Portfolio Reviewers at the Future Now Symposium 2021
The Portfolio Review Sessions at Future Now 2021 were for practitioners working across all different types of genre including drawing and painting, photography and digital art, sculpture, design and three-dimensional art, video, installation and performance. Taking place via Zoom, artists had the opportunity to book a slot with industry experts who provided essential advice and guidance on their current practice and career progression opportunities. This was a unique chance for artists to develop work and find out about new ways to expand their practice.
Reviewers for Day 1 | Wednesday 28 April
Jasmina Cibic
Artist | 09:00-11.00
London based artist Jasmina Cibic represented Slovenia at the 55th Venice Biennial. Her solo exhibitions include: MSUM Ljubljana, CCA Glasgow, Phi Foundation Montreal, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Aarhus 2017, Esker Foundation Calgary, MSU Zagreb and MOCA Belgrade. Cibic has been shortlisted for the Jarman Award (2018) and won the B3 Biennial of the Moving Image Award (2020)
Charmian Griffin
Head of Digital, Artangel | 11:00-13:00
Charmian Griffin is Head of Digital at Artangel, a London-based organisation that creates extraordinary art in unexpected places. She is responsible for Artangel’s digital strategy and commissions, such as Red Lines (2018), The Cutting Room (2020), and Jerusalem (2014). She teaches art criticism at Central Saint Martins and works as a freelance digital producer for clients including Idle Women, Roald Dahl and Tate.
www.artangel.org.uk
Mila Askarova
Director, Gazelli Art House | 12:00-14:00
Mila Askarova founded Gazelli Art House, London, in 2010 as a second space to the gallery in Baku. Through these contemporary art spaces and the creation of educational programmes, seminars and exhibitions, Askarova has increased awareness of Azeri artists abroad. Upon completion of her International Relations BSc degree at LSE, she worked at Sotheby’s whilst curating shows in Baku and Istanbul. She is an alumna of Central Saint Martins and Christie’s.
Hannah Starkey
Artist/Photographer | 14:00-16:00
Hannah Starkey’s photographs reconstruct cinematic scenes from everyday life, using actors within carefully considered settings. Starkey’s images centre around the female experience, evoking suggestive narratives through their appropriation of cultural templates: issues of class, race, gender, and identity are implied. Starkey has featured in The Guardian and Financial Times, and in collections at Tate, London, and the Seattle Art Museum.
Mat Lazenby
Founder, LazenbyBrown | 15:00-17:00
Mat Lazenby is a key figure in the region’s creative industries sector. He was part of the group which created the bid for York to become a UNESCO City of Media Arts. Before founding design agency LazenbyBrown, he worked in senior creative positions for agencies in York and Leeds.
Cherie Federico
Director, Aesthetica | 15:00-17:00
Cherie is the Editor of Aesthetica Magazine and the Director of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF), Aesthetica Art Prize and Future Now Symposium. Originally from New York, Cherie moved to the UK in 2002 to study for her Masters degree and founded Aesthetica, which she has developed into an international brand distributed in 525 stores in the UK and exported to 20 countries. Cherie is a champion of new creative talent.
Reviewers for Day 2 | Thursday 29 April
Dr Melanie Vandenbrouck
Curator, V&A | 09:00-11:00
Dr Melanie Vandenbrouck is Sculpture Curator at the V&A, responsible for the modern and contemporary collection. Prior to this, she was Curator of Art at Royal Museums Greenwich, where she founded the Museum’s Contemporary Arts Forum, bringing particular focus to work by women artists. Her exhibitions include Yinka Shonibare MBE at Greenwich (2013), The Moon (2019) and guest-curating for Hasselblad Foundation.
Izabela Radwanska Zhang
British Journal of Photography | 09:00-11:00
Izabela Radwanska Zhang has been with the British Journal of Photography since 2016, and is the Managing Editor of print and online at 1854 Media. Her words have also appeared in Disegno, The Independent and Press Association. She holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from City University, London, and most recently, a Postgraduate Certificate in Graphic Design from London College of Communication.
Tina Ziegler
Director, Moniker Art Fair | 11:00-13:00
Since 2008, Tina Ziegler has been a torchbearer for the urban and contemporary art movement, having spent the last 13 years as a professional curator and project director. She has curated over 300 exhibitions and has worked personally with thousands of global artists. Since 2015, Ziegler has held the position as director and curator of Moniker International Art Fair. Ziegler has quickly taken Moniker Art Fair to the global stage.
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Photographer | 11:00-13:00
Julia Fullerton-Batten is a fine-art photographer renowned for her highly cinematic visual storytelling. Her large-scale projects create thought-provoking narratives using staged tableaux and sophisticated lighting. Julia’s use of unusual locations, street-cast models and cinematic lighting are hallmarks of her style. She has a permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery, Musee de l’Elysee, Lausanne and the Parliamentary Art Collection.
