Curating Conversation – Details, episodes & analysis

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Curating Conversation

RAFIKI STUDIO

Arts

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/54d. Total Eps: 34

Curating Conversation – A Podcast by RAFIKI STUDIO

Step inside the minds of today’s most inspiring voices in the creative industries. Curating Conversation, hosted by Leo Sartain, Director of RAFIKI STUDIO, is a relaxed and insightful podcast that uncovers the stories, struggles, and successes of artists, curators, actors, musicians, professors, freelancers, and the many unsung innovators shaping culture today.

In each episode, we dive into how these creatives found their path, what drives their passion, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Whether you’re an emerging artist, a seasoned professional, or simply curious about the creative process, you’ll come away with fresh perspectives, actionable insights, and a deeper appreciation for the people behind the art.

Tune in, get inspired, and join the conversation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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https://www.instagram.com/curatingconversation
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https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmurphy_
18 shares
https://www.instagram.com/the_rafiki_gallery
13 shares

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RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 79%

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Nicholas McGegan, OBE.

Season 5 · Episode 3

Thursday, February 6, 2025 • Duration 59:51

This week's episode sees Leo in conversation with the conductor Nicholas McGegan OBE.

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Nic McGegan is a British conductor who is regarded as an ‘expert in the 18th Century Style’. Having recently reached his 6th decade behind the podium, his career has led to engagements with many of the world’s major orchestras, including those of Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Sydney, London's Royal Opera House, and the Royal Concertgebouw; regular collaborations with choreographer Mark Morris; and appearances at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival.
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During the podcast we learn about Nic’s early years and what got him into classical music and conducting in the first place. Interspersed throughout, Nic recalled instances of following in the footsteps of classical music greats, and crossing paths with some others. A common thread in all his experiences is the joy it has bought him, and we get into that too.

Discover all this and much more in this episode of Curating Conversation.

Support the show

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support it, you can do so via Patreon which allows you to become a patron of the podcast which helps me to produce more episodes and host interesting guests!
www.patreon.com/curatingconversation
Thank you so much.
Leo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Bess Atwell

Season 5 · Episode 2

Monday, November 13, 2023 • Duration 01:27:46

This week's episode sees Leo in conversation with musician Bess Atwell
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Bess Atwell is a British musician who has been making music for over 10 years. Her last album, 'Already Always' we met with widespread praise for her honest lyricism and beautiful songwriting. Having found a way to capture the emotions of her listeners like a few others, Bess chats with me about the build-up to this latest release and how her songwriting has changed.
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During our meandering chat, we understand why Bess creates the music she does and how moments in her life have all helped her get to where she is now. And she shows no signs of slowing down. From early memories of Taylor Swift to the ongoing process of truly understanding oneself ( and her burgeoning art career...) we get into all sorts of topics across our chat and hopefully offer an insight into her as an artist and a person.

Discover all this and much more in this episode of Curating Conversation.
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Thank you so much to Bess for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Bess on Instagram
@bessatwell and their website
And you can hear the music on Spotify

Support the show

Jennifer Smith, Clovermill Artist Residency

Season 4 · Episode 3

Thursday, December 16, 2021 • Duration 54:00

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with painter and founder of the Clovermill Artist Residency, Jennifer Smith
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Jennifer Smith is an Irish visual artist based in The Netherlands. She received a BA of Fine Art, Painting in 2005 from Limerick School of Art & Design. She creates abstract expressionist nude figurative paintings. Or so her bio would have you believe, she does much more than this. Her work touches on themes varying from the female gaze, sexuality, image, femininity and mythology, although her practice is constantly evolving.
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Alongside her artistic practice, she is the founder of The Clovermill Artist Residency, which provides onsite accommodation, studio, gallery and exhibition space, located on the grounds of an old water windmill in The Netherlands. CloverMill offers opportunities to collaborate. The focus is on the work of emerging to mid-career female artists and curators.
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During our chat, we discussed her entry into art, how her practice has endured throughout the changes in her life and the impact it has on her. Also mentioned in this episode are some tales from her travels, ideas about her work and of course the story of how the residency came into being.
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Thank you so much to Jenniferfor coming on the podcast.
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You can find Jennifer and The Clovermill Artist Residency on Instagram
@Jennifer_smith_art and @clovermill_artist_residency
and her website and Clovermill's site

