Contemporary Art Academy

Contemporary Art Academy is an online art educational initiative offering courses to practicing artists, co-founded by Zavier Ellis & Mathew Gibson.  

Faculty

Contemporary Art Academy is home to an award-winning faculty of artworld professionals, each with a valuable network of industry connections. They have a wealth of experience in the contemporary art arena as practicing artists, curators, gallerists, art writers, magazine editors and educators.

Lead Artists

Kiera Bennett

@bennett.kiera

Kiera Bennett is a practicing contemporary artist and has recently relocated to Southend-on-Sea. She continues to teach in London and is represented by CHARLIE SMITH LONDON. Kiera has work in various leading corporate, private and artist collections globally, including David and Serenella Ciclitira, Arthur G Rosen, Julian Opie, Cornelia Parker and Soho House.  

Kiera studied at The Royal College of Art and The Ruskin School, Oxford University. Since graduating from the RCA in 2002 she has consistently exhibited both nationally and internationally. Kiera was a member of Rockwell Gallery and Studios, Dalston Lane, London, 2002 – 2007. Rockwell was an artist run project space and studio complex that exhibited over 200 artists. The Hackney based collective showcased the work of emerging artists; rare and unseen projects of established artists; projects by particularly exciting curators; and occasionally work by Rockwell’s own members. Kiera has also co-curated exhibitions including In Memoriam Francesca Lowe, Old Truman Brewery, London (2017); The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – 22 painters (2016); and The Beard (2011) – both at CHARLIE SMITH LONDON. Kiera has also been co-selector of the Barbican Arts Group Trust / ArtWorks Open with Graham Crowley (2011) and Reece Jones (2012). 

Kiera has extensive teaching experience. For the past 15 years she has been Fine Art tutor at City and Guilds of London Art School, teaching across the BA and MA Fine Art courses. She has also been visiting lecturer at art schools including Chelsea College of Art, Norwich School of Art, Camberwell Art School, The Ruskin School, Oxford University, University of Bedfordshire and through the Cocheme Fellowship at Byam Shaw School of Art, taught on their Post Graduate course. Kiera has also been a mentor on the Turps studio programme. 

Andrew Carter

@andrewcarteramc

Andrew Carter lives and works in London. He is a painter, printmaker and teacher. He studied Fine Art Painting at Central St Martins and an MA in Printmaking at Camberwell School of Art. He has over twenty-five years of art teaching experience alongside developing his own work as a painter and printmaker. Over the last ten years he has focused his own practice on relief printmaking, developing ideas for limited edition prints, artists books and installation. Primarily the focus of this work is about shape, colour and pattern found in the process of making and in the observation of the natural world. He has exhibited his prints widely, including at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and various contemporary print fairs. Carter’s work is held in public and private collections including the V&A Museum, the British Library and Warwick University. 

Karen David

@karensdavid

Karen David is an artist, lecturer and curator exploring fiction as a tool for practice-based research. Her PhD activated an imaginary commune where residents search for a ‘viable essence’ through liquid paint material experiments. Karen has an MA Fine Art from Wimbledon College of Arts (2012), BA (Hons) Mixed Media Art, University of Westminster (2004), a PGC in Research Methods (2021) and a PhD from University of Worcester (2023).

Karen has over 10 years teaching experience with her most recent post as Lecturer in BA Painting and Printmaking at Glasgow School of Art, and Associate Lecturer in Critical Contextual Studies and on BA Fine Art at London Metropolitan University. She has been a visiting lecturer since 2013 at art schools in London, Middlesborough, Worcester, Hereford, West Kent and Sheffield.

Karen’s curatorial practice involves transforming gallery spaces into a fictional room such as The Mythmaking Agency (2024); The Collector’s Room (Houdini), JGM Gallery (2020); and The Waiting Room, Wimbledon Space (2018). She is the founder of Cork Lined Rooms, an artist studio interview project, and was curator of Perimeter Space at Griffin Gallery from 2016-18.

Karen has exhibited at University of Worcester, University of Gloucestershire, VITRINE Bermondsey Square, MIMA in Middleborough, Site Gallery in Sheffield, ASC Gallery, Collyer Bristow Gallery, CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, White Conduit Projects, Leeds College of Art, Art Lacuna, Enclave Projects, Senate House Library and Southampton Solent University.