Dr Ope Lori
Artist & Director, PILAA | 11:00-13:00
Dr Ope Lori is an artist and Director of PILAA, an arts diversity consultancy and visual content production company, with clients including Wilson James and Tate. Ope founded PILAA in 2015, bringing a wealth of knowledge in race and gender related fields. She has taught BA Fine Art programmes at Leeds Arts University and Chelsea College of Arts and is author of Beyond the Feminine: The Politics of Skin Colour and Gender in Visual Representations.
Liz Whitehead
Director, Fabrica Gallery | 15:00-17:00
Established 25 years ago, Fabrica has built a solid reputation for commissioning mid-career artists to create new, often extraordinary works. Fabrica prides itself on encouraging artists to be artistically ambitious and providing the support they need. Fabrica also takes its civic responsibilities seriously: creating a space for discourse, sharing knowledge, nurturing creativity and encouraging self-directed learning through encounters with art and artists.
Griselda Goldsbrough
Aesthetica Art Prize | 16:00-17:00
Griselda Goldsbrough, visual artist and writer, committed to cultural and creative activity in community engagement projects within heritage, science, musuems, galleries and healthcare. Artist in Residence at Foss Park Hospital, York, Art and Design Development Manager, York Hospital and co-curator Aesthetica Art Prize. She has been involved in the Aesthetica Art Prize for several years running, championing emerging talent across all media.
Kay Watson, Interim Head of Art Technologies
Serpentine Galleries | 16:00-17:00
Kay Watson is a researcher, producer and curator working with art and advanced technologies, photography and video games. She is currently Arts Technologies Curator at Serpentine Galleries and a PhD researcher at Birkbeck, University of London. Recent projects include The Serpentine Podcast and Hito Steyerl, Actual Reality OS. Kay has also worked at the Contemporary Art Society, The Photographers’ Gallery and Art Night with the ICA.
Shasti Lowton
Independent Curator | 16:00-18:00
Shasti Lowton is a curator and art consultant who using exhibitions promote social change. Her research specialisms are in Latin American, South Asian, African and conflict art. Projects include collaborations with the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, The National Trust and Southbank Centre. Lowton curated the Science Museum Group’s award-winning Illuminating India: Photography 1857 – 2017 and is currently Curator at Design Museum.
Reviewers for Day 3 | Friday 30 April
Permindar Kaur
Artist | 09:00-11:00
Permindar Kaur is a sculpture and installation artist, whose approach to art is playful, using childlike objects to explore the territory of cultural identity, home and belonging. Kaur has exhibited internationally including solo shows at Djanogly Art Gallery, Nottingham; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; and Mead Gallery, University of Warwick. She has featured in group exhibitions at Turner Contemporary and Tate, London.
Eleanor Sutherland
Digital Content Writer, Aesthetica | 10:00-12:00
Eleanor is Digital Content Writer for Aesthetica, contributing to its online articles, social media presence and printed issues. They have been part of Aesthetica team since 2017, interviewing major artists and working with curators and editors from key arts organisations and publishers. As part of their role, Eleanor curates newsletters highlighting the best in new photography, art and design, whilst developing Aesthetica’s web pages.
Kate Simpson
Associate Editor, Aesthetica | 10:00-12:00
Kate Simpson is Associate Editor of Aesthetica Magazine, having joined the team in 2016. She works across digital and print platforms, producing curated content for international readerships of over 550,000+, showcasing both established and emerging artists. Simpson has also been involved in a number of editorial initiatives and related projects including The Future Now Symposium, The Aesthetica Art Prize and ASFF.
Cherie Federico
Director, Aesthetica | 10:00-12:00
Cherie is the Editor of Aesthetica Magazine and the Director of the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF), Aesthetica Art Prize and Future Now Symposium. Originally from New York, Cherie moved to the UK in 2002 to study for her Masters degree and founded Aesthetica, which she has developed into an international brand distributed in 525 stores in the UK and exported to 20 countries. Cherie is a champion of new creative talent.
Griselda Goldsbrough
Curator, Aesthetica Art Prize | 10:00-12:00
Griselda Goldsbrough, visual artist and writer, committed to cultural and creative activity in community engagement projects within heritage, science, musuems, galleries and healthcare. Artist in Residence at Foss Park Hospital, York, Art and Design Development Manager, York Hospital and co-curator Aesthetica Art Prize. She has been involved in the Aesthetica Art Prize for several years running, championing emerging talent across all media.
Wilhemina Madeley
Project Manager, Acute Art | 13:00-15:00
Acute Art collaborates with the world’s most compelling contemporary artists, including Marina Abramovic, Olafur Eliasson and Anish Kapoor, translating their creative vision into new digital mediums – including virtual, augmented and mixed realities. Wilhemina Madeley works in exhibition management, communications strategy, events and artist liaison. Madeley has studied at The Courtauld Institute of Art and University College London.
Lennie Varvarides & Kazimir Bielecki
DYSPLA | 14:00-16:00
DYSPLA is a neurodivergent led, award-winning arts studio producing and developing the work of neurodivergent storymakers, supported by the Arts Council England. Founder Lennie Varvarides & Creative Director Kazimir Bielecki conduct research into the Neurodivergent Aesthetic whilst exploring a range of mediums including XR (VR, 360º film, AR, MR), moving image, photography, poetry, theatre and installation.