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Jacob Littlejohn

Season 4 · Episode 2

Monday, August 16, 2021 • Duration 56:59

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with contemporary Scottish artist Jacob Littlejohn.
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Jacob Littlejohn is an Edinburgh based artist. He graduated from Glasgow School of art in 2018 and since then has undertaken a residency at Leith School of Art. His work revolves around the realm of human behaviour. Tackling isolation, separation and how individuals adapt to their environments, while recognising and honouring the melancholy and the poetics found in each individual day. His process evolves round a profound interest in the interpretation of literature, exploring media, techniques, composition and colour.
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Jacob's fascination with art came while at school, and what followed was a series of set backs and failures that only spurred him on. Facing rejection from Art School multiple times, led him to change direction and work on his practice, eventually landing a place at Glasgow and later graduating with first class honours.
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During our chat, we discussed his entry into art, how his practice has developed into the abstracted forms he now creates. ( Let me tell you now, it wasn't a straight forward journey). We touch on what is important to him, his surrounding community, his art practice and his desire to look deeper into the work he creates.
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Thank you so much to Jacob for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Jacob on Instagram
@jacobalittlejohn
and his website

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via Ko-Fi, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Adam Dix

Season 3 · Episode 10

Monday, May 3, 2021 • Duration 55:10

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with contemporary British artist Adam Dix.
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Adam Dix is a London based painter, who's work evolves around our collective relationship with technology, communication and ritual. He graduated from Wimbledon School of Art's MA programme in 2009
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Adam grew up with a father who was a painter and jazz musician and a mother who works in TV. This combination meant he was exposed to both creative and technological stimuli from a young age. Rather than going straight into Fine Art, Adam instead chose to become an illustrator before finally deciding to give in to his desires and attend art school to explore his artistic talents.
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Forever interested in by tech and sci-fi, Adam's favourite books and films often fall into these categories, in turn inspiring his artistic output. Influenced by how society's methods of communication have adapted as times have changed, there are often scenes of rituals and vestiges of forgotten monuments of communication in his paintings. His painterly process is long and laborious, with layers and glazes added to built up his soft, hazy images.
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During our chat, we discussed Adam's introduction to the world of television and technology, his route to becoming an artist, how Paolozzi inspired him to persevere and how his work relates to the world we live in. His art seems ahead of its time, yet is made up of images inspired by an imagined past and invented future.
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Thank you so much to Adam for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Adam on Instagram
@adammdix
and his website

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via Ko-Fi, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Anna Choutova & Flora Bradwell, Bad Art

Season 3 · Episode 9

Monday, April 19, 2021 • Duration 01:01:09

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with the fabulous duo Anna Choutova and Flora Bradwell, the team behind Bad Art Presents.
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Anna Choutova is a visual artist and curator working and studying in London. She is currently studying for an MFA in Painting at Slade School of Fine Art, after graduating with a First Class Honours with a BA in Painting from Brighton University in 2015
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Flora Bradwell is an artist and curator whose playful, generously grotesque practice encompasses painting, sculpture, installation, performance and moving image. Flora has exhibited internationally and collaborated in curating site responsive projects, performance events and exhibitions across the UK.
She undertook a BA in Fine Art painting at City & Guilds of London Art School, from 2007 - 2009 and is currently undertaking a further MFA in Fine Art at Slade School of Art.
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Bad Art is a curatorial project founded in 2016 by Anna, with Flora latterly joining as co-director. With an aim to challenge the contemporary art world through transgressive exhibitions that offer a different way of interacting with art. Their shows are a reaction & protest against the hushed silence, white-walled gallery experience.
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During our chat, we discussed the backgrounds to each of their artistic practices, along with how the two crossed paths and their friendship developed. Topics discussed include the role of text in art spaces, the importance of understanding why artists create and their joint desires to create spaces that remove the stale air from art. I dubbed the project a 'multi-sensory, art fuelled wonderland of fantasma'.
We even got a glimpse into their new Berlin project, 'Hot Air', which will be happening later in 2021.
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Thank you so much to Anna and Flora for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Anna and Flora on Instagram
@Annachoutova1
@florabradwellartand Bad ArtFind all images discussed @and The Rafiki Gallery @If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Aubrey Higgin

Season 3 · Episode 8

Monday, April 12, 2021 • Duration 01:00:01

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with artist and collector Aubrey Higgin
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Aubrey Higgin is an artist and collector based between London and the West Midlands. He completed his BA studies in Art and History of Art at The University of Reading, graduating in 2017.
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Aubrey was first introduced to art from his Grandmother, who would routinely sit him down to paint with watercolours alongside her. It seems this early foray into art stuck with him as he pursued art throughout school and on to University. Aubrey's journey hasn't been smooth sailing, illness struck while at University and he was left bedbound for over a year. Art took on a healing and restorative role for him, something that imbues his paintings with a joy and life-affirming positivity that is wonderful to behold.
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Forever fascinated by nature, Aubrey's work often depicts waterlilies and waves. Far from his watercolour beginnings, his work is now completed in hugely thick strokes of impasto oil paint, with his work regularly being inches thick. His most recent body of work has been pressing into a more abstract corner, fuelled by his desire to distil the landscape onto the canvas.
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During our chat, we discussed Aubrey's artistic practice, from drawing cats for dates in the playground to being influenced by Gerhard Richter and showing work in multiple galleries nationwide. We also got onto Aubrey's role as a collector, mulling over the important role collectors play in the fabric of the arts and even which artists he thinks you should be collecting too!
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Thank you so much to Aubrey for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Aubrey on Instagram
@aubreyhiggin_art

