-grandaughter of Leon Trotsky; the heiress to a Mexican underwear empire; a crude American student and many other critics, detractors and literary figures. The text is often coined the first great Latin American novel of the 21st century.

Selected by Jean-Vincent Simonet

Posted on by AucArt

5 Minutes with Saria Sakka

beirut ma betmout

5 Minutes with Saria Sakka

AucArt’s guest curator of the month, Saria Sakka, talks to us about home, travels, what art means to her, and the inspiration behind her latest sale 'Beirut ma Betmout'.

Where are you from?

I am Syrian-Lebanese, born and raised in London, with a long stint in the US and a year in Hong Kong. I feel more Lebanese than anything else, although there is no greater feeling than landing into London.

Describe your upbringing.

I have 2 brothers, so there was never a dull moment growing up. My parents are quite cool, although in different ways. Growing up, my mum always encouraged me to express myself creatively. My grandmother was also a big influence, she loves a good time and has the most unique, imaginative eye.

Tell us one thing few people know about you?

If I could leave the city and move to the mountains, I would do so in a second! I’m a country girl at heart.

If you didn’t work in the arts what job do you think you’d have?

In another life, I would be a set designer. I am visually inclined, and love seeing things come together. I also love telling stories, and working with my hands – so the idea of building a stage and setting a scene with an eclectic variety of objects, props and tools found at flea markets or on different travels and adventures really appeals to me. I would build the craziest sets – colourful, pink, textured, loud and mismatched… but hopefully, it would work. That, or a travel writer.

What does art mean to you?

Art means a lot to me. It’s as personal as it is social. If I need a reset, I will go to a museum with a great permanent collection… early in the morning, and on my own. If I need to meditate, I will draw, write, paint, bead or cook.

Where is your favourite place you have traveled to and what made the experience so special?

New Mexico. My best friend and I drove across North America a few years ago. We rented an SUV in Charleston, SC and drove it all the way to Los Angeles, CA. That trip was magic. We planned very little, and found being on the road incredibly liberating and exhilarating. We met some real characters along the way, and experienced some mind blowing landscapes.

Something you cannot work without?

My earphones! I need my music – to either pump me up, calm me down, or inspire me.

A book that changed your life?

Shukti Gawain’s ‘Creative Visualization’. I read it after breaking my foot on the first day of a friends holiday years ago. It’s not my favourite book, but it influenced me a lot. It was the first time I recognized the role one’s thoughts and mindset play in shaping reality.

Who or what is your greatest inspiration?

My grandmother. She has the most incredible eye, and has so much fun dressing up. She lived in Tokyo for 35 years, and now lives in Paris. You can feel both cities in her affect, in the way she mixes and matches things. She’s as Kawaii as she is elegant. Otherwise, traveling… Mexico City, Los Angeles, Paris, Beirut and Tokyo have all inspired me a lot.

What are you most proud of?

My relationships. I’m grateful to have such inspiring, grounding and supportive close friends, mentors and family.

What kind of artwork do you like to be surrounded by?

Post-COVID, I’ve been very drawn to ceramics and textiles. I want to look at something I can also touch. Equally important to me as the artwork on the walls are the chairs, sofas, lamps, vases in the room.

If you could change one thing about the world we live in what would it be?

I would hope for more open minded and compassionate attitudes towards sexuality, gender and womanhood.

What’s important to you?

Freedom! To have the space to express myself however I want or need to.

What’s your most cherished possession?

Either my teddy Gingery – we’ve been through it all together, or a painting my dad made in the early 90s that hangs in my bedroom. The colours are quite intense – a saturated red, lots of different shades of purple and green. The forms are outlined in thick black. It’s of a woman, with jet black hair tied in a top bun, standing against an open window. Floating above her head is a weird box, and in that weird box hangs a Matisse-esque leaf.

The most useful piece of advice you’ve been given?

Cross that bridge when you get there, and take everything as it comes. The universe always has a plan.

Something we take for granted?

This past year has highlighted two of the things I took for granted… travel and human connection.

What future projects are you hoping to explore?

I am super excited to be working on a project with two friends, Ayla and Najwa. We seek to connect creatives from the Levant with accessible, free-lance opportunities in Europe and the US. More on that soon… 🙂

What’s the inspiration behind your sale? Is there an underlying narrative?

Beirut! It is one of the most fun, inspiring, sensory cities. With this sale, I wanted to shine on a light on some of the brilliant characters that call Beirut home. x

What draws you to an artist?

Their sense of possibility.

Posted on by AucArt

Book Club

october edition:

The AucArt Book Club

In response to the (unrelenting) global pandemic many of us have rediscovered our love of reading. With museums and galleries closed, finding something to stimulate our minds is no easy feat. So, we’ve decided to ask some of our artist’s their favourite reads. Such times of uncertainty require the insight, wisdom and solace provided by literature.

1. Staying with the Trouble

by Donna Haraway

In response to the rapidly declining ecological devastation we are faced with today, theorist and feminist Donna J. Haaraway recommends new ways for us to reestablish our relationship to earth and everything on its surface. Overriding the geological epoch which defines the beginning to when humans impacted the earth (Anthropocene), she proposes instead that humans and non-humans are inextricably linked. ‘Staying with the trouble’ of a devastated earth, Haraway argues, will be more conducive to establishing more liveable and viable futures. She believes that the human race will need to confront its self-importance and defer itself to the biological critters under-ground. Such a thought provoking and daringly original text will have you re-configuring your relationship to your surroundings.

Selected by Nadja Plein

2. 12 Rules for Life

by Jordan Peterson

Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s text answers some of the most difficult questions to do with freedom, discipline, responsibility and adventure, filtering his wisdom into 12 practical rules for life. His humorous and informative guide unites, analyses and dissects antiquated truths from ancient traditions and cutting edge scientific research.

Selected by Ewan Keenan

3. Blue Mythology

by Carol Mavor

Carol Mavor’s ‘Blue Mythology’ invites the reader to re-examine with a fresh pair of eyes the tales, traditions and connotations of the colour blue. Examining and engaging with a whole breadth of topics from religion, science, gender, art and slavery to contemporary film, this beautifully illustrated book unpics with an acute historical, sociological, literary and visual lens.

Selected by Salomé Wu

4. A Canticle for Leibowitz

by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States, ‘A Canticle for Leibowitz’ is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel which explores the world in the wake of a devastating nuclear war. Spanning thousands of years, the book journeys through time as civilization attempts to restore itself. This imaginative, richly comic and frighteningly grim tale is one to read if you want to access another realm more terrifying than 2020.

