As a curator, I'm intrigued by how a single work of art can capture multitudes. I like to connect dots to see the bigger pictures, exemplifying the interconnectedness of art, politics and ecology.
Although I've curated over 50 exhibitions in more than 5 countries, an enduring favorite #WEC (Whole Earth Catalyst) in Berlin in 2015, which I co-curated with Ella Misselwitz (then Goerner) who now works for the German Green Party. #WEC derived its name from the Whole Earth Catalogue, a pre internet go-to, published between 1968 and 1972, which had an editorial focus on self-sufficiency, ecology, alternative education, DIY, and holism, using the slogan: access to tools. Sadly, the website we hosted it on, delinear.info by Harm van den Dorpel is no longer online but I wrote about it for Rhizome, and documenation, including some screenshots are on The Composing Rooms website.
The Composing Rooms 2010-2020, the book contains several essays that capture the context of contemporary art at the time, and how the internet played a significant role in the emergence of a new way of finding, making, and displaying art, as well as how that shifted over the decade. For more info, images, and to buy a copy visit: The Composing Rooms Book.
In 2020 I returned to Aotearoa and soonafter began working with Derek Handley on Wiser Conversations, a series responding to the pandemic with inspiring guests including Naomi Klein, Ilia Delio, and Hinemoa Elder. The podcast is on Apple and Spotify. In Auckland I also co-founded Manzana, a space and community supporting female and non-binary creative entrepreneurs.
While living in Mallorca, Spain, in 2017 I became devoted to progressing intersectional environmental action. While here I co-ran the project space Jelato Love and worked as a writer and editor. It was during this time I attempted Zero Waste and worked on sustainability comms for a multinational, so I founded a company focused on mitigating environmental harm called Mañana Today, it didn't get far due to the pandemic but I hope to revisit it one day.From 2010-2017, in London and Berlin I directed the curatorial project and contemporary art gallery The Composing Rooms, and in 2010 co-founded the magazine-cum-publisher Baron which challenges sexual stereotypes.
After Art is a series of interviews I conducted for Spike Art Magazine:
#1 - Ying Le on Tea, interconnectedness and the problems of the west.
#2 - Aurime Aleksandraviciute on floristry, kindness and watching the seasons.
#3 - Nonfood on agriculture, algae and the future of sustainable food.
#4 - Margaret Burton on fast fashion and its flaws.
Other examples of my writing include: Insight into Berlin's Art scene with five of the city's diverse art spaces for Tagesspiegel's Kunst Magazin and Dissociative Social Media, insight into an alternative to the ubiquitous timeline Deli Near Info by Harm van den Dorpel for Rhizome. For about two years I wrote diverse cultural insights for a big travel company where I was a copywriter, then I worked as editor for a trilingual magazine based in Mallorca.
... more? Read more.