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Caroline Gormley, Made In Paisley

Season 3 · Episode 7

Monday, March 1, 2021 • Duration 52:15

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with artist and arts facilitator Caroline Gormley
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Caroline Gormley is a Scottish artist, based in Paisley. She studied art at Glasgow Kelvin College, obtaining a 1st class degree, before starting up Made In Paisley alongside artist Alexander Guy.
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Caroline's route into art was not a direct one, having been a carer from the age of 12 she has spent most of her life looking after others and only at the age of 40 did she decide to apply for art school. Her journey since then has been one of positivity and community, sparked by her meeting Alexander Guy.
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Made In Paisley is an arts studio that offers art classes to children and adults. Through learning how to handle paint, it offers the opportunity for many people to encounter creativity, form a community and take a break from the stress of the outside world. Paisley is known for its industrial heritage as much as for the textile production of the same name, but within this is a beating heart of creativity that can be seen alive and well within Caroline and Alexander's community.
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During our chat, we discussed Caroline's early years and how she eventually followed the artistic calling that was always there. We talked about the hardships and pains of painting, alongside the joy and freedom it can bring. Within all this we considered the motives behind her own personal artistic style and the importance of being true to oneself.
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Thank you so much to Caroline for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Caroline and Made in Paisley on Instagram at
@caroline_gormley
and @made_in_paisley

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

David Iain Brown

Season 3 · Episode 6

Thursday, February 4, 2021 • Duration 01:14:06

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with contemporary artist David Iain Brown
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David Iain Brown is a Scottish artist, hailing from Ayrshire and now based in Glasgow. He attended Gray's School of Art at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
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David originally trained as a print maker, and while he has now developed into a painter, his practice still maintains many printerly elements, namely large blocks of colour. David's route to becoming an artist was hardly obvious, growing up it was more normal to follow into the job of a local trade, but after receiving a lecture from a tutor at Gray's, he was inspired to take the leap and attend art school.
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Since graduating from Gray's in 2018 with a masters in Fine Art, David has been busy exhibiting all over the globe and working hard to build a network of artists and collectors, alongside his time spent in the studio creating his art.
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During our chat, we discuss his time growing up and the impact that being in nature had on him, the time he had at art school, his painterly process and studio habits. The role of an artist in this new digital age is an evolving one and David explains how making the most of this growing latticework of creatives is vital to developing. So listen in to learn a bit about David and perhaps pick up some useful tips for navigating the art sphere.
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A huge thanks to David for coming on the podcast.
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You can find David on Instagram at
@davidiainbrown
and his website
Davidiainbrown

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via Ko-Fi, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Jonathan Freemantle

Season 3 · Episode 5

Friday, January 15, 2021 • Duration 01:16:40

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with contemporary artist Jonathan Freemantle
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Jonathan Freemantle is a South African born, Edinburgh based artist, gallery director and entrepreneur.
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Jonathan's art should be regarded in a similar vein to the works of the Romantic era, they are created with a deep sense of awe and respect for the process and subject they are inspired by . A recurring theme in much of his work is the mountain, and with this there is a deeper meaning than simply its physical form. Proximity to nature and an almost ritualistic creative process of discovery and creation can be seen in his work. Alongside this personal style, Jonathan carries out a select number of portrait commissions, with one of the most recent being featured in the Scottish Portrait Awards.
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Alongside his painting Jonathan also co-founded the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival and HAZARD gallery in Johannesburg. In 2002 he set up and directed the painting department of The Art Academy in London. His work has been widely exhibited and featured in publications worldwide since 2007, following on from his intensive traditional study at St Oswald's Academy in London and years teaching.
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In our chat today we delved into the creative process behind Jonathan's work, looking into what inspires him, and how certain experiences have affected his views and styles. Spreading his time between South Africa and Edinburgh has led to a rich tapestry of tales and opportunities; some of which we delve into, taking time to see how these experiences affect him and in turn his work.
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A huge thanks to Jonathan for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Jonathan on Instagram at
@jonathanfreemantle
and his website
jonathanfreemantle.com

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversationand The Rafiki Gallery @If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support, you can do so via, which allows you to virtually donate the equivalent price to a cup of coffee with which to support the podcast and help me in producing more episodes and hosting interesting guests!Thank you so much.

Curating Conversation – Details, episodes & analysis

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Curating Conversation – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

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