Selected by Joseph Justus

5. The Fashion System

by Roland Barthes

This smart, slightly insane, and at times complex text is a reading of the world of fashion through the eyes of the great thinker, critic, writer Roland Barthes. By analyzing the descriptions of women’s clothing by fashion writers, ‘The Fashion System’ allows the reader to read and access between the lines, words and images of the fashion industry.

Selected by Nicola Gunnarson

6. Concerning the Spiritual in Art

by Wassily Kandinsky

‘Concerning the Spiritual in Art’ is heralded as one of the most pivotal documents in the history of modern art, a necessary read for art students, patrons and enthusiasts concerned with 20th century painting. Kandinsky’s bible to modern art is split into two parts, condensing and refining ideas that influenced both himself and his contemporaries. The first, “About General Aesthetic”, calls for a spiritual revolution in painting, enlisting artists to express their inner lives in non-material, abstract terms. The second, “About Painting”, discusses the psychology of colors, the responsibility of the artist, and the language of form and colour.

Selected by Lucia Horvátová

7. Life: A User's Manual

by Georges Perec

‘Life: A User’s Manual’ is a sprawling collection of bizarre, funny and even quite ordinary stories that unravel within a fictitious Parisian apartment building. As the text unravels, every new room welcomes a new chapter which introduces the current and past residents of the room. Whilst interspersed with literary puzzles, illusions and problems to solve, the interwoven tales portray a manual of human irony, displaying the disparate fortunes of the occupiers living in the XVII arrondissement of Paris.

Selected by Samuel Rosi

8. L’Art Médecine

by Maurice Fréchuret & Thierry Davila

Between the two, curator and art critic Thierry Davila and French art historian Maurice Fréchuret have curated a large number of temporary exhibitions, at the Picasso Museum (Antibes) amongst others, most often devoted to contemporary artists. Published by the Musée Picasso d’Antibes, L’art médecine explores the lives of artists who have used art as a means of therapy, from Matisse, Sam Francis, Tapies and Léger, alongside artists such as Lygia Clark, Mona Hatoum and Joseph Beuys, whose practice and process of art function through a means of healing.

Selected by Lucy Ralph

9. Letters to a Young Poet

by Rainer Maria Rilke

A collection of letters written by Rilke to a young officer cadet concerning matters of advice, love, suffering, writing and sex. These lyrical letters delve into the mind of a young sensitive poet to-be coming into contact with the harsh reality of the world. His words have been known to inspire and comfort many as he shares with his readers a deep understanding of the solitary nature of the artist.

Selected by Nicole Ching

Posted on by AucArt

5 Minutes with Marco Galvan

We spoke to our in house curator, Marco Galvan, about growing up in Italy, the exhibition that changed the course of his career and finally his latest guilty pleasure.

Tell us a little bit about your background

I was born in Vicenza, a small town 40 mins from Venice where I’ve lived most of my life. After I studied Languages at BA, someone suggested I look into a curatorial course at the School for Curatorial Studies in Venice and I thought why not? I applied and whilst I was writing my dissertation I started attending the course. It was 1 year and at the end of the course we had a collective show. It was my first show in Venice and I was very excited, I have to be honest. I felt like it was something bigger than me and all very quick; I was only 22. Whilst I was working at the exhibition that this was the path I wanted to follow. So I decided to apply for an MA here in London. I received my acceptance letter 3 days before the MA started because I was a late applicant, so I had 3 days to find a room, book tickets and move, essentially picking up and re-locating my whole life. I moved here in January 2018 and I did my MA in Culture Criticism and Curation at Central Saint Martins. That’s basically how I arrived, or became who I am now, from the point of view of education.

My parents did not work in art and were not very interested in it, though they are now because of me. They used to buy paintings from a small gallery in a very small city in the mountains from a local painter. This is the only memory that I have of me as a kid in a gallery space. I would say that I’ve always been trying to surround myself with creative situations. During the summer I used to play with my cousins and sister, crafting Pokémons and creatures in Papier-mâché, we used to create these small sculptures. The creative instinct has always been present. I think I had to develop and discover it myself because there wasn’t really an external source pushing me in that direction.

I think it’s very important for a curator to have an interest for what he/she may not understand. To transform a moment of ignorance or fear into excitement and curiosity, a willingness to learn, let's say.

When and what was your first memory experiencing an art work?

I encountered art through time. When I was 21 I met somebody who was in the field and used to have a gallery and was very involved in art and architecture. She told me that I should pursue this path and that she was seeing something in me that I think I was starting to see myself. So I was given the confidence to go into curating and I actually decided to embrace it. I remember that my first time experiencing an art work was in 2011. I was in Madrid with my mum and my sister and there was an exhibition at the Reina Sofia Museum. It was Yoyoi Kusama’s ‘Narcissus Garden’ which was an installation consisting of a garden filled with metal spheres, I was really attracted to it. Yayoi Kusama’s work is quite spectacular in itself, so if you can imagine for someone unfamiliar with contemporary art it felt incredibly impactful. That artwork was impressive to me. I remember reading it was presented at the Venice Biennale in the mid to late 60s and I thought, wow. From there it all started. I got really into art in general and more so in contemporary art, researching and all that. Even though I took a different path at uni, that’s where it all started, with that exhibition and artwork in 2011.

How did you get into curating? Did you always want to be a curator?

I think it was something very implicit that kept growing and growing and then at a certain point when it was ready it just flourished, quite literally. When I finished high school and they had these entry tests for uni. I actually tried the Biology test because I wanted to be a researcher for Cancer, I imagined myself doing that because I’ve always been very attracted to Science in general; Biology, Zoology and Astronomy, but then I didn’t get accepted. I knew I had passions, things I was actually good at. In this case I recognised I might be better at Art. Science was an interest, but I couldn’t work with that. I’m too distracted.

Who or what inspires you the most?

People. People around me and everyday life, that’s literally it. What I live everyday, the experiences that I’ve lived, the people that I meet, the stories that I hear.

What is it about being a curator that you find the most interesting?

I would say that most of all it’s collaborating with artists. Then when it comes to an exhibition I like deciding what art works to include in the exhibition, discussing with the artist what and where to put these artworks. I think it’s very interesting to discuss this because you could have two entirely different visions or interpretations about how one artwork could work in relation to another and when you discuss it you find the best solution to create the perfect dialogue. At the end of the day the artwork is an object in space and I think curating for me is as if I am writing in space, ideally. You learn a lot, whether it’s about art, whether it’s about point of views, whether it’s about someone as a person, their life experiences; it’s incredibly stimulating

You’ve curated shows with all types of mixed media, but is there a medium or style you’re most attracted to?

No. If I like a project or what an artist does I want to collaborate.

