Calls with CURA: Stories from the Art World – Details, episodes & analysis

Hormazd Narielwalla is a London-based artist who is known for his geometric collages made from repurposed tailoring and sewing patterns. His work also encompasses original prints, artist books, and sculpture. After moving to the UK from his home of Pune, India, to study fashion, he had a conversation with a Savile Row Tailor that changed the course of his art practice. The tailor described the disposal of bespoke paper patterns of customers who had passed away and this ended up influencing Narielwalla’s creative journey and continues to play a large role within his work. 

Narielwalla has an impressive resume. His work is held in public and private collections worldwide, some of which include the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Ben Uri Museum Collection, the British Library, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; and Parsons School of Art & Design, New York. 

Lily Ackerman founded Ackerman studios – a London-based art consultancy working closely with artists and galleries, connecting them to hotels, restaurants, and private spaces. They offer full services including strategic planning and conception, art curation and procurement, and advisory. 

Built on over a decade of experience, Ackerman Studios work closely with a variety of hospitality spaces, most recently including 45 Park Lane and the Daisy Green Collection. They pride themselves on working with both established and emerging artists and focussing on the narratives underpinning each project.

Capitalising on her extensive relationships with artists and galleries, Lily enjoys transforming the way people interact with art - making it a spectacular part of the everyday. 

Lily is a great advocate of both emerging and established artists and is continually looking to discover the most exciting new talent, as well as nurturing relationships with established figures with whom she already enjoys long-standing associations.

Alice Lodge is an Australian-born Angeleno who founded The LODGE, a gallery that has been called “East Hollywood’s Art Oasis.” Originally constructed as a shopping mall in 1923, the building, which still includes several artists’ studios, gained attention in the 1960s when the artists Joe Goode and Ed Ruscha rented a couple of the spaces. Alice’s upbringing greatly influenced her love for the arts. She has created a warm and welcoming ambiance; frequently opening her doors to the vibrant Los Angeles community. The gallery presents a unique and fresh program of exhibitions, featuring established and emerging talent. 

Fru Tholstrup is a London-based art consultant with a specialism in the contemporary global art market, advising collectors and international businesses on building museum-quality art collections. Fru is best known for her role launching Sotheby’s flagship London Art Gallery, S|2 in 2013, she also worked closely with the S|2 Brand in New York and Hong Kong helping curate exhibitions.  As the inaugural director, Tholstrup guided the gallery to commercial and critical success with an ambitious and diverse programme. Tholstrup also invited senior international figures to become guest curators, including Jeffrey Deitch, Tommy Hillfiger and Vito Schnabel.  In 2010 Tholstrup began curating the Soho House Art Collection for Nick Jones — which began with the West Hollywood House. 

Tholstrup’s trademark is a creative approach to making engaging and original exhibitions; An ability honed during 10 years at London’s Haunch of Venison Gallery which included the role of Director. Tholstrup sits on the judging panel for the prestigious HIX Award art prize and is on the select committee for the Groucho Club on Dean street.

Aubrey Catrone is an international art historian, appraiser, and provenance researcher. Aubrey earned an MA in History of Art from University College London, specializing in the documented histories of art objects, and is a USPAP-compliant Associate Member of the Appraisers Association of America. With an art gallery and academic research background, Aubrey founded Proper Provenance LLC to provide her clients with the tools, not only to historically contextualize art, but also to shed light on attribution and legal title within the international art market.   

Aubrey has researched artworks including paintings, artefacts, works on paper, prints, and sculptures spanning the fourth century B.C. to the twenty-first century A.D. She continues to volunteer with the Cultural Plunder by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenburg: Jeu de Paume Database.

Molly Segal is an artist and teacher from Oakland, California who lives and works in Los Angeles. Her use of watercolour on a slick, plastic paper highlights her artistic process and results in powerful paintings that provoke a lasting visceral response for the viewer. Segal describes her paintings as works “that explore fragile connections and limited reserves, both environmentally and emotionally. 

Segal’s work has appeared in exhibitions throughout the US including Charlie James Gallery, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Zevitas Marcus, and Northeastern Gallery 360. Her work has also been in publications including Full Blede, Venison Quarterly, Beautiful Decay, and Lapham’s Quarterly. 

Note: Correction;  in the episode, Molly refers to the 'London Calling' exhibition, which was at The Getty in 2016, rather than the Hammer Museum. 

Jo Baring is a curator, consultant and arts speaker and Director of the Ingram Collection of Modern British & Contemporary Art, one of the UK’s leading art collections. As a graduate of Oxford and the Courtauld Institute Jo has curated exhibitions at museums and public galleries across the UK. A former Director of Christie’s UK, Jo is regularly requested to interview artists at museums and art fairs. She delivers lectures and takes part in panel discussions on all aspects of the art world. Her particular areas of expertise focus on 20th century & contemporary art, sculpture, arts philanthropy and the art market. 

Jo is a trustee of arts charities ArtCan and the Artists Collecting Society, a member of the Association of Women in the Arts, she sits on the board of the Women of the Year charity, and on the Apollo Magazine Advisory Board. She is also on the authentication committee for the artist Elisabeth Frink and is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts.  In Spring 2020 she released her first podcast series: ‘Sculpting Lives’, supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, which was awarded The Guardian’s Art Podcast of The Week. 

Sveva D’Antonio was born in Naples and graduated in art history and conservation of artistic heritage in 2013. After having carried out various internships at galleries in Naples and Brussels, in 2016 she began working at Laveronica Gallery in Modica, where she is now a director, focusing on socially and politically engaged art.  

 Since 2014 she has dedicated herself, together with her husband Francesco, to the development and promotion of the Taurisano Collection, a private collection of contemporary art based in Naples, started in the 1970s by her father-in-law Paolo Taurisano. The Collezione Taurisano consists of nearly 400 works and is now focused on work by contemporary artists addressing salient social and political issues - art that speaks to contemporary life seems to cover every surface of their home.  

In an interview with Artsy earlier this year, Sveva talks about their commitment to collecting and how personal the process is to them as a couple, stating:  ‘Our collection is our life. In our home, we are surrounded by amazing artworks. Each one of them has a personal story. Having such memories in front of us every day allows us to escape our daily routines, travel virtually to different places, and meet our beloved artists’ 

As well as acquiring works, the couple understands the wider philanthropic role they play as patrons of the arts. This year, whilst in Lockdown, they launched a series of live Instagram interviews with artists and arts professionals entitled ‘We Care’. 

In fact, we met Sveva through Instagram, and we are thrilled to include her inspiring story in this series. We discuss the history and evolution of their private collection, as well as plans for the future. 

Heather Christensen Smith is the founder of Art at Work and a curator creating gallery spaces within corporate settings. She designs dynamic exhibitions and installations to bring business spaces to life and reflect the ethos and energy of the company for employees, clients and visitors.

Marine Tanguy is a French art entrepreneur, speaker and media commentator.  In June 2015, Tanguy founded MTArt Agency, the first agency for artists worldwide, in order to provide a better supporting structure for artists outside the traditional gallery model.   

Marine is a member of the Thousand Network, the Creative Industries Federation, The Association of Women Art Dealers and The Association of Women in the Arts. Marine also serves as a young patron of the V&A Museum and has been appointed Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. 

She has delivered two TedX talks; on how to transform cities with art (2017), and on how social media visuals affects our minds (2018).  In 2018 Tanguy was a recipient of Forbes 30 under 30 Europe: Art and Culture.  We met Marine through Christie’s Education and MTArt Agency’s ‘The Young Collectors Club’ for which we gave the introductory lecture.