PAUL SCHRADER

Paul Schrader creates expressive, abstract paintings. His working process is thoughtful, analytical. After he applies the first layers of paint onto the canvas, he takes a step back. Only when the next step occurs to him will he approach the canvas again and proceed. His inspiration is based on the synergies between colors. Paul is interested in the aesthetics and emotions that colors convey in their combination. "I don't have a single favorite color," explains Paul. "It's the interplay between colors that I find powerful."

"When a painting is finished, it just clicks."

Paul Schrader has recently been represented by NN Galerie in Cologne, founded in 2021. VOLTA New York is his first solo presentation at an international art fair.

SUSAN EISNER ELEY

MEET THE GALLERY introduces Susan Eisner Eley, founder and director of Susan Eley Fine Art in New York and her “pandemic pop-up” that turned into a permanent second location in Hudson.

"Since beginning my career as a gallerist, my principal motivation is to exhibit artists who make work that has been rendered with excellent technical skill and, most importantly, that expresses a unique vision of the world. I am always seeking that “Aha! moment.” When I find it, I know that this is an artist I want to explore further." – Susan Eisner Eley

For VOLTA New York 2022, the gallery features a solo presentation of new work by Rachelle Krieger. Inspired by the surrounding landscape and the energy and cyclical events of the natural world. Krieger’s imagery clearly evokes nature, from trees to wildflowers to swamps.

TALI ZELOOF

"At my art events, I hope to create a warm, engaging, and inclusive environment for guests to meaningfully engage with art and with each other. For me, it is important to make art palatable and accessible, to take complex ideas and make them digestible for everyone regardless of their art knowledge or background. I recently hosted a private collection visit with the co-founder of Superblue, Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst. There was this magical moment where Mollie and I asked the group to share a ‘goose bump art moment’. Several guests raised their hands to share experiences of when they have felt truly moved and transported by art."

— Tali Zeloof, Creative Consultant, Art Educator, Podcaster

This time on the VOLTA Voices interview series, Kamiar Maleki talks to Tali Zeloof, a creative consultant, art educator and podcaster based in London. Visit our blog and read the interview as they speak about ripple effects of meaningful connections, her relationships in the art world and of course her new podcast “Matters of the Art”.

YONGCHUL KIM

Yongchul Kim's art explores existential uncertainty and the dissolution of existence. He captures a constant state of alteration. Who are we? And what do we become? Yongchul works in themes. An earlier cycle investigated what it means to be a stranger. His figures appeared submerged in water, reflecting themselves and floating on the surface. Reflection is an essential part of his work.

Yongchul explores his perception, his view of the world, in relation to society. In his current series, he engages with creatures situated between here and there. They seem to be in an intermediate state of unfolding and disappearing.

MAJA WISMER

“Museums with diverse audiences and vast holdings, can – at best – become incredibly productive and dynamic places. As the head of the department of art after 1960 and contemporary art at Kunstmuseum Basel, I’m excited to finding ways of activating this energy at the intersection of Basel audiences and the public art collection I’m entrusted with.”

— Maja Wismer, Head of Art after 1960/Contemporary Art at Kunstmuseum Basel

This time, Kamiar Maleki talks to Maja Wismer, Head of Contemporary Art at Kunstmuseum Basel. Read the interview as they discuss her journey in the art world, how she wants to position the museum in the future and what excites her most about the museums’s current exhibition “A Black Hole is Everything a Star Longs to Be.” by Kara Walker.

RAFEL BESTARD

Rafel Bestard’s figurative oil paintings reveal intimate moments: a portrait of a person alone in a room or two individuals close to each other, lost in reverie. His paintings capture emotions, some obvious to read, some disturbing, but always graceful and soft. They flow in between reality and surreality, between awakening and dreaming, trying to make the invisible visible.

The starting point for Rafel’s painting is a photograph. He takes pictures of people he has a personal relationship with, or models and dancers he has been working with for several years, staging moments and emotions that he recreates in his paintings.

WILL RAMSAY

“I had always admired VOLTA and when I heard it might be for sale, I jumped at the chance.