I’ll give two recent examples of shows I curated last year to show the diversity. One was ‘Public Toilet’. This installation was a solo show in Venice by Sang Woo Kim, the British-Korean artist. It was a site specific project where a fake public toilet was created with all artworks appropriated, so it was very much contemporary installation art. That project was very interesting for me in terms of working with installation sculpture and working on the concept around it. It was very challenging from the point of view of the audience as well and amusing to see how they reacted to it. People genuinely thought it was a public toilet, so they were quite literally using the toilet as if it were functioning. Other people were thinking it was a toilet shop and others who were in the field, *click* understood it just like that. I started researching about that as well, how the audience interacts with contemporary art in general.

I also curated this project and show called ‘Memoryscapes’, which interlaced photography and memory. It was conceived by 4 young CMS graduates (Lara Coromina Parcet, Andrea Alexa Cavallo, Emmanuela Ambrosone, Dorin Azougy). It was essentially trying to understand how collective memory as a mechanism works. We brought this work together with the Pole Gallery, a project by extremely talented artist Orfeo Tagiuri, which is literally a gallery on a pole. These images were found as slides in Brick Lane, a friend of mine took them, catalogued them and didn’t know who they belonged to, all together forming a collective memory from different people. At the end of the project a series of new images were made out of software that created a collage between all of the others. When you look at these photos you have additional reactions related to your own personal memory and experience. This whole project was about that. These photos were then exhibited at the Pole Gallery in Australia and Bali.

So, I’m very open – design, photo, installation. I did a show at the Zabludowitz collection with their collection. In the exhibition, called ‘In The Shadow Of Forward Motion’, we had sculptures, paintings, photography, videos by artists such as Jake & Dinos Chapman, David Wojnarowicz, Larry Clark, Matt Collishaw and others. I’m attracted to whatever I feel is very appealing and could convey a strong message to the audience.

What are the 3 main things you’re looking for in a piece of art?

It always changes. I don’t have a rulebook. What I like to know and discover about an artwork is the story behind it, the reason why it was made, if there was something specific that drew the artist to use those specific materials. There’s always a story – whether it’s – I was bored so I decided to create this artwork or something more deep. It’s always interesting because it tells you something about the moment in the life of the artist. When I look at an artwork I’ve learnt to train my eye, I’ve discovered this tool working at AucArt. I think it’s very important for a curator to have an interest for what he/she may not understand. To transform a moment of ignorance or fear into excitement and curiosity, a willingness to learn, let’s say.

When you’re planning an exhibition or sale how do you come up with a narrative?

It always changes. As I was saying before, what inspires me the most is people around me, experiences and everyday life. So when I come up with a concept for an auction, for example, I try to feel and listen to the urges and needs of communities. I try to create a narrative and I leave it to the artists to talk about the topic, like a kaleidoscope.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

In the art world or in general? I think that our time is never wasted. It always comes back to you. But yeah, I don’t want to sound too wise. I’m 25, not 75.

If you could have dinner with 5 artists dead or alive who would they be?

I wouldn’t just have dinner with artists, I don’t think. I would like to have dinner with artist Pierre Huyghe, who’s a contemporary French artist; Laure Prouvost, again French artist; Phoebe Waller Bridge, she would spice the dinner up; Vito Acconci, who’s…well he’s dead, but he was a great Italian performer. He did this performance in 1969 in New York where he started following people. It was called ‘Following Piece’ and he started following people around New York, showing how our bodies are themselves always subject to external forces that we may or may not be able to control. Then I’d go for a movie director, Italian probably. I think Michelangelo Antonioni, he’s one of my favourite Italian directors, very inspiring for me. I watched a lot of his movies. I think that would be a nice dinner altogether.

Do you think they’d get along?

I think some would be less talkative than others, but I think Phoebe Waller Bridge would be the glue.

What’s your favourite exhibition you’ve seen so far & why?

So, it was very difficult to answer this question. Maybe an exhibition I recall with good memories is one that happened in Venice in 2017 at Fondazione Prada, called “The Boat is Leaking. The Captain Lied.” It was an exhibition by artist Thomas Demand; designer Anna Viebrock; filmmaker Alexander Kluge; and curator Udo Kittelmann. The concept was very very well written and the exhibition in general was well curated. What I liked the most was the way the different disciplines intertwined.

Tell us something few people know about you?

I am addicted to eBay auctions. A world where you can buy ANYTHING for 99p.

It all started when I bought something that I actually wanted for a complete bargain. It turned up. It was in excellent condition and looked greater than expected. And that was it. Hooked.

I became an eBay prophet, boring anyone who would listen.

I have won several things, from furniture pieces to clothing, from Egyptian sculptures to noise cancelling headphones.

The novelty, the competition, and the thrill of winning all came together in an intoxicating brew, but at least I guess I’ve gotten over the frenzy stage…

curated by marco

in bloom

i is another

that's how the light gets in

intervals

Posted on by Morgan Everhart

In the Studio with Morgan Everhart

Morgan Everhart's work echoes themes of memory and the passage of time through a balance of abstraction and traditional still-life. We visited Morgan in her Brooklyn studio to tell us a little bit about how she began her journey to where she is today.

Where are you from?

I’m from Dallas, Texas and live in New York City. I was introduced to Natasha Arslean through Tyler Bishop, founder of Friend of the Artist, who asked Natasha and I to curate their Volume 7. We met over a video chat as we selected the artists for the publication, and I was blown away by her perceptiveness and sensitivity towards the artworks, the artist’s intentions, and the people she was curating with. She really looks and cares, and that’s rare in any field.

I studied at the University of North Texas for my Bachelor of Fine Arts and received my MFA in Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art. At the University of North Texas, which was close to home, there was a freedom to make whatever you wanted, because the focus was on the embrace of expression and a general understanding of what art is. However, the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at MICA focused on developing our own painting languages and professional contacts. Through every academic and professional experience, I think the pursuit of authenticity was and will always be a driving force.

Photo by Aaron DuRall

How has your artistic practice evolved and shaped throughout the years?

Since I took an art class in high school, I’ve been a painter and will continue to be one forever. I started with self-portraits, like every teenager, then moved quickly into appropriating my favorite painters. Now, I’m developing a dialogue with paintings, literature, people and experiences. I don’t plan what my paintings will look like, but they are ongoing conversations with each other. So, I plan the size and have some ideas of what might happen, because they are responses.

Photo by Aaron DuRall

How would you describe your aesthetic? Where do you get your narratives from?

I think about two things when people ask about message and aesthetic: I think about Mark Tansey’s research on contradictions and the advice I received in graduate school, which was to have an elevator pitch. My pitch changes over the years, however, my current one is, “R.B. Kitaj and Francis Bacon meet Joan Mitchell”.

Mark Tansey is a perfect example of an artist who challenges traditional genres and their hierarchies. I remember borrowing a catalogue of his many years ago and studying his chart’s of oppositions and contradictions, which are at the heart of his content. Right now, I’m developing something similar to his opposition’s, exploring the “intimate and inanimate” by mixing landscapes, portraits, and florals.