Karen David portrait by Charlie Gray

Mark Entwisle

@markentwisle

Born in Amman, Jordan, Mark Entwisle is recognized as a highly accomplished figurative artist working in oil and watercolour. Only diagnosed with dyslexia aged 45, Mark had always found art to be a profoundly expressive vehicle, constantly working in sketchbooks as well as towards finished pieces.

Mark studied Illustration at Brighton Art College under John Vernon Lord and Raymond Briggs. Upon graduation his fluid style was immediately in demand with numerous commissions from leading book publishers globally; and he also undertook editorial work, album cover and poster design.

Fifteen years into his career, Mark began to focus on painting, and specifically portraiture. His observational paintings uncover a poignancy in the everyday and appear effortless. With success in many competitions including the BP Portrait Award, Mark won the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition in 2020. He continues to exhibit and work to commission, with the human figure being central to his work.

Alastair Gordon

Alastair Gordon is a Scottish artist working with painting, drawing and installation, based in London. Gordon received his BA from Glasgow School of Art and his MA from Wimbledon School of Art, London. In 2024 he had his first solo exhibition in a public museum at An Lanntair in Stornoway. Other solo exhibitions include Ahmanson Gallery in Irvine, California (2017), Aleph Contemporary, London (2020 and 2021), and Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London (2024). 
  
In 2023, the first major monograph of the artist’s career was published by Anomie, including over 160 paintings, drawings and documentational photographs, along with notes by Gordon himself. Gordon’s paintings bring the historic languages of genre painting into a contemporary discourse that pushes the boundaries of realism, figuration and illusionism to focus on everyday moments. His work often elevates seemingly ordinary objects – feathers, matchsticks, postcards – allowing them to speak to wider concerns of truth, life and death. 
  
After graduating from Wimbledon MA in 2010, Gordon was awarded first prize in the inaugural Shoosmiths painting prize. He went on to receive the Departure Arts residency in east London where he later established Husk Gallery. Other shortlisted awards include Griffin Art Prize, Threadneedle Painting Prize, The Open West and co-recipient of the Denton Art Prize in 2019. 
  
He is course leader for the professional practice graduate programme at the Leith School of Art in Edinburgh where he has taught painting for 12 years. Gordon is also co-founder of the Morphē Arts Trust who build studios and run residencies for early career artists.   

Laxmi Hussain

@thislakshmi

Laxmi Hussain has been drawing for as long as she can remember. But it is only since the birth of her first child that she turned her passion into a profession. Re-inspired by the irrepressible joy in creativity shown by her children, Laxmi picked up the pencil again, finding artwork to be a valuable means of reclaiming her own identity amid the emotional blurrings of motherhood. 

Elegant and ethereal but also precise and geometric, Laxmi’s drawings and paintings exist somewhere between abstraction and realism, often presenting what appear to be the free-flowing organic forms of the body through intricately ordered patterns. Her inspiration comes from everyday life, especially the tenderness of motherhood.

Working in different media, and usually at night, Laxmi is driven by experimentation, constantly exploring new techniques. Often, her work includes elements that appear incomplete, obliging the viewer to pause and engage with the artwork, and to fill in the absences themselves.

Laxmi has been commissioned for artwork or illustration by numerous private and corporate clients including the Henry Moore Foundation, H&M Home, Tate, Royal Academy of Arts,Vans, Derwent Art, Chronicle Books and Astrid & Miyu. She has been featured in prominent publications including Vogue, TimeOut, Elle Decoration, Financial Times and The Sunday Times.

Sam Jackson

@samjacksonpainter

Sam Jackson is represented by CHARLIE SMITH LONDON and Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt. He graduated from the Royal Academy Schools, London with a Post-Graduate Diploma Fine Art in 2007 having completed his BA (Hons) in Fine Art at Middlesex University in 2003. 
 
Sam has exhibited widely, including Saatchi Gallery, London; The Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, Norwich; Walker Art Museum, Liverpool; Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth; Dean Clough, Halifax; Galerie Robert Drees, Berlin; Galerie Rigassi, Bern; Koraalberg Contemporary Art Gallery, Antwerp; and Mark Moore Gallery, LA. His work is placed in prominent private collections globally including Javier Baz, Denver; Glen Luchford, New York; David Roberts, London; Sir Norman Rosenthal, London; and Kay Saatchi, Los Angeles. 
 