I hope that VOLTA will continue to be: An art community which people admire for its passionate people (gallerists, artists, and our VOLTA team), creative content (the art, special projects, relevance) and vibrant and nurturing ethos (professionalism, creativity, fun, caring). A stepping stone for some, and place of discovery for all, be they artists, gallerists or collectors. A relevant and valid platform in its own right, as well as one of the most established and respected satellite fairs.”

— Will Ramsay, Founder of Ramsay Fairs

This time, Kamiar Maleki talks to Will Ramsay, Founder of the Fair’s parent company Ramsay Fairs. Read the interview as they discuss Will Ramsay’s passion for art, his desire to make art more accessible and where he sees VOLTA’s position in the fair world.

HENDRIK ZIMMER

With a foundation in sculpting, Hendrik Zimmer quickly turned towards abstract painting by creating collages and décollages.

He obtains materials like billboards, prints off the street, collects books and newspapers with themes of his interest, bringing the outside world into his studio where he transforms it into large-formatted paintings. This involves ten to twelve layers of paint and paper, applied and removed, imprinted with recurring forms and symbols and then partially scraped off again. Underneath these layers, letters are peeking through the surface and they turn into shapes and forms as they are taken out of context.

REBECCA MASRI

With spring time upon us and travel restrictions gradually lifting in the coming months, we are thrilled to introduce you to Rebecca Masri, founder of VOLTA's partner Little Emperors. Little Emperors is a private members hotel club, offering access to preferred rates and guaranteed benefits at the most exclusive hotels around the globe, handpicked by a team of travel advisors and luxury experts.

“We have already seen a change in booking behaviors, dominated by longer stays as offices remain closed, the new ‘work from holiday’, and short lead times. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is certain.”

— Rebecca Masri, Founder Little Emperors & Co.

ARTJOM CHEPOVETSKYY

Deeply ingrained in figurative painting, Artjom Chepovetskyy turned towards abstraction in 2018. As he says, applying paint layer by layer on the canvas’ surface felt insufficient. This is when he discovered chiffon, a lightweight and transparent fabric, to replace the sturdy canvas and open his paintings up into a third dimension.

Artjom creates shapes hovering on the painting’s surface, letting the wooden frame and laminated paper shine through the ground. His paintings emerge on and behind the chiffon, with patterns and forms abstracted from the urban environment. Some in loud pink, green and yellow colors, others fading in shades of blue and grey.

LAURENT MOISI

"I think more than ever creativity, whether as an artist, a designer, an architect comes from mixing emotions and experiences. We all live in the same world and 2020 showed us the fragility of everything that we took for granted. Creativity as an aspiration and as a way of living for artists, and creators is crucial to make people hope, dream and escape. Art, lifestyle, fashion and design are together spreading this message of hope each using their own tools and medium but all trying to have a positive impact in confront of social and environmental responsibility."

— Laurent Moïsi, Co-publisher, Co-owner and editor Whitewall Magazine

TIFFANY ZABLUDOWICZ

Meet collector and curator Tiffany Zabludowicz, founder of Times Square Space, a residency and exhibition program in vacant offices in Times Square. Tiffany comes from a family of collectors, learn how her family influenced her way into the art world and where she discovers most of the art she buys.

"Bigger art fairs can lead to hegemony in the art world while satellite art fairs like VOLTA have more freedom to look in different directions and therefore often end up introducing more wild cards into the mix of galleries. This presents an opportunity for collectors to find young undiscovered artists and less known art from around the world."

— Tiffany Zabludowicz, Collector and Curator

AFRODET ZURI

“Discovering art everywhere I go in the world, is one of my favorite challenges from exploring street art to museums. The art shown on museums walls in different cities or countries is only a small part of their art story. We are living in such a global society that it only takes a few clicks to figure out what artists host studio visits or what parts of town host prominent street art.

To champion younger and more emerging artists, I educate my collectors about an art world beyond Art Basel. Yes, it is very important to attend Basel, Armory, TEFAF, etc. but equally important is attending fairs like VOLTA which give space to younger galleries showcasing younger or lesser known artists.”