Both R. B. Kitaj and Francis Bacon’s work often depicts emotionally charged, disorienting and impossible settings with exaggerated and belligerent forms. I think about how they confronted their personal traumas and what would happen if they shared a studio with Joan Mitchell. I imagine they’d drink a lot, but I also hope they would discuss more about how they understand their natural and innermost environments.

There’s that Chuck Palahniuk quote: “Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.” I don’t really care about being original and I think the pursuit of that misleads people. If you want to be a part of history, you have to understand it and how you honestly relate to it. So, when I’m trying to understand more about something I see or experience, I paint it and it helps me live.

Verticality, 2018

Between Us, 2020

Like Distance, 2018

Do you have the audience consciously in mind when you are creating?

Realistically, my immediate audience is who I make the paintings for: my loved ones and colleagues. When I’m fortunate enough to share the paintings with wider audiences, I hope they relate my personal conversations on their own.

What’s next (projects, collaborations, exhibitions, taking a break)?

Over the past year, I painted many groups smaller 12 x 9 inch paintings over shorter time frames of 1-2 weeks, called “Double Takes”. I also spent a lot of time over a series of larger 8 ft x 4 ft paintings called “The Four Seasons” and “Over Night”. I plan to reflect and develop some of these paintings and their conversations on larger scales this year. In the spring, I will have a solo exhibition at the David Owsley Museum of Art. I am also a contributing writer to A Women’s Thing, where we are developing some interesting stories and interviews on women in the art world.

Photo by Aaron DuRall

Posted on by AucArt

5 Minutes with Kate Bryan

Global head of collections at Soho House, art historian, arts broadcaster and writer Kate Bryan, tells us about her not so easy journey into the art world, buying her first artwork and what she’s learnt during lockdown.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? How has this impacted your work?

My family lived in Bracknell when I was born, a pretty unappealing new town! I grew up in a really loving home without much privilege, went to a local comp school and didn’t know anything about the art world. I did however make art almost every day as a kid and so you can imagine I nearly wet myself when I went to the Tate Gallery on a school trip. This was my only encounter with real art until my parents took me to see the Monet Exhibition at The Royal Academy for the 17th birthday. This changed my life as I realised I could study art history, something I had never heard of. I never looked back. It was only once I started working in my twenties (my first job was doing the filing and making coffee for the Director of the British Museum) that I realised it was quite unusual for someone from a non-privileged background to get into the artworld. Ever since then I have been very mindful to try to leave the door open for other people from all walks of life to be able to come into this space, which has for too long been elitist and a bit of an echo chamber. I really feel change is picking up speed in the past few years though.

What came first – presenting, curating or writing?

Curating I suppose. I have always found a way to speak and learn about art. At the British Museum I got an incredible job to work on the Michelangelo Drawings exhibition as an assistant in 2006. I would lecture every lunchtime to about 300 people and it gave me a great confidence to speak about art. I have not really shut up since. The BM was an amazing first place to work, there were so many people there that gave me confidence to expect more, to think more laterally, to be a sponge and learn all the time. After that I did my MPHil in Hong Kong and that’s when I fell for contemporary art, as I started directing a small contemporary art gallery showing international art there. Working with living artists was a revelation. I was also writing lots of exhibition reviews at the time so absorbing a lot of Asian art at a time when the world was really paying attention to it. TV happened when I got back to the UK in 2013. I was the youngest Director of the Fine Art Society in its 120 year history and one of a very few women and so when TV producers were looking for female voices in a very male space I guess I was easy to find.

Instagram is a thief of time but I don't know what I would do without it.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I have been lucky to have some really special moments that I am proud of. I thought I had peaked working on the Michelangelo Drawings exhibition aged 24 as he is a hero of mine and those shows are once in a lifetime as the works are so fragile. But then I got to curate a collection for The Ned London where I inverted the FTSE 100 CEO gender ratio acquiring the work of 93 women artists and just 7 men to highlight the gender imbalance in the city and the artworld beyond. Every great artist said yes, from Lubaina Himid to Tracey Emin to Jenny Holzer and lots of them came to the opening night. It felt like such an electric moment to have the whole art world descend upon the city of London to see the work of all these women artists hanging permanently in one space. I remember standing at the bar with Maria Balshaw who had just been appointed Director of the Tate and Rachel Whiteread and thinking, “remember this moment forever.”

If there was one thing you could change about the art world for the better what would it be?

More inclusion, less elitism, less patriarchal and financial control. More time to stop and appreciate art. More celebration of local art and less fetishisation of the white male giants or old masters. There is plenty of space for everyone, the art world has to reflect the diversity of the real world.

Tell us something few people know about you?

I have a tramp stamp and used to work in a bingo hall where I was friendly with Bob Gervais, hilarious older brother of Ricky

Do you have a preferred art form i.e. painting, photography or sculpture?

Love it all. Probably most easily seduced by big paintings.

What are the three main things you look for in a piece of art?

A distinct, strong point of view, a socially motivated practice and anything that converses with art history at large, I am sucker for that.

What do you believe makes a work ‘collectible’?

Whatever makes someone want to own it and covet it. It has to come from a gut feeling, an intrinsic motivation. That’s what makes real collectors stand out from speculators. They cannot help themselves regardless of market significance.

What do you look for when you’re curating large private spaces such as Soho House?

Great stories, artists who can benefit from our support and community. We are also very focussed on working with artists local to each house. Hong Kong House is a collection which is 100% comprised of artists born or based in HK which at this point makes it completely unique in a city which is usually showcasing Western artists trying or mainland Chinese artists.

What’s the first artwork you ever bought and how did you feel?

Technically my husband bought it (since he was the one drinking and feeling punchy about spending the modest amount of money he had saved!) but it was a Paul Davies painting from an exhibition I had curated in Hong Kong. He is an Australian artist who looks at the relationship between the built and natural world and has a passion for modernist architecture. It is still a prized possession and Paul has gone on to be a great artist based in LA and we are old friends now.

Paul Davies, Green Sky Modern Blue, 2006

Are you a safe person? Then buy safe art. If not buy something that speaks of who you are, what you stand for, what you believe in. Never buy anything that looks good with your sofa.

What advice would you give to someone looking to buy their first piece of art?

Think about what is going to excite you long term. Are you a safe person? Then buy safe art. If not buy something that speaks of who you are, what you stand for, what you believe in. Never buy anything that looks good with your sofa.

What have you learnt during lockdown?