Damon Jackson-Waldock, Deputy Curator,
Yorkshire Sculpture Park | 15:00-17:00
Damon Jackson-Waldock is curator, producer and arts programmer based in Yorkshire. He is Deputy Curator at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) and Creative Producer of The Oak Project. In 2019 and 2020 he was Guest Curator for the visual arts commission at The Piece Hall, Halifax and since 2017 has been a Career Mentor at Sheffield Hallam University. YSP is an open-air gallery showing Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and more.
Gary Clark
HOK London Studio | 16:00-18:00
Based in HOK’s London Studio, Gary Clark brings a wealth of design expertise and an architectural portfolio that includes high-performance buildings across multiple sectors, including higher education, residential and commercial. With a career spanning over three decades, Clark has worked for some of the UK’s most highly respected practices on projects such as The Wellcome Trust in London. He is also Chair of RIBA Sustainable Futures Group.
Edmund Clark
Artist | 16:00-18:00
Edmund Clark’s work links issues of history, politics and representation through a range of references and forms including photography, video, documents, found images and installation. Clark has published six books and been exhibited widely including in major solo museum exhibitions at the International Center of Photography Museum, New York, the Imperial War Museum, London. Clark teaches postgraduate students at the London College of Communication.
Reviewers for Day 4 | Saturday 1 May
Natalie Rudd
Senior Curator, Arts Council | 09:00-11:00
Natalie Rudd is Senior Curator of the Arts Council Collection. Her curated projects include the forthcoming Arts Council Collection Touring Exhibition, Breaking the Mould: Sculpture by Women since 1945 (launching Spring 2021). Natalie has written widely on art including monographic texts on Peter Blake (Tate Publishing, 2003) and Paul de Monchaux (Ridinghouse, 2019). Her book, The Self-Portrait, was published by Thames & Hudson.
www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk
Yuen Fong Ling, Artist, Curator & Senior Lecturer
Sheffield Hallam | 09:00-11:00
Yuen Fong Ling is an artist, Curator, and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University. His practice explores issues of intersectional identities, historical omission, non-permanent public memorial through strategies of socially engaged art practice. He has an MFA from Glasgow School of Art and a PhD by Practice from University of Lincoln, and has worked as a workshop facilitator, exhibition curator, publication editor and art director.
Ameena M. McConnell
Curator, Entrepreneur & Artist | 09:00-11:00
Ameena’s M. McConnell’s independent practice, Creative Fruits, has produced curatorial projects since 2004. Ameena has Curated for the Design Museum and London Design Festival, commissioning the museum’s first atrium installation VR experience Mind Pilot. Her current project focuses on inclusion and representation, championing a new generation of curators. Ameena was part of the Aesthetica Art Prize Jury in 2020.
Lottie Davies
Photographer | 11:00-13:00
Lottie is a multi award-winning photographer, artist, writer and educator based in London and Cornwall. Her work explores fictional and real stories, personal histories and identity, referencing classical art and literature as well as popular culture such as cinema and television. Her works are designed to prompt the viewer to discover underlying stories. Her recent work Quinn will be exhibited this year alongside a monograph published by Mutton Row Books.
Kit Monkman
Artist & Film Director | 11.00-13.00
Kit Monkman is a leading innovator in screen-based art and interactive media. He directed the visually experimental feature Macbeth and co-directed The Knife That Killed Me. He is also co-founder of KMA – an artistic collaboration that specialises in environmental installations – whose works have dramatically transformed public spaces across the world. Kit has worked with Prince and DV8. The work is driven by an interest in interaction.
Eleanor Sutherland
Digital Content Writer, Aesthetica | 14:00-16:00
Eleanor is Digital Content Writer for Aesthetica, contributing to its online articles, social media presence and printed issues. They have been part of Aesthetica team since 2017, interviewing major artists and working with curators and editors from key arts organisations and publishers. As part of their role, Sutherland curates newsletters highlighting the best in new photography, art and design, whilst developing Aesthetica’s web pages.
Kate Simpson
Associate Editor, Aesthetica | 14:00-16:00
Kate Simpson is Associate Editor of Aesthetica Magazine, having joined the team in 2016. She works across digital and print platforms, producing curated content for international readerships of over 550,000+, showcasing both established and emerging artists. Simpson has also been involved in a number of editorial initiatives and related projects including the Future Now Symposium, Aesthetica Art Prize and Aesthetica Film Festival.
Griselda Goldsbrough
Aesthetica Art Prize | 15:00-17:00
Griselda Goldsbrough, visual artist and writer, committed to cultural and creative activity in community engagement projects within heritage, science, musuems, galleries and healthcare. Artist in Residence at Foss Park Hospital, York, Art and Design Development Manager, York Hospital and co-curator Aesthetica Art Prize. She has been involved in the Aesthetica Art Prize for several years running, championing emerging talent across all media.