Sam has extensive teaching experience, from school age to Masters. He has taught GCSE, A-level, BTEC, Foundation, BA (Hons) and Masters. He currently teaches MA Painting at Arts University Bournemouth, a course which he co-wrote with artist and Associate Professor Dominic Shepherd. 

Liane Lang

@lianelangstudio

Liane Lang is a mixed media artist with a focus on the conversation between sculpture and photography. In her work she frequently prints images onto objects to explore the tension between the narrative and historical and the texture, scale and presence of the object. Lang takes a particular interest in monuments, statues and historic spaces and uses a wide range of materials from bark, lead and leather to marble and bronze. Born in Germany, Lang was partly raised in the U.S.A. She studied at National College of Art and Design in Dublin, took a BA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London, and an MFA at the Royal Academy Schools, London graduating in 2006. She lives and works in the East End of London.  

She has exhibited widely both in the UK and internationally, including the Royal Academy of Arts, Musée de Beaux Arts Calais, Museo Reina Sofia Madrid, PS1 New York, Kunstwerke, Berlin and Kunstverein Heidelberg. She won the Photofusion Award, the Tooth Travel Award and the Selina Cheneviere Prize. In 2019 she completed a six-month fellowship at Fundacion BilbaoArte in Spain. 2021 has seen a solo show in London at James Freeman Gallery and a residency with Ampersand Foundation and the Wirksworth Festival which culminated in a major installation in 2022. In 2022 she collaborated with musician Philipp Schlotter on a video, sound and sculptural performance at the Museo Guggenheim in Bilbao as part of the Toparte program. In 2019 she exhibited a major installation at Kunsthalle Tübingen, Germany as part of Come Back and at James Simon Gallery, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, as part of Nah am Leben. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, such as Royal Academy of Arts, MoMA, V&A, The Art Institute of Chicago, Arts Council England, the Saatchi Collection, Deutsche Bank, Kunstverein Bregenz, Ernst and Young and the Collection of the Kunstamt Spandau, Berlin.

Stephanie Nebbia

@stephanienpartistcurator

Stephanie Nebbia is a London based artist whose practice includes painting, sculpture, ceramics and printmaking. She took her BA (Hons) and MA at the University of Arts London. Stephanie has a strong interest in and knowledge of colour and materiality, both in her own work and the context of others. It was this that led to her curating and collaborations, emphasizing dialogue between curation and the importance of archival responsibility.  

Recent exhibitions include the Royal Academy Summer Show; a solo at the Sassoon Gallery Folkestone; Hospital Rooms auction at Hauser & Wirth; and the Royal Watercolour Society. Her work is placed in numerous collections in the UK, Europe and US.  

Stephanie has extensive teaching experience and was previously head of Foundation at St Albans Hertfordshire. She has also been involved in the revalidation of art programmes as well as an examiner and moderator for Fine Art and Design pathways. Nebbia is Deputy Director of Hands On Art Workshops, which offers a programme of practical art workshops for school students in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. 

Robert Rost

@rostrobert

Robert Rost is a Dutch painter, working and living in Rotterdam.

Deeply inspired by Abstract Expressionism in his youth and with a passion for portrait painting, Robert quickly mastered an illustrative style of portraiture. His experience is broad, with gallery exhibitions, pop-up shows, collaborations, outdoor murals and the founding of street art collective Monkidoe all on his résumé.

Robert has taught at art colleges and high schools, including in special education. He has also delivered private workshops and was Resident Artist for Winsor & Newton, Liquitex and Conté à Paris from 2011 to 2023. In this position he set-up and gave content to The Fine Art Collective in the Netherlands as well delivering training to artists.

Besides his free works, Robert creates commissioned portrait paintings for clients who like to purchase a more tailored work.

