All About Art

In this episode, I sat down with Nico Epstein, who is an art advisor, educator, and the founder of Collector Connoisseur.

Nico has spent around 15 years building a career that has essentially touched nearly every corner of the art world. He has worked with museums, galleries, auction houses, educational organizations, and private clients and has been taking an incredibly entrepreneurial approach to his work and how he approaches the sector.

In our discussion, Nico is an open book about his experiences in the art world and shares a lot...

Unfiltered Frieze Survival Guide, RECORDED LIVE - on Monday evening, I sat down at Ned’s Club, a private members' club in London, with the brilliant Carrie Scott, art advisor and founder of SEEN, a next-generation art consultancy, for a live episode of All About Art in front of a wonderful audience (with champagne in hand! 🥂)

With Frieze London coming up, we wanted to talk about everything you might need to know before stepping into the madness. We unpack the current state of the art market and share practical advice on building a collection with...

A new (extra long) episode of All About Art with Director of the Middelheim Museum Sara Weyns and artist Monster Chetwynd

In this episode, you get two interviews in one. For Sara, start from the beginning, and for Monster, you can skip to 50min 49sec.

Firstly, Sara Weyns, the museum’s director and co-curator of the exhibition A Friends Making Machine featuring the works by artist Monster Chetwynd. We talk about how it all came together, what it looks like to work curatorially with a practice as live and mu...

Creating the Shopify of Auctions with Tom Best, Founder of The Auction Collective

In this episode, I sat down with Tom Best, founder and CEO of The Auction Collective.

Tom came up through Christie's Auction House, where he spent six years as an auctioneer and contemporary art specialist, before doing a stint in humanitarian aid and then combining those two threads into The Auction Collective.

He started his business in 2017 as a live auction event pop-up, pivoted into online auctions during the pandemic, and...

📺 The Television Series the Art World Can’t Stop Talking About: THE BIG DEAL with Steph McGovern

A new television series has come out this month, and the Art World™️ has been TALKING about it! 👇👇👇

“The Big Deal is a high-stakes, six-part competition where seven pairs of amateur, aspiring art dealers battle to spot talent, pitch to buyers, and turn a profit in the contemporary art market to win £50,000 in British art.”

Some felt as though the BBC had brought many negative sides of the art world into the...

In this episode, I sat down with Courtney Johnson, career strategist, social media expert, and author of ⁠Career Cheat Codes.⁠

Courtney is someone who built an audience of millions by loudly and openly sharing some hard truths about career advice:

Working hard in silence is not a strategy, and it won’t get you extra “humility” points.

Visibility is a skill.

Knowing how to make the right people aware of what you do is just as important as doing it well.

Her “Problematic Career Cheat Codes” series went vi...

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is one of the most distinctive arts institutions in the UK, and indeed in Europe, being the largest sculpture park on the continent. Set across 500 acres of West Yorkshire countryside, it has worked with over 1,000 artists across its 49-year history, and the landscape itself is as much a part of the experience as the work within it.

In this conversation, Alex takes us inside what it means to programme at that scale and in that context.

We talk about

Arts Leadership & Institutional Innovation - Inside the Yale Schwarzman Center with Rachel Fine

In this episode, I sat down with Rachel Fine, Executive Director of the Yale Schwarzman Center in the United States of America.

Rachel is someone who came to arts leadership without a roadmap, as I think most of us do. She trained as a pianist and found her way into arts admin almost by accident, through gaining experience in different areas.

So, in this episode, we talk about what the Yale Schwarzman Center actually...

In this episode, I explore the concepts of ‘entrepreneurship’ and ‘intrapreneurship’ in the arts. The two are often framed as opposites, but actually I find they they sit on a spectrum, so I also draw on my recent conversation with Ben Luke (the previous episode to this one) as a jumping-off point while bringing in some other non-art examples.

Using my own experience producing All About Art independently, I weigh the pros and cons of intrapreneurship versus going it alone. This covers the financial support and institutional credibility you gain on one side, and the edit...

In this episode, I sat down one of my dream guests… fellow podcaster Ben Luke, contributing editor of The Art Newspaper and presenter of its podcasts ‘A brush with...’ and ‘The Week in Art’.

I speak to Ben about his background and the path that brought him to one of the art world’s most prominent publications. We talk about the podcasts he hosts at TAN (The Art Newspaper), how they came about, and what it actually looks like to build something from within an existing institution rather than going independent.

I ask h...

What exactly is a biennale, and why do they matter in the art world? In this solo episode, I’m breaking down one of the art world’s most iconic and contested formats, from its origins at the very first Venice Biennale in 1895 to the sprawling, politically charged mega-exhibitions we know today.