— Afrodet Zuri, Art Dealer, Consultant, Curator

ARIEL ADKINS

“My goal is to elevate art and creativity on Twitter, through exhibitions and campaigns, and to engage with artists and the art world more broadly to ensure they have the tools and knowledge to be successful in sharing their work with a broad audience. Art on Twitter is not only a perfectly filtered photo of a clean, crisp artwork – it is the conversation between artists, curators, writers, performers, sharing why they do what they do. It's a peak behind the scenes at how art is made, a discussion about its place in society or inequities in the art world. My job is to make sure we are supporting and encouraging this rich conversation.”

— Ariel Adkins, Creator of Artfully Awear & Curator of Art, Culture & Community at Twitter

NICHOLAS CAMPBELL

“What has struck me as special with the VOLTA art fairs is the fact that whilst exhibitor numbers are relatively low, the level of quality remains high. Fairs often have great offerings but are tiresomely big or are more manageable in size but lacking in quality. However, each time I’ve visited VOLTA, it has been a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience. I can’t wait to come back, hopefully in the new year.”

— Nicholas Campbell, Founder of Narcissus Arts (London, UK)

ATTILA LEDÉNYI

“I’m a born optimist, and as it turned out this year, members of my team seem to share my view. The harder the circumstances were, the tougher the challenges became, my team got even more dedicated, internal solidarity made it feel as if we were really one big family. And this was somehow transmitted to our exhibitors and visitors, this is what made Art Market Budapest such a euphoric experience.”

— Attila Ledényi, Founding Director of Art Market Budapest (Hungary)

SHANTELL MARTIN

"Collaboration is a very important part of my practice. I think there is so much to explore in so many different areas, and when you collaborate you get the opportunity to learn from your collaborators, in mediums that might not generally be within your comfort zone."

— Shantell Martin, Visual Artist (New York, NY)

HANNAH STRICKLAND

“Redesigning the VOLTA brand was an absolute dream come true, but at the same time I was filled with fear knowing the incredible calibre of artists that are represented at the fairs – how on earth was I ever going to do justice to such a brilliant brand? The good news was that the VOLTA team were so invested in making the new brand a success. The secret to any successful design is clear communication and a bucket load of enthusiasm, so a rigorous strategy phase before we even thought about the design gave us firm foundations to build upon.”

— Hannah Strickland, Founder of Relentless Enthusiasm Ltd. and Designer of the 2020 VOLTA Rebrand (Bristol, UK)

THOMAS FUCHS

“For us, it is exciting and extremely important to find young and new talents. Together with our collectors we support them and accompany them on their path in the art world. In my opinion, this is one of the most important tasks of a gallery and what sets us apart from other art sectors like auction houses for instance.”

— Thomas Fuchs, Founder of Galerie Thomas Fuchs (Stuttgart, Germany)

ZAVIER ELLIS

“I love the feeling of discovery and I see that often in collectors too. It is part of my DNA but also I am passionate about providing a platform for those outside of the corporate and blue chip bubbles. I believe wholeheartedly in education and the value of youth or the newly educated. I thinks it’s important to support that.” 

— Zavier Ellis, Owner of CHARLIE SMITH LONDON (London, UK)

MICHAEL FOLEY

"There is nothing like working with younger artists. And when I say young, I mean newer to the market. They can be any age, actually. I love it because I know there is a lot to develop, and they are still continually reincarnating themselves in their practice — a lot of room for growth and potential. I like building careers rather than just maintaining them." 

— Michael Foley, Owner of Foley Gallery (New York, NY)

AMANDA COULSON

“For the NY show, we felt it was very important to do something a little different. In Basel, there had been a clear need for this type of fair, as there had really only been the two extremes of LISTE (youth) and Art Basel (mature/blue chip), whereas New York already has PULSE, Scope, Fountain and several other satellites, some of which were stronger than others.”

— Amanda Coulson, Former Director of VOLTA and Current Director of The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (Nassau, The Bahamas)