The Apollo Podcast

This podcast takes a monthly look at international art news, including major stories from the museum world and art market and discussion of the best exhibitions worldwide. Guests include artists, museum directors and curators, writers and art world specialists.

The Masterpiece podcast: episode three 07/04/2022

The Masterpiece podcast: episode three Presented by Masterpiece London in partnership with Apollo, this three-part series of podcasts provides an insight into the works on show at this year’s Masterpiece fair. In this final episode, Sophie Barling speaks to Charis Tyndall of Charles Ede about a striking image of female companionship on an Ancient Greek funeral stele. Nick Stagliano of Michele Beiny gallery tells the story behind a porcelain breast bowl made for Marie Antoinette, while Adam Lowe talks about the display he has curated with architect Charlotte Skene Catling for the fair’s new Masterpiece [Re]Discovery section, 'Avoiding Oblivion: The Preservation of Pharaonic Knowledge’, which builds on the work of Lowe’s workshop Factum Arte in the Valley of the Kings over the last two decades. is at the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 30 June–6 July. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/23626706

The Masterpiece podcast: episode two 07/01/2022

The Masterpiece podcast: episode two Presented by Masterpiece London in partnership with Apollo, this three-part series of podcasts provides an insight into the works on show at this year’s Masterpiece fair. In the second episode, Sophie Barling talks to Melanie Vandenbrouck, sculpture curator at the V&A, about her selections for the fair’s ‘Sculpture Series’ – among them works by Zak Ové, Cathy Pilkington and Marie Watt. Pom Harrington discusses a rediscovered authorial presentation copy of Jane Austen’s Emma, at the booth of Peter Harrington this year, while Alessandra di Castro explores the history of a group of watercolours depicting Etruscan jewellery by the Roman jeweller and antiquities dealer Alfredo Castellani. is at the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 30 June–6 July. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/23603372

The Masterpiece podcast: episode one 06/29/2022

The Masterpiece podcast: episode one Presented by Masterpiece London in partnership with Apollo, this three-part series of podcasts provides an insight into the works on show at this year’s Masterpiece fair. In the first episode, Sophie Barling talks to Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha about her attention-grabbing installation for Masterpiece Presents, at the entrance to this year’s Masterpiece London fair; to Errol Manners of ceramics specialists E & H Manners; and to James Brett, director of the Gallery of Everything, about two intriguing pieces on his stand at the fair this year. Masterpiece London is at the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 30 June–6 July. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/23577170

The Apollo Awards podcast: Sofia Garcia on the NFT market 05/19/2022

The Apollo Awards podcast: Sofia Garcia on the NFT market In this episode of the Apollo Awards podcast Gabrielle Schwarz speaks to Sofia Garcia about the market for NFTs. Garcia is the founder of ARTXCODE, a digital gallery supporting algorithmic artists through exhibitions, special projects and private sales. She is also on the curatorial board of Art Blocks, a platform where artists can create generative art that lives on the Ethereum blockchain. She discusses different types of NFT art, the minting process and the role of the curator within the NFT space. Presented in partnership with Close Brothers Asset Management, this three-part series takes a focused look at NFTs, featuring interviews with experts about different aspects of the technology from making to selling to collecting on the blockchain. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/23166611

The Apollo Awards podcast: Sam Spike on digital collectibles 05/19/2022

The Apollo Awards podcast: Sam Spike on digital collectibles In this episode of the Apollo Awards podcast Gabrielle Schwarz speaks to art historian Sam Spike about how non-fungible tokens have transformed collecting. Spike is the co-founder of JPG, an NFT curation platform, as well as the Creative Director of Fingerprints DAO, a collection of work that uses the blockchain as an artistic medium. He discusses issues of ownership and security, and why not everything needs to become an NFT. Presented in partnership with Close Brothers Asset Management, this three-part series takes a focused look at NFTs, featuring interviews with experts about different aspects of the technology –from making to selling to collection on the blockchain. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/23166497

The Apollo Awards podcast: Rafaël Rozendaal on internet art 05/19/2022

The Apollo Awards podcast: Rafaël Rozendaal on internet art In this episode of the Apollo Awards podcast Gabrielle Schwarz speaks to the New York-based artist Rafaël Rozendaal, who has been using the internet as his canvas for almost two decades. His websites along with other media have been exhibited and can be found in collections around the world from the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to The Whitney Museum of American art in New York. The artist reflects on his artistic processes, the freedom of creating art on the web and the accessibility of NFTs. Presented in partnership with the Close Brothers Asset Management, this three-part series takes a focused look at NFTs, featuring interviews with experts about different aspects of the technology – from making to selling to collecting on the blockchain. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/23166284

