OUR COMMUNITY
VOLTA began life as a collaboration between art dealers, gallerists and friends. Over 18 years, we have proudly maintained this professional community as the foundation of each of our fairs in Basel and New York.
Each edition involves collaboration with a network of local and global partners, advisors and art experts to root ourselves within both the local cultural economy and international art networks. This collaboration supports our galleries and the emergence of new narratives in the art markets capitals.
MEET THE TEAM
Lee Cavaliere | VOLTA Artistic Director
Cavaliere holds experience in both the institutional and gallery sector having worked with the world-famous collection displays of Tate and delivering contemporary exhibitions at Max Wigram Gallery, London.
Cavaliere founded the world's first online art museum VOMA, is founder of the arts education charity The Sixteen Trust, and works with numerous charitable and community based projects internationally. With this intention, he is committed to spotlighting new artistic perspectives and emphasizing access for galleries to the emerging markets.
“We live in a different world than just a few years ago. People are more discerning and mindful of engaging with socially conscious art.
VOLTA is a unique art fair that has always aligned with art trends in the emerging markets. I aim to continue to look to the future and provide more access to emerging and diverse artistic voices. We will connect collectors with the unexpected and push the boundaries of what has been seen in this space before.”
Cristina Salmastrelli | Regional Manager, USA Ramsay Fairs
Cristina has worked in the Art Fair sector for over a decade and a half, producing or directing 67 art fairs since 2006. This includes ADAA The Art Fair Show, PULSE, Outsider Art Fair and VOLTA, with all this experience preparing her for being the proud mother of two rambunctious boys.
Francesca Starling | Operations Manager
With a background in art history and Masters from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Francesca has gone on to specialise in Operations and Logistics at international and national Art Fairs. She has over 10 years experience in the industry and currently works across three different Art Fairs in her portfolio liaising with over 200 galleries and managing supplier relationships across three countries.
Emily Harris | Marketing Manager
Emily brings over ten years experience working in marketing and communications in the cultural industries to VOLTA. With experience in commercial, fundraising, exhibitions and policy communications at iconic institutions such as the Royal Academy of Arts and the British Library she looks forward to developing the VOLTA brand in its next new chapter. Emily has a background in History of Art and is also a practicing artist and illustrator.
Steven Agre | Exhibitions Coordinator
Steven is based in New York and works with VOLTA’s Artistic Director to build relationships with galleries from across the globe. Having previously worked in as Gallery Manager at Ethan Cohen Gallery, Steven has experience of working at art fairs from the gallery perspective and helps craft VOLTA’s gallery centric approach.
India Burr-Hersey | Global Shipping Lead, Ramsay Fairs
India has over six years of experience in specialist fine art logistics. She began her career at Constantine as a Gallery & Collector coordinator, before moving into a senior position at Sotheby’s London and spending time working at MoMA in New York. India’s addition to the Ramsay Fairs team as the Global Shipping Lead puts an emphasis on improving galleries experiences in shipping artworks to VOLTA fairs, with a particular focus on those travelling internationally.
Sidonie Bishop | Marketing Coordinator
Sidonie started with Ramsay Fairs (VOLTA’s umbrella company) as an intern and developed into the Marketing Coordinator for VOLTA. Sidonie studied as a print maker and has a Master’s in Art Management. She applies her passion for the arts and management skills to engage VOLTAs audiences with the galleries we present.
ADVISORY BOARD
VOLTA's Advisory Board consists of individuals with a deep understanding of both international and local business and cultural landscapes. Their purpose is to enhance the fair's network by leveraging their diverse expertise. Together, they aim to achieve the following objectives:
Champion discovery and excellence in VOLTA’s curation
Expand influence and reach both internationally and in local communities to each fair
Forge strategic alliances to grow VOLTA’s voice and expertise
Advisory Board | Middle East North Africa
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Pamela Hraoui
Pamela Hraoui is a multi-disciplinary designer and art director from Beirut, Lebanon. Hraoui brings a wealth of international experience delivering projects in arts and communication across the Gulf, EU, Africa, Latin America and Australia. With experience at M&C Saatchi, Quantum, and LBCI, she has won multiple international awards including the Dubai Lynx Jury Award. Through all her work she brings her unique political experiences to drive her ethos and narrative.
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William Kaafarani
William Kaafarani is Chairman and Managing Director of MENA Global Group. Prior to his own ventures and initiatives, Kaafarani has served leadership roles in business development, providing consultancy and investment advisory services to American Express and GE Capital. An avid traveler of 56 countries, Kaafarni brings with him deep knowledge of emerging markets in the Middle East North Africa (MENA).
