Book Your Portfolio Review at the Future Now Symposium 2025
Please note: These sessions have now passed and cannot be booked.
These 1-1 sessions, hosted at York St. John University on Thursday 18 September 2025, were for practitioners working across all genres, including painting, photography, digital media, sculpture, video and more. Our industry experts provided essential guidance on how to develop ideas and further artists’ careers, as well as providing insights on funding opportunities and exhibition. Each session lasted 20 minutes. This was an opportunity to get key advice on any number of topics: how to accelerate your practice through digital platforms, how to approach curators and galleries, or simply discussing a portfolio in real time.
Reviewers for Thursday 18 September
Eleanor Sutherland
Aesthetica | 10:30-12:05
Eleanor joined Aesthetica in 2017. As the Creative Producer, she works across the magazine’s print and digital platforms, researching and writing about contemporary art. She loves discovering new creatives and sharing their work with readers around the world. Eleanor strives to make art accessible by using clear, engaging and assumption-free language. She studied Art History & English at the University of York and is passionate about computer science.
Damon Jackson-Waldock
The Art House | 10:30-12:05
Damon Jackson-Waldock is a curator, creative producer and arts programmer based in Yorkshire. He is Co-Executive Director at The Art House, Wakefield. Damon’s role involves supporting a wide range of creative talent on both a regional and international level. He works to remove any barriers and generate exciting exhibitions and residences in The Art House’s galleries and within the community. He previously worked at YSP for 11 years.
Luke Kemp
Barbican | 13:15-14:35
Luke Kemp is Head of Creative Programme, Immersive, at Barbican Centre. His most recent productions include leading on the curation and development of Feel the Sound (2025), Our Time on Earth (2022) and AI: More than Human (2019). Prior to working at the Barbican, Luke worked with galleries and organisations across the world on programming and projects including for the Venice Biennale and The Armory Art Fair, amongst others.
Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf
Wellcome Collection | 13:15-14:35
Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf is a British-Ghanaian producer of site-responsive performance, audio, and moving image in non-gallery contexts. Her practice seeks collaboration and is informed by the formation of protective networks. She serves on the Art on the Underground Advisory Panel and is Engagement and Participation Lead at the Wellcome Collection. She is also a Trustee of Artichoke, and Former Artistic Director of Peckham Platform.
Kay Watson
Serpentine | 13:15-14:35
Kay Watson is a producer and curator specialising in art, advanced technologies, photography and video games. In addition to serving as Head of Arts Technologies at London’s Serpentine Galleries, Kay is also a Trustee for Brighton Photo Fringe, Mediale and The Photographers’ Gallery, London. She has also worked at the Contemporary Art Society and with the ICA, Kay is a committed advocate for innovation and experimentation in contemporary art.
Hadeel Eltayeb
The Design Museum | 13:15-14:35
Hadeel Eltayeb is a curator who explores identity and cultural production. She is Displays Curator at The Design Museum. Past roles include as Associate Curator at The Media Majlis at Northwestern University in Qatar, and Curator and Arts Manager Al Riwaq Art Space in Bahrain. She was a 2019 Research fellow of the British Council at Venice Biennale. She has specialised in oral history projects and art from South West Asia and North Africa.
Damon Jackson-Waldock
Co-Executive Director, The Art House | 14:00-15:35
Damon Jackson-Waldock is a curator, creative producer and arts programmer based in Yorkshire. He is Co-Executive Director at The Art House, Wakefield. Damon’s role involves supporting a wide range of creative talent on both a regional and international level. He works to remove any barriers and generate exciting exhibitions and residences in The Art House’s galleries and within the community. He previously worked at YSP for 11 years.
Kit Monkman
Viridian FX | 14:00-15:35
Kit Monkman is an innovator in screen-based art and interactive media. He is Director and Founder at Viridian FX, one of the leading VFX houses in the North of England – with credits such as HBO’s House of the Dragon and Netflix’s Heart of Stone. Kit directed Macbeth (2018) and the five-channel video The People We Love (2020). He is co-founder of KMA, transforming public spaces across the world. Kit has worked with big names, from Netflix to Sky.