Joanna Whittle

Joanna Whittle is a practising painter based in Sheffield, UK with a BA (Hons) in painting from Central St Martins (UAL) and an MA in painting from the Royal College of Art (2000). She is Vice Chair of Contemporary British Painting and a member of the Archives Research Community; the Landscape Research Group; and the Guild of St George (Ruskin Collection). Jo has been a visiting lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, Leeds Arts University, Lancaster University, Hallam University and Camberwell College of Arts (UAL). She is a painting tutor at the Open College of Arts and has a wide range of experience in providing public engagement opportunities for many institutions including Sheffield Museums, Site Gallery and University of Leeds.

As part of an expanded practice, Jo regularly works with museums, collections and archives and has received Arts Council funding for projects with the Portland Collection and Welbeck Estate (Nottinghamshire) in 2020. In 2022-2023 she was funded for a large scale project with the National Fairground and Circus Archive, conducting collaborative research with academics, architects, showmen and community members.

In 2020 Jo became a founding member of Heavy Water Collective, who have undertaken projects with a number of collections and institutions including Cardiff University, G39 (Cardiff), Kunslterhaüs Dortmund, University of Sheffield and the Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University.

She was selected for the John Moores Painting Prize in 2018 and 2023 and was winner of the Contemporary British Painting Prize in 2019. Jo has exhibited widely, including solo shows at the Whitaker Museum, Welbeck Estate and Museum of London; and group exhibitions at Saatchi Gallery, Freelands Foundation, Site Gallery, Collyer Bristow, Royal Academy of Arts, Huddersfield Art Gallery, Attenborough Arts Centre, Highlanes Public Gallery, APT Gallery, Tullie House Museum and Newcastle Contemporary Art.

Portrait photo credit Ndrika Anyika

Critical Context

Richard Dyer

@richardxdyerart

Richard Dyer is Editor in Chief of Third Text (Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Art and Culture), and a Contributing Editor to Ambit literary magazine. He is a widely published art critic, reviewer, poet, fiction writer, and a practicing artist. His critical writing has appeared in Third Text, Frieze, Flash Art, Art Review, Art Press (London Correspondent), The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, Time Out, Citizen K (London Correspondent), and many other publications and catalogues. He was a curator on A Century of the Artist’s Studio: 1920−2020 (24 February – 5 June 2022), a major exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery.

Richard’s previous publications (before becoming full-time Editor in Chief at Third Text) include: a monograph on the UK based artist Wolfe von Lenkiewicz (Anomie Publishing, 2016); Ben Turnbull: Truth Justice and the American Way (The Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster University, 2012); Art on Demand: Custom Colours and Materials: Sébastien de Ganay, Abstract Works Catalogue, 2008–2009 (onestar press, 2009); Controfacciata: Solid Water, Liquid Stone on the work of German photographer Matthias Schaller (Ben Brown Gallery, London, 2008); Keith Coventry: Deconstructing the Modernist Utopia (Haunch of Venison, Zurich, 2008); and the major monograph Making the (In)visible in the Work of Mark Francis, (Lund Humphries, 2008). Previous publications include Transitive Transduction: Breaking the Integument in the work of Tony Bevan (Ben Brown Gallery, 2006); Dan Hays: Impressions of Colorado (Southampton City Art Gallery, 2006); Zineb Sedira: Saphir (Photographer’s Gallery, 2006); and the first monograph on the British feminist performance and video artist Tina Kean, Electronic Shadows: The Art of Tina Kean (Black Dog, 2004).

Richard has conducted interviews with Gilbert and George, Nicholas Serota, Euan Uglow, Gregory Crewdson, Sarah Lucas, Andres Serrano, Isaac Julian, Yinka Shonibare, Fred Wilson, Raqib Shaw and Georgina Starr among other leading contemporary artists. He gave the opening keynote speech Breeching the Integument between Making, Looking and Writing at the 45th AICA Congress at the University of Zurich in July 2012. He has lectured at the Royal Academy, UAL, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art, and the University of East London.

Hettie Judah

@hettiejudah

Hettie Judah is the chief critic on the daily newspaper the i, a columnist for Apollo magazine, a contributing editor to The Plant, and writes regularly for the Guardian, Vogue, Frieze, the New York Times and a number of magazines with ‘art’ in the title. Recent and upcoming books include Lapidarium (John Murray/Penguin, 2022), How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents) (Lund Humphries, 2022), Frida Kahlo (Laurence King, 2020) and Art London (ACC Art Books, 2019).  

