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reports2021/10/20

The Art Of Curation With Angeliki Kim Jonsson

by Angeliki Kim Jonsson

Our Q&A with Angeliki Kim Jonsson, the founder of DYNAMISK Independent Curating and Art advisory.

Tell us about DYNAMISK the Independent Curating and Art Advisory you  founded in 2018. 

I founded Dynamisk Independent Curating & Art Advisory in 2018, one year after graduating from university holding a double degree in Art History & Visual Culture. Today I work as a curator and art advisor on a multitude of curatorial and art advisory projects, studio visits, workshops, art talks and tours. I also run a conversation series named Give Me A Break: Dynamisk “In Conversation with..” - it is an ever growing series of vibrant and unique conversations with pioneering individuals from the art world. In addition to being a Future Contemporaries member at the Serpentine galleries as part of a new generation of philanthropists, I’m currently based in London and I am co-writing my first book! 

What inspired you to start this - where did the idea come from? 

I’ve always had a great passion for the arts. At the age of 12 I auditioned for a musical school that I attended for three years. I then went on to a professional dance  school and at the age of 18, I moved to Milan. Here, I was truly immersed in the Italian culture of fashion, design and art, of course. But I really think it was at university in Lugano, Switzerland, that I really knew that I was headed for the art world. 

After moving to London, my passion for the arts really began to grow - how could it not? Living in one of the major art capitals, you truly have the very best in art  (galleries, museums, artist studios, independent art projects) at your very door step. To support my graduating thesis, which I wrote on curating, I started a conversation series, where I sat down with different people from the art world. During my final year of university I’ve started to curate talks and workshops at the Soho House. I ran my Instagram page, focusing on art through my life, and knew that I was ready to start something on my own. I have always had an entrepreneurial drive (I think it must come from my mother; she’s my biggest role model, hardworking and a mother of seven), so one year after graduating university, I officially I launched DYNAMISK in May 2018. Back then I also had a small art blog on my website. I remember the first post, it was actually about me starting DYNAMISK - I compared it to Yves Klein’s 1960 Photomontage Leap in to the Void because that was how it first felt. Like leaping into the void not knowing what would happen.  

Today, looking back I guess you can say that DYNAMISK projects have really grown organically. It started off with a great passion for the arts and today is an independent curating and art advisory that follows on a multitude of curatorial and art advisory projects, including studio visits, art talks, workshops and art tours.  

Can you run us through what your day-to-day work entails?

No day is like the other and I guess that is what I love the most about what I do. It is also where I got the name from - dynamisk translates from Swedish into the English  word dynamic, characterized by constant change, activity or progress.  

I am always back-to-back and my weeks are filled with appointments and interesting encounters. Studio visits are what I love the most and meeting artists is always a true treat. Other days you find me jumping between galleries to catch up on all the latest shows or with collectors and art world colleagues planning for new exciting projects! Somedays I lock myself in at one of the Soho Houses and I do all my admin, take calls and have shorter meetings. Other days, I spend in the car listening to loud music as I am crossing over London (and the traffic) getting my way to an artist studio - they always seem to be off the beaten track!  I also travel a lot for work, to attend the major art fairs, visit museum shows and or just to meet up with artists, collectors and art friends.  

Where do you discover the emerging artists you feature on the platform, are there any that you’ve recently uncovered who you’d like to highlight? 

Again, London is a true treasure chest when it comes to the arts. There are so many great art universities here, where I would recommend visiting graduation shows as it is a great way to get to know an artist early on and becomes rewarding to follow and support an artist that you love from the very start. I also use Instagram and, while I know there are definitely positive and negative impacts of the platform, I have to  say that I’ve met some amazing artists and connected with great likeminded people on there that I would have probably not have met otherwise!  

I would love to highlight Sally Kindberg, Ania Trojanowska, Berit Louise, Somaya Critchlow and Antonia Showering. There are really so many other amazing artists I hate to leave out - I guess I will have to recommend the boys club next time!  

You also run Give Me A Break: Dynamisk “In Conversation with…”, an ever growing series of vibrant conversations with individuals from the Art world.  Tell us about this and why you feel it so important to shine a light on these voices. 

The conversation series organically developed from the graduation thesis that I wrote during my final year of university. Once I graduated I came to realize that I truly enjoyed the conversations so I was determined to keep them going. Up until this point, they were private conversations but there were so many interesting topics and questions covered that I thought I need to share this with the world. I started a partnership with Soho House (White City) where I hosted two conversations before the Covid outbreak. Now what’s new for 2022 is that the conversation series will become a podcast. I am working with a fantastic young creative team based in East London that will come along with me to record everything and the podcast will focus on established artists and pioneering individuals within the art world, ranging from curators, museum  directors, entrepreneurs and everything in between! The other part of the conversation series will be a Q&A on my website, shedding light on young voices  and celebrating up-and-coming individuals within the arts.  

Conversations is an extension to the Give Me A Break Dynamisk “In Conversation  with..” podcast and, as a hybrid space that celebrates the multi-disciplinary, it also offers a collection of curated short essays, art columns and interviews.  

What inspires you? Where do you look for new ideas and beyond art, what drives you? 

My family, friends and my artists! But also people around me. I am a true observer and very attentive to detail. I think we often don’t give ourselves time to just let our thoughts drift off - this is when important work is done and when I connect the dots, I usually end up seeing things clearer. It is in this ‘state of mind’ that you can get really creative. Inspiration can be found everywhere, you just have to keep an open mind and look for it.  

Art and fashion are intrinsically linked and from your platform it’s clear you have a strong passion for both. How do you personally feel that one feeds into the other? 

I think both of them are extremely important forms of self-expression. I have always loved fashion and it is really important to me because it really allows me to be my true self. It’s an honor that people and friends comment on the way that I dress and why not express yourself through fashion? It's said that life is too short to wear boring clothes and I think that’s true.  

My work comes with a busy schedule that ranges from meetings with artists, collectors, galleries, other art professionals, at events including art breakfasts, exhibitions previews, VIP engagements, art dinners and parties (not to mention when I travel for work), so I love to dress up creatively!

How did you come across Wolf & Badger? 

My birthday is in May and this year I received an amazing neon green blazer from Aggi - my two best girlfriends bought it from Wolf & Badger! So that was my initial  encounter with the brand. I’ve then learnt that you stock Bikind that I’m a MAJOR fan of and I love your philosophy that both supports independent brands and takes the effort out of finding and sourcing sustainably and ethically produced garment and products. Let’s say I discovered Wolf & Badger by chance, but I am definitely here to stay!  

How necessary is it to you to support independent creators and how might you encourage more to do the same? 

I am a firm believer in karma - do good and you’ll receive good, it is that simple. There is enough room for us all to shine and I am the first to celebrate my fellow art curators. I’m proud to say that I’ve made some strong connections in the art world with women that are doing similar work to me and it is fantastic to see how we are encouraging and supporting each other, so I would definitely like to shout out to the following art babes: Anna GuggenbuehlValentina BizzottoClaudia Cheng, Adele Smejkal, and Daria Borisova. I also feel that I need to mention The Art Gorgeous that is a fantastic initiative that support women in the arts. They also run a members club and connect people in the industry. Art She Says is a New York based art magazine focusing on women in the art world and has been super supportive of my work so I’m very grateful for that!