In the episode, we move through the history of how biennales evolved from nationalist showcases into curator-led events grappling with postcolonial discourse, identity politics, and climate change. I then touch on some of the most influential editions across Venice, São Paulo, Kassel, and beyond. We ge...

Boats passing, waves lapping along the sides of buildings in the city of canals… and I am sitting outside the Icelandic Pavilion, peeking into the Pocket Universe created by artist Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir. 

For this Biennale Exclusive episode, I speak to Ásta about her work and the exhibition she created for this year’s Venice Biennale In Minor Keys, but I also got to speak to Cecilie Ragnheiðardóttir Gaihede, the Director of the Icelandic Art Centre, and the co-curator of Pocket Unviverse, Margrét Áskelsdóttir. 

I ask them about t...

ALL ABOUT ART TURNED 5 in April !!! On April 2nd, 2021, deep in Covid lockdowns, I decided to launch the pod. Now, in 2026, here we are - with a global audience spanning over 115 countries, thousands of downloads and monthly listeners, collaborations with institutions and amazing cultural professionals, and… A BOOK DEAL.

I started this podcast because I had no idea what working in the art world actually looked like. My university wasn’t telling me, career services wasn’t telling me, books weren’t telling me, so I started asking people directly and wanted to record it all.<...

What Is an Art Foundation, Actually?

The word “foundation” appears quite frequently in the art world, but I feel like most people, including those already working in the sector, would perhaps struggle to define what one actually is. This episode attempted to tackle that definition, and it may have clarified some things, but I also think it made things more confusing. 🤪

Inspired by my recent interview with Elisa Nuyten of the Vega Foundation (scroll further down for that episode😇), I got curious about the structural side of things. I cover:

What found...

From Collector to Founder: Elisa Nuyten on Building The Vega Foundation

In this episode, I sat down with Elisa Nuyten, founder of The Vega Foundation, a Toronto-based organization dedicated to artists' film and video.

I speak to Elisa about what her foundation does - supporting a medium that many of us love but that often exists in the margins of the art world.

We talk about her journey from collector to foundation founder, including the practical realities of launching a foundation - the building...

This week’s episode of All About Art talks about money 💶💰💸👛💷✨👩‍💻.

The art world - well, in every profession I think, not just in our bubble - only speaks about it in whispers or over a few glasses of wine (if at all) but the silence around salaries and financial sustainability is actively harming people, especially those without a financial safety net behind them. Espeically now, when on last weekend’s episode of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott (Conservative MP) stated that the Conservatives plan to stop government funding for "dead...

The Truth About Art World Careers: Inside Talent, Hiring, & Strategic Navigation with former co-managing partner of Sophie Macpherson Ltd.

In this episode, I sat down with Rosie Allan, former co-Managing Partner of Sophie Macpherson, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the art market.

I speak to Rosie about her journey into art world talent and recruitment, and what drew her to this particular corner of the industry. We talk about the groundbreaking Art Market Talent Reports that Sophie Macpherson has released over the past few years - research that...

From Tip Jars to Patreon: Rebuilding Arts Funding from the Ground Up?

This week’s episode of All About Art tackles “patronage”, but on the micro scale. You’ve surely seen it before: “Buy me a Ko-Fi!” “Support me on Patreon!” and more - the latter of which you hear every time to tune into an episode of All About Art, because these sites allow your community to show support for the work they love and engage with.

So, using FOLLOW.ART’s Support My Practice feature as one of my case studies...

How Curators & Artists Are Supported In The Digital Age, with Evelina Gorbačova, Head of Digital Development at FOLLOW.ART

FOLLOW.ART is a platform working to reshape how artists and curators connect in the digital age - You should listen in if you are interested in working at the intersection of art and technology, working at a startup compared to more traditional roles in either tech or the art world, or you are an artist and/or curator wanting to find digital career support online. 

We talk about th...

The Great Art Fraud: Performance, Pretty Privilege & an $86 Million Scandal

This week’s episode of All About Art dives into one of the biggest recent scandals in contemporary art. It’s based on my recent experience watching the BBC’s The Great Art Fraud, which chronicles Inigo Philbrick’s spectacular $86 million fraud that shook the art world to its core.

I discuss a range of factors that led to this happening, from the halo effect and “pretty privilege” to the culture of opacity that still defines high-value art deals. I explore ho...

The Mind Control of Mount Making with Alex Abbott, Director of Dauphin

In this episode, I sat down with Alex Abbott, Art Consultant and Director of Dauphin, a company that specializes in displays and mounts.