Hettie regularly talks about art and with artists for museum and gallery events, and has been a visiting lecturer for Goldsmiths University, London and Dauphine University, Paris. A supporter of Arts Emergency she has mentored artists and students through a variety of different schemes. As a broadcaster Hettie can be heard (and sometimes seen) on programmes including BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and Art That Made Us. She is currently working on a Hayward Touring exhibition. 

Emily Steer

@emilycsteer

Emily Steer is a London-based arts and culture journalist. She was online editor and then editor of pioneering biannual art magazine Elephant for eight years, and has written for titles including the Telegraph, Wallpaper, i-D, AnOther, Vice, Grazia, Marie Claire and Time Out.

In her time as a journalist, she has interviewed industry leading artists including Marina Abramović, Tim Walker, David Bailey and Theaster Gates. She has appeared on BBC shows Front Row and The Art of Now and hosted panel discussions for institutions such as The Royal Academy and The Arts Club.

She is currently training to be a psychodynamic psychotherapist at The Tavistock and Portman Clinic in London and has experience working with clients around suicidal ideation and sexual trauma. Her studies will lead to membership of the British Psychoanalytic Council.

Professional Practice

Zavier Ellis

@zavierellisstudio

Zavier Ellis was born in Windsor in the United Kingdom in 1973. He read History of Modern Art at Manchester University (1993-1996) before undertaking a Masters in Fine Art at City & Guilds of London Art School (2003-2005).  

Zavier has a multi-layered approach to the art industry. He is the founder and director of CHARLIE SMITH LONDON, a curatorial gallery project that runs off-site exhibitions in diverse locations. He was also co-founder and co-curator of the independent and annual show THE FUTURE CAN WAIT (2007-2017), which between 2011 and 2014 was organised in partnership with Saatchi’s New Sensations. THE FUTURE CAN WAIT was the largest exhibition of its kind globally. Zavier also curates a regular exhibition called Young Gods, which is his personal selection of London graduates and postgraduates. In response to recent global events Zavier launched the online work on paper initiative PROJECT PAPYROPHILIA during the first lockdown; and the Ukraine Support Pledge with Matthew Burrows MBE to raise funds by selling artwork for the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.   

Zavier has curated exhibitions internationally including in Berlin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Klaipėda, London, Los Angeles, Naples and Rome; and continues to place work in notable collections globally. Known as an acute talent spotter Zavier has identified and exhibited a number of important young artists directly from art college who have gone on to considerable success with galleries, museums and collectors.   

Zavier also collects and maintains a studio practice, and as such has exhibited at Museum der Moderne, Salzburg; Pera Museum, Istanbul; Saatchi Gallery, London; Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles; Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre, Klaipėda; Royal West Academy, Bristol; Dean Clough, Halifax; Paul Stolper, London; Galerie Heike Strelow, Frankfurt; Raid Projects, Los Angeles; and ENIA Gallery, Pireas. His work is featured in prominent private collections including the seminal Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel, Zurich and Beth Rudin DeWoody, West Palm Beach.  

Zavier sits on various selection committees and juries and is co-founder of Contemporary Art Academy. He has delivered many talks and seminars including Masterpiece Art Fair, Arts University College at Bournemouth, Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers, London Art Fair, Chelsea College of Arts, Aesthetica Magazine, Griffin Gallery, King’s College, London and City & Guilds of London Art School. 

In 2014 Zavier published the iArtBook 100 London Artists with renowned art critic and historian Edward Lucie-Smith.  

Andrew Etherington

@andrewdavidartish

Andrew Etherington has worked as a gallerist, dealer, researcher, art technician, writer and market stall holder, and was a PhD dropout before taking over as Gallery Director at Bermondsey Project Space in 2020. In his four years at BPS he delivered over 100 exhibitions with international artists and photographers, with a particular focus on arts education and community projects platforming underrepresented voices.

In Spring 2024 he joined Art Forward as Creative Director, producing exhibitions with a more political and social focus, including an international touring show in collaboration with Amnesty International.

Previously Andrew has collaborated with West-End galleries to stage touring exhibitions by their artists outside of London, organised retrospectives by outsider industrial artists at regional museums, and has given several artists who have gone on to have international success their first solo shows. He is also a committed collector, focusing on contemporary printmaking and works on paper, and frequently leads workshops and seminars on the practicalities of exhibiting for artists and curators, alongside mentoring practicing artists on their professional development.

