Amplify with Alexandra Steinacker-Clark | Collecting Art by Emerging Artists
Bora Akıncıtürk, Anne ve Baba Bankası / Bank of Mum and Dad. Image courtesy of the artist and Pilevneli Gallery
Have you ever wanted to glimpse inside an art collector's home to see what art they have and find out why they decided to collect it? If you’re anything like me, you definitely have, and for this month’s column, I got the opportunity to do just that.
As we begin to enter one of the “high seasons” of the art fair calendar, I sat down with three contemporary art collectors based in the UK and Switzerland, the latter being the home of VOLTA Art Fair, which I am looking forward to in June. I first chatted to Oliwia Siem, an art collector and filmmaker based in London. She is a keen supporter of artists at different stages of their careers and is mainly drawn to figurative art, which she says some might label as rather bold, quirky, and surreal. I then spoke to Gigi Sürel, who is not only a passionate contemporary art collector but also the founder and curator of Teaspoon Projects, an initiative that combines visual arts and literature while celebrating contemporary storytelling through exhibitions and events. Finally, I spoke to Leopold Weinberg, the founder of WACollection, a collective with the mission of acquiring contemporary art in order to form a relevant, ever growing and meaningful collection that they make available to institutions such as museums for lending.
I ask them about the art they are drawn to, how they navigate art fairs, how they find new artists, and more. All three take a very different approach to collecting, however what I have come to learn from speaking to each of them is their emphasis on a connection to the works they choose, whether it's through emotional resonance, the quality of the art, or the artist's journey, showing a commitment to fostering creativity and innovation in the contemporary art community.
ASC: Are you drawn to emerging artists, established names, or a mix of both?
Oliwia Siem. Credit Ivan Weiss
Oliwia Siem: “I collect works that, in most simple terms, I see and really fall in love with - works that stand out to me. Sometimes, it happens to be a work of a young artist without formal representation who is just starting out, or an outsider artist, and sometimes, it happens to be a work by an established artist who has works in an international museum. I guess this approach helps to build a collection that is not homogenous and it is a way to support artists from all walks of life.”
Gigi Sürel: “Definitely emerging artists - I like to meet the artist before I buy their work. Collecting is a very personal process for me. I actually started collecting in Chicago while doing a law master’s at Northwestern. I got involved with the Museum of Contemporary Art and met interdisciplinary artist Erin Hayden at a benefit dinner. I had never really thought about buying art before, but we connected, I vibed with her work - so I bid.”
Leopold Weinberg: “The artwork must appeal to me primarily through its originality and quality. In that sense, the career stage of an artist does not matter. Of course, my eye quickly recognises whose hand the work comes from, and over the years, I have developed preferences and remained loyal to artists already in my collection.
However, it should not become boring, so new positions are constantly added. Often, the combination of established and lesser-known artists in a hanging is particularly exciting.”
ASC: What aspects do you consider when you find a work of art that you love and you are thinking of collecting it? Are there specific factors you take into consideration before you buy?
Gigi Sürel: “It depends on whether I’m acquiring through a gallery or directly from the artist. Either way, I’m very impulsive and intuitive. If there’s something I openly dislike about an artist or gallerist, I wouldn’t want to buy the work. I’m not particularly superstitious or spiritual, but I care deeply about energy and values. The same applies when I’m curating - running Teaspoon Projects means I sometimes wear a curator’s hat, but often, the hats blur together, and I end up wearing a very funny hat. Practical things - how fragile is it? Can it fit in a suitcase? Those are the boring bits. More importantly, I want to make sure the work I buy is a strong and consistent example of the artist’s practice.”
ASC: Is the implication that an emerging gallerist and artist will grow in their careers a driving force behind your collecting choices?
Picture at Showcase launch of Andi Fischer (left) and Leopold Weinberg at the “Wunderkammer” of Boutique Hotel Helvetia in Zurich. Credit Agi Simoes for WACollection, Zurich
Leopold Weinberg: “In today's environment, many galleries are closing down, and a monopolization of the major galleries is taking place. In my view, this is problematic because they dictate the market. For this reason, young galleries and fresh initiatives are incredibly important and should be supported - provided they are serious and offer quality. At the same time, I want to make it clear that I distance myself from deliberately buying a young artist’s work that does not fascinate me, simply because I speculate that they will become famous and their work will gain significant value. Besides, the likelihood of that happening is very small.”
ASC: Do you gravitate towards any particular mediums (painting, sculpture, prints/WOP, digital art) and why?