We don’t need to get on planes so much, I have had excellent studio visits with technology. Key workers need year-round applause. There is no such thing as a zoom party, it’s just people talking over each other. I need to see art in the flesh or I feel a bit lopsided. We should be fighting hard to make the planet a better place. No one can do everything but everyone can do something. Instagram is a thief of time but I don’t know what I would do without it.

Kate Bryan, The Art of Love

Posted on by AucArt

5 Minutes with Ashleigh Barice

Founder and Director of curatorial platform b.Dewitt and AucArt's guest curator of the month, Ashleigh Barice, tells us about her journey into the art world, how to hold space and what should follow after we post a black square.

Tell us about your upbringing? How has this affected your career?

I am 50% the product of a strong Black woman, 50% the product of a strong Black man, and 100% the product of my ancestors. Geographically speaking, I grew up in a suburb of New Orleans known as Terrytown, Louisiana, a 15 minute drive from the city centre. The city itself serves as a brutal assault to the senses; the vibrant Caribbean inspired colour palette, unbearable heat, sinful cuisine, big personalities, world class music, and deadly cocktails. Yet, my introduction to art did not come until well into my undergraduate degree, after having seen a 2008 display of Ari Marcopolous’s photography at New Orleans Museum of Art. My previous relationship with art was one that had yet to be fully realised, as I always thought it to be something inaccessible to me. Girls that looked like me did not really “do the art thing”.

I have always had a deep relationship to the visual and was always a very visual child, having developed a deep awareness of taste in my youth. Not to say that it was necessarily good taste. I have a fashionista mother who also had a fashionista mother, so self-expression became key to my understanding of self. My time in both undergraduate and postgraduate simply allowed me a space to put this into practice through a visual language.

What’s something few people know about you?

From the ages of about 9 – 12 I really wanted to be either a geologist, volcanologist, or meteorologist. I sadly discovered that there was copious amounts of math involved and decided that this indeed was not my path in life. However, I do believe that my rock, mineral and gem collections are still safely stored in my parents’ garage.

How has your education shaped you as the curator, researcher and writer you are today?

Education is such a subjective term that has, for me, primarily taken place outside of the classroom itself. It also took me ages to figure out exactly what I wanted to do after university. I pull heavily from my African-American roots as there is such a wealth of knowledge, source material and pride that comes from this experience. The role of my classroom based education has aided and provided me with a deeper understanding of discourse, methods, and methodology.

I attended an all girls Catholic high school which is probably the root of my Black Feminism. The turning point in my career was when I changed my major to Visual Art as it laid the groundwork for my curatorial approach, research interests and writing, allowing me to contextualise both catharsis and nostalgia. I suppose my most formative degree was my MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy at Central Saint Martins, that I completed in 2017, as I view my current work as the applied component of my dissertation.

Craziest studio visit & why?!

Not so much crazy, but equal parts terrifying, and a constant reminder of the stain of gun violence and the overwhelming, idiotic lack of gun control and gun possession in general. When I ran a small gallery in New Orleans, I went to a metal sculptor’s home studio. He was a lovely local guy with a great sense of humour, but a bit dark. As we walked through his garden he took his fingers and proceeded to poke them through two holes in his wooden fence, which I came to find out were bullet holes. He then looks at me and says, “I dunno, I think someone got a new gun or something.”

My previous relationship with art was one that had yet to be fully realised, as I always thought it to be something inaccessible to me. Girls that looked like me did not really “do the art thing”.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The past few years have been full of a number of incredibly formative career highlights, so it is impossible to narrow it down to a single one. My proudest moments have been the development of my curatorial platform b.Dewitt, the collaborative audit of the Middlesbrough Collection at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), contributing to the Hangar’s 2019 publication Atlantica: Contemporary Art from Angola and its Diaspora, and most recently having joined the incredible team at Gagosian Gallery.

What draws you to an artist?

I am drawn to an artist who approaches each artwork as a problem to not necessarily be solved, but to be resolved. Careful of the semantics of the word ‘problem’, but this idea of approaching each work as being complete when it is resolved is very simple yet impactful. This is something that has stuck with me since undergraduate. I am also very drawn to artists who do not lend themselves to the trends but rather create the trend(s) and are not afraid to be confrontational in their practices.

What are the three main things you look for in a piece of art?

The primary things that I look for in a piece of art are nuance, resolution, and timelessness. I love to look at a work and discover something new each time I revisit it. I am incredibly drawn to irony, cheek and a work that I can continuously dig and dig and dig and never really reach the bottom; a work that is infinite in its meaning, yet contained.

What is your favourite genre or style at the moment?

I have always had an intense love affair with painting, specifically contemporary figurative painting. Of the various painters that I have been studying, the two artists that I constantly come back to are Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. I honestly cannot get enough of their works, returning to them often as I always uncover something that I had not seen before.

What have you learnt during lockdown?

I have been forced to tackle one of my biggest demons, self-compassion. Entering lockdown, I most certainly had unrealistic expectations of what I would/could conquer during this time, disregarding the mental impact of a pandemic. My primary takeaway is to not only show grace towards others during this time, but to also do the same for yourself.

Do you have a mentor or role model?

The women in my family are my role models, specifically my mother. The guidance, love, and support of these Black women have provided me with the tools that I have continuously used to hold space, which is the absolute foundation of my practice(s).

If there was one thing you could change about the art world for the better what would it be?

So, we have posted black squares on Instagram, now what? It is no longer enough to merely acknowledge the overwhelming privilege and complicity in our sector. Acknowledgement is the easy part. We are now faced (and have always been faced) with the more challenging task of prioritising substantial institutional and structural reorganisation. The primary thing that I would change about the art world is LEARN TO LISTEN.

Is there an alternative underlying narrative that has occurred in your selection of works for this month’s auction – if so what is it?

There are a few different alternative narratives, but I would say that cultural custodianship and stewardship would be the most present. Though I feel slightly anxious about defining myself as a curator, I often refer back to the original concept of curator as ‘keeper’ and ‘caretaker’. However, I do not feel as if this role is limited or unique to myself in this selection of artists. I believe that both the artists and myself represent a form of custodianship of our culture and this selection is most certainly a representation and embodiment of just that.

Posted on by AucArt

5 Minutes with Edoardo Monti

Collector turned curator, Edoardo Monti tells AucArt the story behind his residency programme, what he's looking for in a piece of work and how we can change the art world for the better.

Where are you from & what was your upbringing like? How has this impacted your work?

I was born in Bergamo, a city near Milan and close by to Brescia, which is where Palazzo Monti is located. I spent my first 18 years in Bergamo, which is a lovely city just under the Alps with great architecture. It is very close to Milan, so that allowed me to go there quite often when I was young for shows, exhibitions and to galleries. After living there for 18 years, I moved to London and then New York, where I spent 8 years. My high-school education in Italy was Classical; studying Ancient Greek, Latin, Philosophy and Languages, so that gave me context to the art I appreciate today. I’ve always liked beautiful things and my upbringing had a huge impact on this. As a result I prefer to have less things but better quality, whether it’s design, food, art, or fashion items. This is something I’ve learnt from my family and I have definitely carried it with me through my travels and now more than ever, through Palazzo Monti.