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mohamad Hafez 03/31/2020

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mohamad Hafez In this episode of the Apollo 40 under 40 podcast (recorded at the Apollo offices in London in February 2020) Gabrielle Schwarz speaks to the artist Mohamad Hafez, who is also a trained and practising architect. The Syrian-born, US-based artist discusses his diorama-like sculptures and installations that bring together his memories of his homeland and its rich cultural heritage with the tragedy of its recent devastation. He reflects on the personally therapeutic nature of his work – and his wider mission to humanise the stories of people who have been displaced around the world. The second series of the Apollo 40 under 40 podcast features short interviews with the talented individuals celebrated in this year’s Apollo 40 under 40 Middle East /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/13777718

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mahmoud Khaled 01/28/2020

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mahmoud Khaled The artist Mahmoud Khaled discusses his work on the themes of gender, queer desire, politics and power – and also talks about how his own experiences, including of growing up in Egypt, have shaped his approach. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/12915788

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mohamed Elshahed 12/02/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Mohamed Elshahed The writer and researcher Mohamed Elshahed discusses his new book, Cairo since 1900: An Architectural Guide, and his wider mission to map the modernist geographies of Egypt and the Middle East. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/12245003

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Rayyane Tabet 10/22/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Rayyane Tabet The Beirut-based artist Rayyane Tabet talks about his current and future shows in London, New York and beyond – topics include language, Lebanese history and his fascination for the lives of objects. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/11737037

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Simon Denny 08/04/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Simon Denny In this episode artist Simon Denny discusses his latest project, an exhibition exploring data and resource mining. He also shares his advice for aspiring artists, and explains his fascination with board games. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/10753283

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Shoair Mavlian 06/07/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Shoair Mavlian In this episode Shoair Mavlian, director of Photoworks in Brighton, talks all things photography – from Instagram to her experience working with Elton John’s collection of modernist prints. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/10085555

Object lessons: learning from the decorative arts 05/31/2019

Object lessons: learning from the decorative arts In a world suffused with digital images, have we started to forget how to appreciate objects? Exceptional objets d’art may attract crowds or fetch eye-watering prices, but how many of us now have the skills to fully evaluate the artistry, rarity and material value of historical furniture, silver, ceramics or glass – let alone pronounce on their authenticity? In this Apollo podcast, sponsored by Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Ann-Marie Richard discusses how one might set about gaining such knowledge, drawing on her experience as Program Director of the at Sotheby’s Institute, New York. Richard makes the case for the durability of important decorative art objects, in contrast to the ephemerality of so much contemporary design. She describes what it means to teach ‘how much an object weighs, what it smells like’ and explains why ‘you need to use all of your senses’ to appreciate and judge materials – as well as why anyone serious about objects should always carry a tape measure. Hosted by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/9994871

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Ben Vickers 04/30/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Ben Vickers In this episode, Ben Vickers – curator, writer, publisher and Chief Technology Officer at the Serpentine Galleries – offers his insight into topics including Bitcoin, Benedictine monks, and the challenge of balancing your priorities in life and work. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/9585548

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Russell Tovey 03/22/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Russell Tovey In this episode, the actor Russell Tovey – also a devoted collector and supporter of contemporary art – explains how kids’ cartoons got him into collecting, and discusses his own efforts as a photographer, his friendship with Tracey Emin and his ‘addiction’ to acquiring art. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/9101462

The rise and rise of the LA art world 02/08/2019

The rise and rise of the LA art world In recent years, the LA art world has been expanding more rapidly than that of any city on the planet. Scores of galleries have opened – or opened outposts – there, and this year, with the inaugural edition of Frieze LA, one of the world’s leading art fair brands has decided to stake its claim on the city. Meanwhile, new private museums such as the Broad have started to attract large numbers of visitors and LA’s flagship institution, LACMA, has been fundraising for a vast, futuristic building designed by Peter Zumthor that will act as its new headquarters. How sustainable is all this growth? Does it augur well for the many artists based in the city? What effect has it had on the urban fabric of LA? And what skills are needed to manage and maintain this expanding arts infrastructure in the future? These are among the topics addressed by Jonathan T.D. Neil in a new Apollo podcast sponsored by Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Neil is Director of , as well as Head of Global Business Development. In the podcast, he sets out why this is such an exciting time for the visual arts in LA – and explains how the distinctive character of the LA art world is driving such dramatic change. Hosted by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/8569262

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Erika Balsom 01/10/2019

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Erika Balsom In this episode, scholar and critic Erika talks about her experience of working between the worlds of art and cinema, and academia and criticism, as well as the inspiration behind her latest project – the exhibition and essay ‘An Oceanic Feeling: Cinema and the Sea’. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/8206631

Social media and the art market 12/14/2018

Social media and the art market Like them or loathe them, social media platforms now play a prominent role in the art world – whether as marketing tools for businesses, museums and artists, playgrounds for self-promotion, or forums for the dissemination of images and debate. But how far do social media, and particularly Instagram, inform how the art market operates? Have they disrupted traditional sales methods or diversified business opportunities in this sector? And what effect have they had on the behaviour of art world professionals, in terms of decision-making or interpersonal relations? These are among the topics addressed by in a new Apollo sponsored by Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Melton is a member of the faculty at Sotheby’s Institute of Art New York, and an expert in strategy and communications in the culture sector. In the podcast, he argues that the art market’s infatuation with Instagram brings it closer to financial markets, in terms of how value is assigned in an economy in which attention has increasingly become an asset in its own right. Be sure to share this podcast with your followers! Hosted by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/7916891

