The Art Curator @ Soho House
Hi! This is a newsletter about artists I like.
I began acquiring art through some friends that worked in galleries. I started small, working on a limited budget, for stuff I could afford. As time passed, my collection grew, and it was exciting to watch many of the artists I'd collected go on to bigger shows and critical acclaim.
My goal with this newsletter is to make a digestible resource for anyone interested in artists that are making great (and still affordable!) work, whom you haven't heard about... yet.
How long have you been curating art for Soho House and how did you get into this role?
Anakena: I started this role in October 2021, although I had been peripherally involved with Soho House’s curatorial program before that. Prior to this New York-based role, I was living in London and managing Kevin Francis Gray’s studio, a marble sculptor whose work we were able to place into the Soho House Art Collection at the 40 Greek Street. Later, during the pandemic, I was able to freelance for Soho House and fly to Texas to oversee the installation of the art collection in Austin. That trip was my introduction to this very unique role – and that first glimpse really motivated me to become part of this team.
It seems Soho House has always been a champion of working with local talent in whatever location they are in which I think is a nice touch. Will you all do shows on the future or is it more of showing artists for a certain period and then doing a change up?
Artist Noah Saterstrom in situ at Soho House. (Image courtesy of Caroline Allison)
Anakena: Generally speaking, we acquire works for permanent exhibition, so there isn’t a lot of rotating of the art collection. This is often quite an important selling point for our artists because it means their work is guaranteed to be shown and seen. Our impetus for working locally comes from wanting to make each House feel unique, as each site has a specific curatorial focus, beyond geography. We also invite the artists to become Soho House members – to be part of the creative community here. Our goal is really to present a love-letter to a city’s art scene, which provides a snapshot of that moment in time. It’s impossible for any collection to ever be fully comprehensive of the art being produced at any given time, but we strive to represent artists from a breadth of personal and professional backgrounds, working across a range of media.
Artist Marcus Maddox in situ at Soho House. (Image courtesy of Caroline Allison)
Doing studio visits I’m sure is a big part of the job, so who are some artists that have really jumped out at you that you were excited about?
Anakena: Studio visits are one of the many perks of this job; I get to reach out to artists I admire and spend some time in the space where they create - and no studio or studio visit is the same! The visits that stand out are the ones that don’t feel rushed, the ones where you can make a real connection with the artist. It's a really intimate and vulnerable experience – someone is taking the time to show you the behind-the-scenes of how their art is made, and in a sense, how their mind and emotions work. I never take that access for granted. Some particularly memorable studio visits have been David Onri Anderson and Vadis Turner in Nashville; Jess Brooks, Julian Pace and Ken Taylor in LA; and b. chehayeb most recently here in New York.
The studio of artist Julian Pace
Any advice for people starting out wanting to collect ? Get out into the world and see art!
Anakena: As with anything related to trends and investing, there can be a lot of noise surrounding budding collectors. I think the most important thing to remember for someone who wants to collect art as a passion is to decide what they’re interested in. Of course there are museums with amazing collections but galleries offer wonderful opportunities to see up and coming contemporary artists – for free!
What location(s) are your favorite at soho house for taking in art ?
Anakena: I’m heavily biased towards the collections I was involved in the development of, only because I got to know the artists there really well, and that adds a level of deeper understanding and appreciation for the work. So, in that sense, I think Soho House Nashville is very special. It’s not only a true snapshot of that city’s current art scene, but it’s also home to the largest permanent collection of local contemporary artists in Nashville. Holloway House is also a jewel in the cohort of California Houses, featuring works of local artists all aged 40 and under. In New York, I always think it’s quite special and reverent to be able to walk into Ludlow House and have a coffee or a cocktail below our stunning Tracey Emin. And now that it’s rooftop season in New York, I’m excited to people to discover the brand-new Soho House New York mural by Veronica Lawlor.
Evidently I’m very bad at narrowing this all down… It’s a good problem to have - to work with so many exquisite artists and not be able to choose one favorite spot!
Artist John Paul Kesling @ Soho House Nashville (Image courtesy of Caroline Allison)
What are some resources you use to help discover artists you weren’t aware of?
Anakena: A combination of lots of time online tapping between artist profiles on Instagram, clicking through artist rosters on galleries and building our network very organically. One of the ways we’re able to build this enormous global collection is by having artists introduce us to those in their network. After a studio visit, we’ll often ask that artist to recommend us 3 peers, friends or colleagues and in that way, we’re able to discover artists we might not otherwise have come across.
More professionally speaking, taking the time to explore fairs, especially those featuring up and coming artists and galleries, is also a brilliant resource. They bring together people from all over the world and expose us to a wealth of new ideas and creators in just one day.
Linkage:
For those more into photography and looking to get a future collectible, go buy the new Nigel Shafran book from Dashwood Books. They are offering signed copies. This will sell out.
Drawer is an artist-run online gallery and shop that does weekly offerings of incredible art by some of my favorite artists. Act fast but this is a must stop for anyone looking to buy great work at reasonable prices.
Just announced art book release from Pre-Echo Press on artist Nick Relph, should be fantastic and if you’d like to buy something for the wall by Nick, look no further than Nick’s IG on prints/posters for sale with some amazing ones under $100.
A great and easy read on a gallery showing great art in a LA apartment, Castle Gallery by the one and only Chris Black. You will be hearing more about Castle soon…..
Complaints, questions, thoughts and concerns, please email: Garrett.colton@gmail.com