Tell us one thing few people know about you?

I first started collecting stamps when I was very young, which I think is something quite common in kids. It’s something fun, takes up time and it requires organisational skills, which are always good to practise. I’ve since then abandoned that passion, but there was a first time when I realised that I loved collecting things, gathering, owning and cataloguing them. Owning not just to keep for oneself, but owning something in order to elevate it and protect it from being damaged or destroyed. So I started collecting stamps and other objects and that brought me to art eventually.

What was the inspiration behind turning your mother’s childhood home into the Palazzo Monti residency programme?

In 2016 I was in New York working in Communications for Stella McCartney and I was a bit frustrated with my job. I started hanging out with a bunch of artists, gallerists, curators and collectors, who are now great friends. That really made me think of what I could do with my skills, my passion for travel, creating content and facilitating projects. I had this space available and was thinking what I could do to support this community. It was kind of natural, you know. It took a year to come up with a project, a name, graphics and a programme. Then we launched and a year and a half later I decided to move back to Italy. So in short, there was this desperation to be a part of this community of people within the art world that I wanted to support and have an active role within, rather than just collecting.

How did the residency come about and what does it offer artists?

It came out of having the incredible opportunity of counting on a space like the Palazzo Monti, which happens to be a 3 storey Palace. I knew that it would be a great space for artists to be inspired by. Not only is the building beautiful, but it is also large, which allows room for 6 artists with private bedrooms, exhibition and communal spaces. It is quite unique. There is the opportunity to have private studios or shared studios and importantly, we offer a free stay. We can’t always guarantee an exhibition at the end of the residency. There are, however, different models for how we showcase the work. It could be a solo show (if that’s something we plan ahead), it could be a group show, a dinner, a performance or an event or open studios.We always have an active calendar that changes week by week, where we of course respect the artists space and time because you know, it’s not a zoo. We encourage social moments where we use our contacts to gather people and showcase their works. So a lot of support is done through the residency. We also have an incredible number of artisans that we work with who provide support when one has to work with metal, marble, wood, glass etc, which is often difficult to find in other cities.

However, I think what the residency offers through me personally, not Palazzo Monti, is what comes after. This is the time when you really have to work by keeping your eyes open, working on projects (like with you guys) to support artists past the residency. During the month I spend with them I get to know them; how they work, how they respect themselves, their space, other people, their practise and that allows me to know how the artist operates. It’s like a long studio visit with breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the between. That allows me to have an ever growing list of people that I can work with and support. There’ve been 150 artists to go through our residency so far. Not always do we end up having a strong relationship after, but with most of them, I’d say 90%, I’ve become really good friends with and are always in the back of my mind when I’m working on projects.

Your focus is on young artists, could you tell us a little more about why?

For two reasons. First of all if you support dead artists it’s not supporting, it’s just benefiting estates, galleries, collectors and auction houses that count on people to be dead to raise prices. I do believe to some extent that art should be about investing, but not necessarily just like that. I wouldn’t want to be the art dealer in a suit that sits at a desk and deals with phone calls and people that aren’t around anymore, they already have people looking after them. It’s much more exciting to find and foster talent and then support it. Whenever I find an artist who doesn’t have a huge following or is still in school, I think it’s great. In fact, the artists I’ve chosen for this month’s auction were all born in the 90s, which is why I have called the show “(Very) Young Italians’. It’s pretty much unheard of in Italy, that is, to have a show dedicated to artists that are all under 30. I want to help the people who represent the future of art and of course it’s a lot easier for me to relate to people my age. I am 28. I’d much rather be the one who made the difference to these artists’ lives at the beginning of their career.

How have you seen the location of the Palazzo and Brescia impact your artists and the way they work?

In a way it happened how we expected it too. The palette of Brescia is light pastel, so the light that reflects into the studios affects how the artists see. As a Roman settlement, the city bears 2,000 of History to provide stimulus and the frescos within the Palazzo definitely help to provide constant inspiration too. Artists also inspire each other. We’ve seen photographers picking up clay and coming up with beautiful sculptures because another artist in residency invited them to be creative in a new medium. Because it’s an international residency the artists contaminate each other. That has been extremely exciting.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

There was a show last year called “OSSESSIONE” – obsession – with 9 Italian artists. You can find it on our instagram account. That was a huge step for me because for the first time, out of 9 artists that we showed, only 2 joined Palazzo Monti for a residency, all the others were coming from private collections, galleries or the artists themselves. All of them also were/are working with the best galleries in Italy, when it comes to contemporary art. For the first time I was able to gain trust from all of these institutions and people and collectors that were willing to give a piece temporarily to showcase. That really meant a lot because that was the first time I was really like wow, I’m respected enough to go and be trusted and gather these works. That for me was a huge step.

Do you have a preferred art form i.e painting, photography or sculpture?

Yes I do. I’m kind of old school. Maybe because I was born in Italy I am a sucker for figurative painting and figurative sculpture. Thanks to the residency I have been able to appreciate mediums that I perhaps wasn’t even considering before. I’m talking about photography, videography, digital art. It’s been 2-3 years that I’ve been into these mediums. However, I still haven’t been able to build a strong collection of these works. My collection is pretty much still just paintings and sculpture, but the residency has definitely intensified my interest in these works.

Do you create artwork yourself?

No. I would love to. I just simply don’t have the time or the talent. I do however love being a part of the production process. There is an input sometimes that the curator gives, directing, guiding, suggesting what kind of works the artists could be working on or how to conduct them. Definitely not influencing too much, but you know, giving an opinion. I also love, when it comes to bigger productions, such as sculptures and installations, to be a part of the proactive process because I know so many artisans in the area that can produce incredible works with the support of the artists, so that’s something I really like to do. A forehand production, but of course always giving the credit to the artist.

If there was one thing you could change about the art world for the better what would it be?

I would definitely try to give more chances to artists that are not given equal opportunities. When you think of the art world you’re thinking of 99% white male older artists where female representation is historically 0%. Minorities, victims of systemic racism, LGBTQI artists, artists with disabilities, natives – they aren’t represented. I don’t want these categories to become check marks that a gallery has to apply whenever they’re doing a show, like “oh yeah we need to have one gay, one lesbian, one trans, one female artist to be okay”. I simply would like, perhaps in a dream world, that people would just look at the art first, rather than their names, location, age and colour. That would really be something I would like to change. What I’m doing, or at least trying to do, is to have a very strong and beautiful Code of Ethics for Palazzo Monti, where we don’t discriminate, where we are open to any medium, artist, age and religion. You can see this being applied through the variety of artists we’ve had so far.