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Zoe Whitley 12/03/2018

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Zoe Whitley In this episode, curator Zoe Whitley discusses the women who have inspired her, the importance of diversity in exhibition-making, and why she loves working with artists – including Lubaina Himid, who supervised her PhD, and Cathy Wilkes, whose work she is curating for the British Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/7753238

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Jasmina Cibic 10/24/2018

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Jasmina Cibic In the second episode of the Apollo 40 Under 40 podcast, the artist Jasmina Cibic discusses the role of politics in culture, the advice she would give to emerging artists, and her past and future projects – including the exhibition ‘Everything That You Desire and Nothing That You Fear’ at DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art in Montreal. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/7301789

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Andria Zafirakou 10/01/2018

The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Andria Zafirakou In the first episode of a new series, art and textiles teacher Andria Zafirakou discusses the path that led her to teaching and her ideas about widening young peoples’ access to the arts – in particular through her charity Artists in Residence (AiR), which she founded this year after being awarded the Varkey Foundation’s annual $1 million Global Teacher Prize. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/7113453

Mark Gatiss: in search of John Minton 08/06/2018

Mark Gatiss: in search of John Minton The actor and writer Mark Gatiss talks about his film John Minton: The Lost Man of British Art. Gatiss discusses his first encounter with Minton’s work in the National Portrait Gallery, and how it led to a lifelong fascination with the artist – seeking out Minton’s paintings, collecting his works, and latterly, for this documentary, retracing his footsteps and talking to some of the artists and models who knew him. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/6893965

William Kentridge: The Head & the Load 07/12/2018

William Kentridge: The Head & the Load With the artist William Kentridge, who talks about his performance project, The Head & the Load, as its world premiere takes place at Tate Modern. Kentridge discusses how the piece strives ‘to register and record’ the experience of Africa during the Great War, and to commemorate the African soldiers, carriers and civilians who lost their lives in the conflict. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/6801795

Learning from the Old Masters 03/06/2018

Learning from the Old Masters The popularity of exhibitions such as ‘Charles I: King and Collector’ at the Royal Academy is a reminder of just how large and enthusiastic an audience still exists for Old Master paintings. But in the 21st century, when fewer people than ever can tell a Saint Roch from a Saint Augustine, or distinguish the period of a painting from its drapery alone, how many of us have the specialist knowledge that allows for a profound appreciation of the Old Masters? How would our understanding of paintings change if we knew more about their condition, or the history of their display, or how their market value has fluctuated historically? And how would we set out to gain such knowledge? Those are some of questions that Thomas Marks puts to Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe in a new podcast sponsored by . Brotherton-Ratcliffe is an expert on Old Master paintings who has been teaching at Sotheby’s Institute of Art since 1989, and currently teaches on the MA Fine and Decorative Art and Design in London. In the podcast, she makes the case for how important it is to teach connoisseurial skills, and some of the more unusual methods that she has adopted for doing so. Listen to the podcast now to find out why ‘if you haven’t drawn it, you haven’t seen it’, and why you really ought to wear sunglasses next time you stand in front of a Caravaggio painting. Presented by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/6334472

Ralph Taylor: contemporary art at auction 12/21/2017

Ralph Taylor: contemporary art at auction With Ralph Taylor, Global Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Bonhams, who discusses recent trends for post-war art at auction and how the market will develop in 2018. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/6078701

Jonathan Yeo: the art of virtual reality 12/15/2017

Jonathan Yeo: the art of virtual reality With the painter Jonathan Yeo, who discusses a new series of paintings based on digital scans of his body, and a sculpture designed in a virtual reality 'life room' and now on display in 'From Life' at the Royal Academy of Arts. /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/6049022

Rob and Nick Carter: Yoga Photograms 09/29/2017

Rob and Nick Carter: Yoga Photograms With Rob and Nick Carter, who discuss the opening of their studio-viewing space RN at 5A in London and the launch of their 'Yoga Photograms' exhibition. Presented by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/5789957

Amanda Levete: The V&A Exhibition Road Quarter 07/19/2017

Amanda Levete: The V&A Exhibition Road Quarter With Amanda Levete of Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A), who designed the Exhibition Road Quarter at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London Presented by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/5553919

Charles Saumarez Smith: East London 05/24/2017

Charles Saumarez Smith: East London With Charles Saumarez Smith, Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and author of East London (Thames & Hudson) Presented by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/5384962

Adam Lowe: the Factum Foundation 05/04/2017

Adam Lowe: the Factum Foundation With Adam Lowe, founder of the Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation Presented by Thomas Marks /episode/index/show/apollomagazine/id/5326542

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