I speak to Alex about what his company does - which a lot of you have certainly come into contact with but not been fully aware of. Alex does the unseen work of ensuring the objects we view and love in museums, galleries, and homes are mounted with safety and care. That ancient jug...

My forthcoming book Working in Art has officially beeen announced as available for pre-order, with publication coming in April 2026.

So, on this week’s episode of All About Art, I walk you through what went into creating this book - the travel to 9 cities across 5 countries, the interviews with arts professionals I deeply admire, and the honest moments of self-doubt along the way. I explain why I felt this book needed to exist: the arts and cultural sector contributes £19.1 billion to the UK economy annually, yet fewer than 8 state schools offer History of Art at...

New episode of ‘All About Art’: Designing a Fair Marketplace for Artists and Collectors with Bibi Zavieh, Founder of newcube

In this episode, I sat down with Bibi Zavieh, Founder of newcube.art, an artist platform and art advisory.

I speak to Bibi about her experiences at Christie’s and ArtNet before she ventured into entrepreneurship and launched newcube right before the covid lockdowns.

I ask her about how she works with both artists as well as collectors, and how this new business model fits i...

Hot Take / Art Break: Why the Art World's Tech-Phobia Is Burning Us Out (video podcast)

This week, I'm tackling a question that might make some people uncomfortable: Why does the art world resist technology?

We celebrate experimentation and boundary-pushing in artistic practice, but when it comes to the everyday operations of galleries, institutions, and artist support systems, we're still relying on workflows that haven't meaningfully changed in decades. From unpaid interns spending entire days resizing JPEGs and searching through disorganized folders, to galleries operating at the edge of capacity...

🎙️🇮🇹 The Venice Biennale Fellowship – A Career-Changing Opportunity for Emerging Arts Professionals

In this special bonus episode of All About Art, I’m sharing some incredibly exciting news: NXT GEN is partnering with the British Council to send one of our members as a Fellow on a fully funded, month-long residency to the Venice Biennale 2026! If you’re an emerging arts professional within the first 5 years of your career, this episode is essential listening.

I walk through everything you need to know about the Venice Biennale – its 130-year history, the wild energy of opening week (think...

📚 Book Review: Inner Light - Chris Levine on Portraiture, Meditation & Photographing the Queen

On this week’s episode of All About Art, I’m reviewing one of the most beautiful and meditative art books I’ve encountered: Inner Light by Chris Levine. This stunning monograph chronicles Levine’s most iconic portrait work, from Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Moss to Grace Jones and the Dalai Lama, and offers rare insight into his deeply spiritual creative process. I explore how Levine strips away the distractions of fashion and styling to capture something much deeper: the inner essen...

From Art in Hotel Rooms to Global Galleries: How Minor Attractions Is Changing the London Scene + exclusive interviews

On this week’s episode of All About Art, I take you behind the scenes of London’s vibrant art scene during Frieze Week to one of the most popular alternative art fairs in town: I visit Minor Attractions art fair, launched three years ago with a mission to make contemporary art more accessible and community-focused. In the episode, I chat with a gallerist, an artist, and one of the fair’s co-founders about how the fair c...

On this week’s episode of All About Art, I give you some detailed insights into the press trip to Bradford, UK’s City of Culture 2025, and my experience of the Turner Prize shortlisted exhibition. In the episode, I explore the significance of the Turner Prize (especially during JMW Turner’s 250th anniversary year), discuss cultural accessibility and regional programming, and take you through each artist’s installation at Cartwright Hall. Featuring insights on Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Zadie Xa, and Mohammed Sami, plus thoughts on decentralizing culture and an unexpected discovery at Salts Mill featuring Ann Hamilton’s site-specif...

Art, Tech, & Streamlining Sales (in a Tech-phobic Industry), with First Thursday Founder Callum Hale-Thomson

In this episode, I sat down with Callum Hale-Thomson, founder of the art tech company First Thursday, a platform for commercial galleries that helps teams surface insights, streamline sales and strengthen collector relationships.

In this episode, Callum shares what sparked his interest in the art world and the origins of First Thursday - how it was born in early 2024, how it’s evolved since then, and the unique perspective it offers to art businesses like co...

Exhibition Review: REFLECTIONS — SANGAT AND THE SELF at without SHAPE without FORM

🧘‍♀️ In this episode of All About Art, I take you along to a recent exhibition visit to REFLECTIONS — SANGAT AND THE SELF with works by Jasmir Creed & Roo Dhissou, followed by an exclusive interview with without SHAPE without FORM Artistic Director Deep Kailey.