Oliwia Siem: “My collection is a great mix, but I would say it's mainly paintings, then prints and sculptures. I feel like prints are sometimes an underappreciated medium. They are often really beautifully made with textures and many layers of colour. They also give an opportunity to acquire an artist that otherwise might be inaccessible. I love sculptures, but they are tricky collectables as they require their own living space, and one can only fit so many of them in a house, so they really need to be thought through purchases.”
ASC: How do you discover new artists?
Oliwia Siem: “It is a mix of travelling to different art fairs internationally, looking at artists and galleries on Instagram, and occasionally browsing auctions. That said, online and offline blur a bit, so it's often hard to pinpoint where I first 'discovered' an artist. For me, art fairs are the most convenient one stop place to discover new names; I can think of quite a few artists I saw for the very first time at a fair and just had to get their work immediately.”
Gigi Sürel. Credit Betty Oxlade-Martin
ASC: How do you see your collection evolving in the next few years?
Gigi Sürel: “I’d love to add more sculpture—once I know I won’t be moving flats every year. CFGNY, a New York-based collective introduced to me by Hot Wheels during Frieze London last year, is definitely on my list. Their porcelain sculptures are incredible. But, my cat needs to learn how to behave before I can do that.”
Leopold Weinberg: “My business partner and I, in addition to making direct acquisitions for our collection, also organize “Showcases” in our boutique hotels. We find it exciting to present different artistic positions in everyday settings, as opposed to the “white cube” of a gallery or museum. We also want to go beyond simply purchasing artworks and hanging them on our walls. This idea has led to various collaborations with artists and, each year, we feature at least three artists, bringing their works to different spaces within our boutique hotels and restaurants through solo exhibitions.
Additionally, we create a dedicated artist hotel room, where the displayed works are acquired and remain permanently in our collection. To complement this, the featured artist also has the opportunity to design a limited-edition set of table placemats, which we use in all our establishments during the exhibition period. There is also a broader vision: once all artist rooms are completed—over the course of about 10 to 15 years—we plan to present them as an exhibition in a museum and publish a comprehensive book on the project. Hopefully, this doesn’t remain just a dream!”
ASC: When you visit an art fair, do you have a strategy when exploring the different booths while seeing so much art in one place? It can be both exciting and overwhelming!
Gigi Sürel: “I approach it the same way I read a magazine—flick through quickly (ADHD and FOMO in full effect), then go back to what caught my eye. A coffee break is essential.”
Oliwia Siem: “I have quite a rigorous approach to art fairs. I try to go booth by booth, not to miss anything, taking photos of everything that catches my eye. Then, I revisit the photos to refresh what I saw that day. My phone has thousands of photos of artworks. I also use it as an archive of sorts. You never know when you might want to revisit something you saw at a fair a couple of years ago. Additionally, I really like to see what other people post from fairs on their Instagrams. It's like seeing the fair with an extra set of eyes.”
Leopold Weinberg: “I already know what I’m looking for before visiting an art fair. Often, I have seen the works of the artists who interest me in a preview and simply confirm the purchase on-site. This leaves plenty of time for spontaneous encounters and discoveries.”
ASC: I don’t want to ask what your favorite piece is in your collection - I hate it when people ask me that - But I would like to know what is the most outrageous, bold piece you have in your collection?
James Ostrer, Wotsit All About? Courtesy Oliwia Siem
Oliwia Siem: “Ahh. I like this question. I would say a photograph from the Wotsit All About? series by a British artist, James Ostrer, that hangs above my dining table. It's a surreal portrait that depicts a human head covered in cream, wafer cones, and sprinkles. Its facial features are made from chocolate and candy, and all that goes against a bold orange background. This series comments on our relationship with food and all the unhealthy items we consume: basically we are what we eat. The work is bold, outrageous, unsettling, yet very visually pleasing. I really like it.”
Gigi Sürel: “I have a very large painting by Bora Akincitürk, an artist currently based between London and Istanbul, that I acquired in 2020 - 2 meters by 160 cm. It’s titled Anne ve Baba Bankası / Bank of Mum and Dad and lives with my family in Istanbul. My parents comment on it at least once a month. They recently realized it says ‘fuck’ on it - so that was a treat.”
Leopold Weinberg: “It’s difficult to answer this question with just one work. Depending on the context, there are various pieces that are “outrageous” in their own unique way. For example, the large-scale works of Andi Fischer, which polarize with their childlike spontaneity, or Mathis Altmann’s piece wedontwork, which alludes to the collapse of WeWork but creates irritation in the context of our customer-oriented reception area of our Brasserie at Volkshaus Basel. I could go on endlessly, but the best way to experience the impact of these works is to see them in person, on-site.”