Dean Melbourne

Dean has a breadth of experience in the art world spanning 25 years. This includes curating, exhibiting, producing, advising, and educating across both public and private sectors. Alongside his own experience as a consistently practising artist this gives him unique insight and ability to assist other artists. Organisations he has previously worked with include; Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Birmingham Hippodrome, DASH, Grand Union, Coventry University, Creative Alliance, Birmingham University. Falmouth University. Dean has lectured in FE and HE, worked in museum education and as a private consultant.

Dean has helped to deliver development programmes to a huge number of creative organisations, large and small, and independent producers, Artists and SMEs. He has also run his own temporary gallery project Width of Circle. He is currently Director of Education at Cosimo Art.

As an artist Dean has exhibited in London, Hong Kong, Miami and New York. Through his practice he has experience of all aspects of the sector. Three times selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Two solo exhibitions with Coates & Scarry and many group exhibitions most recently with Buried by Ohsh Projects. As part of a two-person exhibition he curated his own work alongside that of the Ingramm Collection in “NightShaking” at The Light Box. Dean has also received Arts Council England funding and completed programmes with Turps and CAA.

Jade Mitchell

@blankcanvascoaching

Jade Mitchell is a coach for creatives with a background in the contemporary art world. She set up Blank Canvas Coaching in 2019 after qualifying as a Relational Dynamics 1st coach and is also a practitioner of Positive Intelligence mental fitness and mindfulness.  

Jade previously managed contemporary artists, helping them gain international recognition and commercial success. She worked for galleries as Head of Artist Relations including Haunch of Venison (London, Zurich, Berlin, New York). Jade has also worked for artists directly, including as a consultant for Joana Vasconcelos, one of Portugal’s best-known artists, and as Director of Jonathan Yeo’s studio. This involved curating exhibitions with international museums and galleries to raise profile and commercial value.   

Jade understands the pressures of the competitive commercial art world and brings to coaching a deep knowledge of the challenges faced by individuals, such as confidence, focus, motivation, and self-doubt. She combines the knowledge and experience from her background in the art world with coaching skills and a positive, solution-focused mindset, to benefit many highly creative people.  

Kirsty Ogg

@kirstyogg

Kirsty Ogg is an independent curator and educator.  

Between 2013 and 2023, she was the Director of New Contemporaries, the UK’s foremost annual arts initiative offering critical support and exposure to emerging artists. During her time at New Contemporaries, Kirsty significantly expanded the organisation’s offer to artists, developing its annual open submission touring exhibition to encompass residencies, studio bursaries, fellowships and commissioning opportunities. Kirsty also strengthened New Contemporaries’ commitment to increasing access to its work for artists from a broader range of backgrounds (including those developing practice on alternative programmes). 

Between 2009 and 2013, Kirsty was Curator at Whitechapel Gallery, London curating exhibitions including Claire Barclay’s Bloomberg Commission, Gerard Byrne’s mid-career survey, and a historical exhibition of Karl Blossfeldt’s photography. She was also responsible for the re-launch of the Whitechapel Gallery’s triennial open submission exhibition as The London Open and a year-long series of collection displays produced in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Society.  

As former Director of The Showroom, London, Kirsty worked with artists including Barby Asante, Subodh Gupta, Jim Lambie and Eva Rothschild, presenting their first solo shows in London. 

Kirsty started her curatorial work as part of the organising committee of Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, before joining Norwich Gallery, Norwich School of Art & Design. She has also independently curated a number of shows with artists including Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Karen Kilimnik, Mike Nelson, Thomas Schütte, David Shrigley and Cathy Wilkes.  

Having taught extensively, she currently teaches on the MFA Curating course at Goldsmiths, University of London. In addition, she is a member of the CVAN London steering group and Taco!’s board.  

Guest Faculty

Nat Pitt

Nat Pitt is founder of Division of Labour and Curator of The Manchester Contemporary.

Nat trained as an artist at Falmouth School of Art in 1997 and gained his MFA from Wolverhampton University in 2009 before becoming a fellow at De Appel in Amsterdam, ‘curating in the gallery field.’ Since 2013, Nat has served as Director for the gallery Division of Labour. Based in Manchester, the gallery is dedicated to supporting contemporary art across the UK.