Advisory Board | Europe
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Sheila Arora
Sheila Arora is Vice-Chair of the Brussels based Europe-Asia Center, communications veteran and curator of concepts and partnerships. Having lived and worked throughout Asia, New York, Italy and Central Europe, London-born Arora has a passion for bringing ideas to life with her career focus in art, cultural diplomacy and luxury lifestyle.
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Nikki Nita Ramírez
Nikki Nita Ramírez is an art advisor, gallerist, and curator based between New York and London. Ramírez is the co-founder and co-director of Danuser & Ramírez, a contemporary art gallery based in London championing emerging artists with underrepresented voices. Her previous positions have been at The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and most recently, The Studio Museum in Harlem. Her bachelor’s degree being in Art History and Conservation in Florence, Italy opened a new way of looking at curation in a transhistorical approach. Ramírez’s practice is based on bridging the gap between the ancient antiquities of the Baroque and the contemporary art scene today.
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Patrick Petermann
Patrick Petermann is a Swiss lawyer working as counsel for a multinational cooperation in the transportation sector. Born and living in Basel, he has been interested in the art world since his childhood. Today he actively supports the gallery business of Diana Vogel, his wife, who runs Galerie Katapult in Basel.
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Carolina Conforti
Carolina Conforti is an art historian, collector and writer. Born in Naples, Carolina studied in Switzerland and Paris. Her career has since taken her to the Louvre and Sotheby’s, Paris and Christie’s in London and on to launch Art Talk Magazine in 2020. She manages her own family’s art collection and is Editor-in-Chief of Art Investor magazine that focuses on the philanthropic, cultural and investment value of art.
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Christian Marx
Christian Marx founded the Christian Marx Galerie in Düsseldorf in 2009. The graduate economist previously worked as an art consultant for several years and now supports both emerging young and established mid-career artists. The gallery attracts both institutional and private collectors and is a member of the Federal Association of German Galleries and Editions.
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Julia Lechbinska
Julia Lechbinska’s eponymous gallery serves as a cultural bridge for East Asian contemporary art in Switzerland. Julia's journey commenced in wealth management, where she managed the East Asian market. This experience piqued her interest in the arts and culture of this region, prompting her to pursue a Master's in Art History. Julia further honed her skills through art expertise training and gained valuable experience working in an auction house before establishing her own gallery – Lechbinska Gallery based in Zurich.
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Francois Laurent Renet
Francois Laurent Renet entered the art world in New York working at L&M Arts, working alongside Dominique Lévy, in contemporary art to Old Masters. Working across the movie, gaming, VR and AR industries in California, Renet then advised start ups across the Art, Entertainment and Health and Wellness spaces. Most recently, Renet has launched Art Talk Magazine alongside Carolina Conforti.
Advisory Board | USA
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Maryana Kaliner
Maryana Kaliner is the founder of FORMah gallery, an entrepreneur, and finance professional specializing in business strategy and development. Formerly focused on high-volume deals and mergers and acquisitions in the global tech industry, Kaliner shifted to the art world in 2021. FORMah Gallery holds a mission to shine a light on female-identifying artists. Kaliner is a frequent public speaker and is actively involved in organizations that empower women. She holds an Executive MA in Negotiation and Decision Making in International Relations and a BA in Economics.
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Ethan Cohen
Ethan Cohen first founded his eponymous gallery in 1987 as Art Waves/Ethan Cohen in SoHo, New York City. A groundbreaker in the field of contemporary Chinese art, Ethan was the first gallerist to present the Chinese Avant-Garde of the 1980s to the United States.
Today the Ethan Cohen Gallery represents a diverse global mix of contemporary and postwar contemporary art, with a continuing focus on emerging as well as established artists. Ethan advises private, public, and corporate clients and is a certified appraiser with the Appraisers Association of America. He is specialist in contemporary Asian art, African art and Post War Contemporary Art.
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Ola and Maya Rondiak
Ola and Maya Rondiak are contemporary artists who join the VOLTA Advisory Board as a mother daughter duo, bringing a cross-generational outlook to their experiences living between New York and Ukraine. Ola’s painting practice stems from her family’s experiences living in Ukraine during the historical events of World War II, Stalin's Iron Curtain, and the pivotal moments of the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Her work has been exhibited at VOLTA New York 2023 with Alessandro Berni Gallery and becomes a poignant reflection of her personal history intricately woven with Ukraine's collective past and traditions. Maya is a renaissance woman and multifaceted artist and activist. Releasing music under the name Maya Mor, she weaves influences from her cultural heritage into the music and into the global issues she raises awareness to through her platforms.
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