Join me as I venture out to Slough to visit the newly refurbished exhibition space and explore the duo show centered around three Sikh concepts: Simran, Shabad, and Sangat. Following my experience of the exhibition, I...

👩‍🎓 Why do art history university programs often fall short in preparing students for the real world?

Inspired by conversations with students, educators, and industry professionals, (especially the latest interview episode of All About Art with Eleanor Getting and Amelia Stallworthy) in this episode I explore what’s missing from traditional curricula and how we can rethink art education to better equip future artists and scholars for the real world not just academic merit.

Whether you're an art history student, educator, or you’re someone who’s curious about how art education...

Welcome to another episode of All About Art! In this episode, I sat down with Eleanor Getting and Amelia Stallworthy, who directed the Norman Rea gallery, the only student-run gallery in the UK which is located at the University of York.

I speak to Eleanor and Amelia about how running this gallery at uni has positively impacted their careers now, and what it means to gain professional experiences early on. We talk about the ins and outs of how a student-run gallery functions, looking at how they got into their leadership roles and what...

🏛️ In this episode of All About Art, I take you along to a recent exhibition visit to Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern.

Join me as I unpack the show, what moved me, and my overall impressions. Whether you're an art lover planning your next museum visit or just curious about this exhibition in particular, this episode offers an inside look into contemporary art display, storytelling, and notions of what home can mean to us.

The exhibition is on view until October 26th, 2025!

...

Episode 78 of ‘All About Art’: Redefining Artist Management with Valeria Szabó Facchin, Founder of Studio Expanded

In this episode, I sat down with Valeria Szabó Facchin, Founder of Studio Expanded, a new artist management agency redefining the art ecosystem.

I speak to Valeria about her previous professional experiences, notably as Founding Director of the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation and how this impacts how she approaches business now. We delve into what it means to be an artist manager - from choosing the artists she works with, to liaising with partners and de...

✍️ Inspired by a recent essay by Damien Davis in Hyperallergic, the latest Hot Take / Art Break episode of the All About Art Podcast explores if the 50/50 split between artists and galleries is justified, or if it needs rethinking.

For this episode, I cover what Davis writes in the article, as well as the reactions of others in the art world that I saw on social media - along with comments such as “If you cant afford being an artist, do something else.” (which had my BLOOD boiling!)

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Episode 77 of ‘All About Art’: Working at MoMA with Ksenia Nouril, Assistant Director of the International Program

In this episode, I sat down with Ksenia Nouril, Assistant Director of the International Program at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

I speak to Ksenia about the International Program at the museum and what it’s like working at such a renowned organization. We delve into how her past curatorial experiences at smaller institutions paved the way for her career, what the change was like moving from a smalle...

Episode 76 of ‘All About Art’: Mindfulness & Spirituality in Art Curation & Advising with Sneha Shah, Founder of Curaty

Welcome to another episode of All About Art! In this episode, I sat down with Sneha Shah, Mumbai and London based entrepreneur and Founder of Curaty - an art advisory firm that offers bespoke curatorial services, art experiences, and rental and advisory for art across the U.K. and India.

I ask Sneha about how she started her business, and what it means to run a company that builds on the philosophy of mi...

Episode 75 of ‘All About Art’: Over 100 Years of Artist Residencies with Chiwoniso Kaitano, Executive Director of MacDowell 

Welcome to another episode of All About Art! In this episode, I sat down with Chiwoniso Kaitano, Executive Director of MacDowell, an artist residency in New York established in 1907 (over 100 years ago) and now one of the most prestigious artist residencies worldwide. 

I speak to Chiwoniso about her career path and what led her to her position as Executive Director of the residency. We delve into how the residency runs and we chat a...

Episode 74 of ‘All About Art’: Connecting the Culturally Curious with Katy Wickremesinghe, Founder of The Wick

Welcome to another episode of All About Art! In this episode, I sat down with Katy Wickremesinghe, British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur and Founder of KTW and The Wick. 

I speak to Katy about her businesses - both KTW, a communications consultancy operating in the cultural sector, along with the Wick, an activation hub and content platform.

We cover many bases, speaking about the moment she decided to venture into entre...

Episode 73 of ‘All About Art’: Curating at Tate Modern with Dr. Val Ravaglia

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Val Ravaglia, Curator of Displays and International Art at Tate Modern.

I speak to Val about their career path - having worked at the Tate Modern for over a decade, first as an intern, then as an assistant curator, and since 2019 as Curator of Displays and International Art.

We delve into the most recent exhibition they curated, titled Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Befo...