Sadie Clayton
Artist & Innovator | 14:00-15:35
Sadie Clayton is an award-winning artist and innovator who explores the creative boundaries between art and technology. Sadie is fascinated by innovation, has presented work at the Royal Academy of the Arts, Tate and the V&A, and has created content with Adobe films. In 2019, Sadie became the first artist to create works with the robot Ai-Da at Tate Modern, as part of the Tate Exchange’s exploration of new technology and the self.
Dr Ope Lori
Artist, Founder & CEO, PILAA | 14:00-15:35
Dr Ope Lori is the Founder and CEO of Pre-Image Learning and Action, an arts & diversity consultancy. She was a Lecturer at Chelsea School of Arts, Leeds Arts University and a guest Lecturer at the RCA. She specialises in lens-based media, on race, gender and desire in her political practice. She is the author of the boundary-breaking book Beyond the Feminine: The Politics of Skin Colour and Gender in Visual Culture, published by Bloomsbury, in July 2025.
Dr Gabrielle Barkess-Kerr
Academic, Anthropologist & Curator | 14:00-15:35
Dr Gabrielle Barkess-Kerr is Founder of The Curatorial Ethics Network for Contemporary Art Curators, dedicated to fostering integrity, accountability and inclusivity within the arts. She is a Teaching Fellow at Edinburgh College of Art. Her own curatorial practice spans exhibitions, art films and public programming, emphasising innovative concepts, multimedia projects, and engaging narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
Griselda Goldsbrough
Visual Artist | 16:00-17:35
Griselda Goldsbrough is a visual artist and writer. She is committed to cultural and creative activity in community engagement projects within heritage, science, museums, galleries and healthcare. She is also Art and Design Development Manager at York Hospital, where she has worked since 2016. Griselda has been involved in the Aesthetica Art Prize for several years, working alongside the team to recognise and champion new talent.
Hannah Starkey
Artist & Photographer | 16:00-17:35
Hannah Starkey has had numerous solo exhibitions across the world. Her work has been included in Tate Modern, London; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York; Turner Contemporary, Margate; Huis Marseille, Amsterdam; Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and The Hepworth Wakefield, amongst others. She has received coverage in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The New York Times, amongst many others.
Lennie Varvarides
DYSPLA | 16:00-17:35
Eleanor Sutherland
Aesthetica | 16:00-17:35
Eleanor joined Aesthetica in 2017. As the Creative Producer, she works across the magazine’s print and digital platforms, researching and writing about contemporary art. She loves discovering new creatives and sharing their work with readers around the world. Eleanor strives to make art accessible by using clear, engaging and assumption-free language. She studied Art History & English at the University of York and is passionate about computer science.
Sammara Abbasi
16:00-17:35
Sammara Abbasi is the former Curatorial Assistant, Exhibitions & Live Programmes, at Modern Art Oxford. Born and raised in West London, she graduated with a BA in Art History and an MA in Museum Studies from University College London, where she worked as a Research Assistant to the Socialist Anthropocene in the Visual Arts project. Sammara has an interest in art, curation, culture and heritage, and has held roles at Whitechapel Gallery.
Sadie Clayton
Artist & Innovator | 16:00-17:35
Sadie Clayton is an award-winning artist and innovator who explores the creative boundaries between art and technology. Sadie is fascinated by innovation, has presented work at the Royal Academy of the Arts, Tate and the V&A, and has created content with Adobe films. In 2019, Sadie became the first artist to create works with the robot Ai-Da at Tate Modern, as part of the Tate Exchange’s exploration of new technology and the self.
Sarah Perks
Curator & Writer | 16:00-17:35
Sarah Perks is an interdisciplinary curator and writer based in the Tees Valley. Her work involves creating exhibitions, books and projects across contemporary art, design, science and film. She is the Professor of Curating at MIMA x School of Arts and Creative Industries at Teesside University. Previous roles have included Artistic Director at HOME and Cornerhouse in Manchester. Sarah is Programme Advisor for the annual BFI London Film Festival.