What’s your most memorable moment at Palazzo Monti?

The night that we presented “OSSESSIONE”. We always do these large very beautiful dinners at the Palazzo after each show because it’s a way for us to create a very convivial, community moment and also to thank the artists, collectors, curators and galleries that come from pretty much all over the world. We had so many people travelling. That day specifically on top of my favourite artists, we had over 50 friends, so that dinner was amazing and a very moving moment. Having friends with me and artists who we want to support, celebrating a show and being at the Palazzo was really the best night I could think of. It also just happened to be my birthday.

How did you feel when you bought your first artwork?

You feel great! You feel like you finally get to own something that you love and can share with your friends and look at everyday. It’s also a way to connect with artists. When you buy a work you get a chance to meet and chat with that artist, but also let’s not forget that by getting a work, you support other artists. Buying through a gallery supports an entire system; not just that artist, not just that gallery, but other artists that may come after. You forget about the money you spend and you just feel happy. It’s the best emotion. It’s also dangerous and could be addictive in a way. But it’s also just fantastic. It’s great that nowadays you can have any budget, you can support an artist with €50 or less. There’s no limit to the support you can give and what you get in return is priceless.

What is it that attracts you to a piece of work and makes it ‘collectible’?

I’ll say something perhaps a bit controversial. I find it a bit difficult sometimes investing in photography, videography or sculpture that have editions, simply because sometimes in objects the value lies in the fact that they’re unique, right? I think that the fact that these mediums have editions makes it feel monetary. I would much rather spend a bit more money on a work like that, knowing that it’s unique, rather than having it in series. It’s difficult to justify the price that is high when you know there are 20 – 30 pieces around. What makes it collectible then? That it’s unique. Not because I want it to be just in my possession, but simply because there’s that sense of something being precious, if it’s original and not reproduced. Again I’m totally down for it if the artist shares images of their works online. So of course works can still very much be enjoyed by everyone in this way. But I don’t think Caravaggio would have become Caravaggio if there were 25 of each of his paintings available in the world. That has an impact for me.

I am a sucker for figurative paintings and sculpture. When it comes to figuration, the first impact is very brutal. I either like it or I don’t. It’s just so important. I understand it’s fascinating to hear from artists; the story of the work, how it came about, their philosophy and the title, but at the end of the day it’s something you’re going to have on the wall and look at. If it’s something you’re attracted to, whether it’s the colour, the shape, the subject, the medium, then you fall in love with it and you want to get it. That’s a ‘collectible’ for me.

Do you believe your relationship with an artist impacts your perception of the artwork?

Yes, absolutely. That’s why I love to be involved with young contemporary artists. Sometimes you love the person and you really want to support them and the best way to do it is by chatting and talking about their work. Now there’s two bad situations and there’s one good one. A bad one is when you love the artist but their work is not great. That sucks because you feel obliged to support them, but you don’t really want to take your help from someone who perhaps deserves it more. It also sucks when you love the work but the artist is an arsehole. The best situation is when you love the work and you love the person. Getting to know these people and spending so much time with them sometimes allows me to appreciate the work more. Say there’s a work you don’t understand or appreciate that much, when you get to know the person and the story behind it, the work often means so much to you because it represents that artist.

What advice would you give to someone looking to buy their first work?

Of course like everything in the world it all comes down to money. It’s best to start looking once you have enough that you feel comfortable investing in something that may never come back to you. Let’s be honest, art in a way is like stocks, nobody can guarantee that the prices will go up and most importantly nobody can guarantee a resale value. It’s really really difficult to re-sell contemporary art so just invest in something that you like and believe in, something that after doing some research you think has a good price. Then just go with the flow.

A lot of people who want to start investing in work or collecting can’t even get into the system of meeting the right people or justify requesting a studio visit. Platforms like AucArt are really useful because you can just browse and compare. You can look and see the differences and understand why a work of 10×10 sometimes costs £1000 or sometimes £10,000 and really get to know the story of the work and appreciating it. So start with a budget and do you research. Don’t be influenced by articles and by ‘what’s cool’ and ‘what’s not’. Again it’s something that’s going to be on your wall, perhaps for the rest of your life, so just go with something that you like.

Edoardo and AucArt both support the practice of International emerging artists, if you could give an artist at the beginning of their career one piece of advice – what would it be?

I’d give very practical advice: know how to handle taxes. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s very important. Nowadays more than ever as artists have international shows with shipping. As a creative you can deduct expenses like rent, transportation, food sometimes and definitely products. I can’t speak for the world because I’m not an international tax expert, but I know that most countries have benefits for this. Yes, accountants cost money, but I’m telling you it’s a little investment which will benefit you long term. Look after your taxes – it’s never too early to start doing that.

Is there an alternative underlying narrative that has occurred in your selection of works – if so what is it?

I don’t really have one. When I curate a show I always try to not think of myself as a collector, i.e. not thinking of the works that I select as something that I would personally like to have, but instead thinking of the message that I want to give. I’ll go back to the example of “OSSESSIONE”. I analysed a different variety of psychological obsessions; repetition, gathering, cleaning, counting and I found in each of the artists that I wanted to support a reference to these obsessions. Then the works that best spoke about this came up and were called in for the exhibition. Of course there’s always a subconscious draw towards a work where you love it and use it, so that other people can appreciate it as much as you do. For ‘(Very) Young Italians’, I think the message of supporting young Italians is really strong and I found so many different mediums: video, photo, prints, digital art, paintings, sculpture, photography to showcase this. It depends each time and that’s the beauty of it. I don’t want to be the curator only known for favouring a specific theme or medium. I want to be flexible and exciting.

Posted on by Kristy Chan

In the Studio with Kristy Chan

The holographic works of Hong Kong artist Kristy Chan explore notions of displacement, movement, and change. We met with Kristy to talk a little bit about her artistic practice, influences, and where she began her journey.

When did you first begin to see yourself as an artist?

Possibly when I was first surrounded by artists on the first day of Slade and I felt like I belonged, and like we were a group of artists. The word “artist” somewhat intimidates me; there’s this common perception of differentness and mysteriousness that I don’t identify with. Being surrounded by fellow artists made me feel grounded, that I’ve found my identity.

Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? How has this impacted your work?

I’m originally from Hong Kong. My upbringing was unfortunately mainly about grades, occasional piano lessons that I hated, and rugby. I always enjoyed crafting and drawing but my art teacher at school told me I wasn’t creative enough to be an artist. Funnily enough, the only reason why I left for the UK was that my Chinese Literature wasn’t up to standards for the top universities at home, so my parents sent me here for A-levels. A-level art was where I fell in love with painting and have discussed extensively with my art teacher from boarding school in the UK about how the rigid curriculum kills artists.