With research interests in regional art market development, art and education, and collaborative practice, projects have included artists Robert Barry, Victor Burgin, Brian O’Doherty, Sonia Boyce and Carey Young.  Nat has developed an international profile for his gallery, with past presentations in Venice, Brussels, Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Basel, Vienna and Dallas. 

Most recently Pitt was the curator for A Modest Show, the official collateral event for the Manchester leg of The British Art Show 9 Hayward Touring Exhibition.

Heike Strelow

Heike Strelow began working as a freelance curator and art mediator in 1995 after completing a Masters degree in art history, history and business law at Friedrich Wilhelm Universität in Bonn. 

Since then she has worked as an editor, author and lecturer and has curated exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Heike taught at the Institute for Art Education at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main from 2001 to 2006. 

In 2007 she founded Galerie Heike Strelow, which represents contemporary international positions. Since its inception, the gallery’s programme has consisted of an alternation of curated solo and group exhibitions, combining young and emerging with established artists. The gallery values working closely with artists to determine the conditions under which their work will be presented to the public and the market. The individuality of the artist and the diversity of the artworks that result from the expression of this individuality therefore play a central role in the gallery’s programme and policy. Since 2009, Heike has been presenting the artists she represents at art fairs in Germany, Europe and the United States. 

Alongside her gallery work, Heike continues to work as a curator, organising exhibitions and developing concepts for works in public spaces. Together with Kerstin Walter, she founded Strelow & Walter Projects in 2018. In addition to classical art consulting, the project focuses on art mediation.

Mark Hinchliffe

Mark Hinchliffe is an art collector, designer and owner of a self-renovated 19th century Italianate chapel in North Yorkshire. He has been collecting contemporary art, furniture and object d’arts for 40-years, and has amassed thousands of pieces that span a lifetime’s obsession with collecting. Mark has been featured in TV shows and national press, and has worked on contemporary art projects at Artissima, Art Rotterdam and Art Brussels.

Max Presneill

Max Presneill is an artist and curator based in Los Angeles, originally from London, UK. 

He is the Director and Head Curator of the Torrance Art Museum, with particular curatorial interests in artist-led projects, emerging art, new models for curatorial methodologies and an international scope for partnerships, exchanges and building artistic communities. CBS Television named him in the top 8 Best Art Curators in Los Angeles (2015) and Blouin Modern Painters magazine included him in the 2018 Top 25 Curators to Watch from around the world, alongside colleagues from the Guggenheim, MOMA, Whitney, Tate, LACMA and other institutions. He has been honoured by the City of Torrance for Excellence in Art on 2 occasions. 

More recently he has developed and presented NOMAD (the largest pop-up exhibition in US history in 2021), and ULTRA! – a large scale public-art festival of contemporary art (2021). He is also currently the Curatorial Director of TRYST (the world’s largest international art fair for artist-run spaces, in Los Angeles). Over the course of his curatorial career Presneill has curated more than 500 exhibitions, both in Los Angeles and worldwide, in Museums and commercial & alternative galleries, as well as occasional non-art locations.

Presneill is the co-Founder of Durden and Ray (2009 – current), a curatorial collaborative group for artists and a gallery in Los Angeles, as well as Founder and Curatorial Director of ARTRA Curatorial, an independent, voluntary, curatorial projects management team which organizes international exhibition exchanges).

As an artist, Presneill has exhibited throughout the world including Los Angeles, New York, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, Istanbul, Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo and elsewhere, and is represented by Patrick Painter, Inc, as well as the Durden & Ray collective in Los Angeles, TW Fine Art in Brisbane, Australia, GCC Arte Contemporaneo in Merida, Mexico, ICFA in Beijing, Gallery Lara, Tokyo, and Patrajdas Contemporary in Utah.

Presneill has been a Professor of Art in both the UK and US, teaching at Undergraduate and Post-Graduate levels. His writings have been published in numerous publications including the magazine Mad Dogs & Englishmen and was also a contributing writer to the emerging artists section of FABRIK magazine for several years. He is the critical writer of over 50 artist and exhibition catalogues.