Growing up in such a fast-paced city charged with constant change has influenced my work, which explores the notions of movement, change in my surroundings and the displacement of self. My paintings are often like a wonky jigsaw, pieced together from completely different puzzle boxes of memories and thoughts. It’s kind of like if I were different store owners putting up different neon signs and the photograph you take of the street full of neon signs is my painting (if you google Hong Kong Neon Lights?) Does that make any sense?

Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong The Medium.com

Paint us a picture of your artistic journey. Have you gone through the traditional route of art school and what was your experience?

I went to Slade for my Bachelor’s immediately after I graduated from high school in 2016. Art school was very relaxed. The people were lovely, we just sat around, chatted a lot, ate, snacked, drank loads and made art. It allowed me to really focus on my own practice and to find my own voice and I learned a lot from just being around artists at school.

What’s the message of your work? Are there themes/narratives/purpose?

I think that ultimately my works are about appreciating things around us. People are very hard to satisfy these days. My paintings mostly depict man-made things. Bathtubs, trains, restaurant food (sashimi and pizza mainly), it’s pretty awesome that we can easily access these things because someone went out of their way to make our lives so convenient (maybe too convenient) and everything around us deserves to be appreciated.

Where do they come from? How would you describe your aesthetic?

The idea of displacement. Displacement of the body, of thought, place, colour, but not in a troubling way. It’s like, the first person who thought of putting chilli flakes in chocolate, weird but great.

Who and what are your greatest influences?

Ancient Greek vases, Heidi Bucher, Albert Oehlen, Sigmar Polke, Elmgreen and Dragset.

Are your works planned? What do you want people to take from your work when they view it? Do you have the audience consciously in mind when you are creating?

I don’t plan my works because I know that they will not end up looking like what I had in mind an hour ago or two months after. They keep changing and I have a hard time keeping track myself.

As I said before, appreciating things around you and also appreciating weird and random thoughts that you have, because that is creativity right there, and you just have to harvest it.

What events in your life have mobilised change in your practise/aesthetic? How has your art evolved? Do you stick to one medium? Do you experiment? Do you see any parameters to your work?

Life’s been really nice to me, so I just make work to record and document these snippets of wholesomeness. Every work has a story or a collection of personal stories and it’s hard to get the full narrative because it’s so personal. I’ve got a painting of me admiring a beautiful staircase that leads to a terrifying dentist appointment on Euston Road and another about falling off a hammock and all the things I’ve experienced in rural Finland.

Apart from painting, I also love making etchings, but sadly I don’t have the equipment for it at the moment. I’ve also been thinking of making another stop-motion animation, just not quite sure what yet.

Wake up, have breakfast, paint. Leave life admin to the afternoon. I’m very productive in the morning as I wake up at 5:30-6:30 am every day (mental clock). So I try to get some painting action going before I do anything else. It makes me happy and sets the day right.

Amphora Pods, 2020

Oil on canvas
120 x 90 cm

Nail Eyes, 2019

Oil on canvas
120 x 99 cm

What are your ideal conditions or catalyst for creating a “good” piece of work?

Good breakfast, warm water, good mental health.

What are your goals for the future? (Projects, collaborations)

I’d love to do more residencies as I love to self-displace. Responding and adapting to new environments are so fun to me. I try to achieve that by moving furniture around every 1-2 months at home.

How has your art practice been affected by self-isolation?

Now that I don’t have to get ready in the morning to go to lectures, I’ve actually gained more structure to my day and the momentum to make work, as my studio is inside the flat. I don’t get to experience and make memories as much, but I find myself going into my memory achieve, which is rather lovely.

Are you creating new work while social distancing?

Yes, I’m making a lot more work than I used to as I’m less busy!

The Bathtub I've Always Wanted No. 1, 2018

Oil on canvas
80 x 60 cm

How are you staying creative?

I just let my brain do what it does and wait for it to give me random thoughts that I want to act on. Looking out of the window helps too. I love people watching. I’ve been thinking of painting a series about me becoming my furniture as I spend so much time on it now.

Italian contemporary visual artist Attilio Esposito creates suspended images in the embryonic state, building personal links between abstraction and stylistic academia painting. We met with Atillio to tell us more about his practice, growing up in Lecco, and the journey to the artist he is today.

1.

index cards

2.

no longer human

3.

all quiet on the western front

4.

the road to wigan pier

5.

in praise of shadows

6.

poems

7.

one hundred years of solitude

8.

courage

9.

los detectives salvajes

AucArt’s guest curator of the month, Saria Sakka, talks to us about home, travels, what art means to her, and the inspiration behind her latest sale 'Beirut ma Betmout'.

1.

Staying with the Trouble

2.

12 Rules for Life

3.

Blue Mythology

4.

A Canticle for Leibowitz

5.

The Fashion System

6.

Concerning the Spiritual in Art

7.

Life: A User's Manual

8.

L’Art Médecine

9.

Letters to a Young Poet

We spoke to our in house curator, Marco Galvan, about growing up in Italy, the exhibition that changed the course of his career and finally his latest guilty pleasure.

curated by marco

Morgan Everhart's work echoes themes of memory and the passage of time through a balance of abstraction and traditional still-life. We visited Morgan in her Brooklyn studio to tell us a little bit about how she began her journey to where she is today.

Photo by Aaron DuRall

Photo by Aaron DuRall

Verticality, 2018

Between Us, 2020

Like Distance, 2018

Photo by Aaron DuRall

Global head of collections at Soho House, art historian, arts broadcaster and writer Kate Bryan, tells us about her not so easy journey into the art world, buying her first artwork and what she’s learnt during lockdown.

Paul Davies, Green Sky Modern Blue, 2006

Kate Bryan, The Art of Love

Founder and Director of curatorial platform b.Dewitt and AucArt's guest curator of the month, Ashleigh Barice, tells us about her journey into the art world, how to hold space and what should follow after we post a black square.

Collector turned curator, Edoardo Monti tells AucArt the story behind his residency programme, what he's looking for in a piece of work and how we can change the art world for the better.

The holographic works of Hong Kong artist Kristy Chan explore notions of displacement, movement, and change. We met with Kristy to talk a little bit about her artistic practice, influences, and where she began her journey.

Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong The Medium.com

Amphora Pods, 2020

Oil on canvas120 x 90 cm

Nail Eyes, 2019

Oil on canvas120 x 99 cm

The Bathtub I've Always Wanted No. 1, 2018

Oil on canvas80 x 60 cm

Oil on canvas
120 x 90 cm

Oil on canvas
120 x 99 cm

Oil on canvas
80 x 60 cm