Carlisle Berkley in Conversation with Gallery Founder, Riana Raouna
Riana Raouna is a Contemporary Art specialist, curator and writer. She holds a master's degree in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London and has a professional history of more than twenty years in branding and marketing communications. Through continuous research and travel to Art Biennials, Art Fairs, museums and break-through exhibitions around the world, Riana stays ahead of the Contemporary Art scene and can easily identify strong and impactful styles.
Through her recently launched online platform, Riana Raouna Gallery, she channels her extensive expertise in the field. The gallery features the work of emerging and mid-career contemporary artists from the international art scene and is committed to celebrating the diverse trajectories and vitality within art. Aiming to provide market advice to collectors and building long-term relationships based on transparency and trust, Riana Raouna Gallery introduces new collectors to the fascinating world of contemporary art while best representing their own personal tastes.
MADE in BED Contributor, Carlisle Berkley, speaks with the gallery’s founder Riana Raouna to discuss the process of founding a gallery and an online platform.
Riana Raouna. Photo by Christos Hadjichristou
Carlisle Berkley: Many newly established galleries today face high rent for brick-and-mortar space and increased pressure to operate internationally to stay competitive. Did this have any influence over your decision of opening of opening an online gallery?
Riana Raouna: During the coronavirus outbreak, the art world had to adapt to a new, predominantly online, reality. There was a very quick transition to a digital environment. While one would normally have to travel to a specific destination to indulge themselves in the art they love, we experienced the emergence of exciting exhibitions through online viewing rooms, we attended online talks organized by some of the world’s most important art institutions and art fairs. Which, during the pre-pandemic period, would only be accessible to those who travelled to major art world destinations. Most importantly, art collectors quickly embraced the digital environment. There has been a significant increase in online sales through all major auction houses.
The switch towards the digital environment was undoubtedly the result of a very unfortunate event, the pandemic. However, the creation of new platforms and alternative modes of access was something that had been missing from the art world for a long time.
It is through this experience that I decided to create Riana Raouna Gallery which operates online and gives access to powerful and engaging works of art from the international art scene.
My decision was not primarily driven by the high costs of having a physical space and the pressure to operate internationally, but by the opportunity to use technology in order to address a global audience and to show exciting contemporary artworks without any geographical barriers.
Mia Takemoto, Nabe, Tempera and ink on wood, 2020, 60 x 120 cm.
CB: How exactly will Riana Raouna operate? Where will you be based?
RR: The gallery, currently focused predominantly on painting, consists of a roster of ten emerging and mid-career contemporary artists from the international contemporary art scene. The platform provides an excellent, easy to navigate experience, that allows viewers to see artworks in detail, read the artist’s biography, and enquire more information about the available work.
Apart from showing the work of featured artists, we will soon launch an Online Viewing Room where curated exhibitions will take place on a regular basis. Through these exhibitions, our objective is to allow the viewer to gain a deeper understanding of the work and the themes investigated within it.
I am based in Cyprus, but the artists’ work remains at their own studios; in the case of a sale, Riana Rouana Gallery has a professional network in place, including insurance companies, art handlers, and couriers, with whom we collaborate to provide safe and timely transportation to the client.
CB: Most of your artists are either emerging or in the mid-career stage. Why is that? What are your criteria for choosing artists that the gallery will be working with or representing?
RR: We chose to show the work of emerging and mid-career artists because we feel their work best represents the world of today and tomorrow. These are the artists who will help to shape the dynamic and constantly changing landscape of Contemporary Art. Their unapologetic gaze and restless spirits inspire us to see, experience and understand the world through a different gaze and open-up to a new understanding of reality.
Featured artists are selected based on elaborate research undertaken by the gallery - this is in order to show works that are not just aesthetically appealing but also explore narratives that resonate closely with modern life and human emotions. Most artists are graduates from world-class art schools and winners of prestigious art awards. Their work is exhibited internationally and they have promising careers within the art world.
We support their work and their career because we truly believe in the quality of their work and its contribution towards the evolution of contemporary art. We see its appeal to potential art collectors.
Lara Rottinghaus, Lockdown Frühstück, Oil on linen, 2021, 120 x 100 cm.
CB: The gallery has a roster of international artists. Can you tell us more about this decision?
RR: We believe that diversity should be the standard, not the exception in the art world. In order to reflect real life, art must also be diverse in nature. The ability to see work from artists who come from different parts of the world allows us to recognize on the one hand, the universality of human concerns and on the other hand, the distinctive way each artist’s expression is based on their personal, intellectual, and cultural background. By listening to these diverse artistic voices, one can gain a better understanding of the world and of oneself.
Given that we operate online we open a gateway towards contemporary artworks that normally would not be easily accessed unless one already knew the featured artists or perhaps visited countries where their work has been geographically distributed. The gallery establishes new connections between featured artists and our collectors.
Botond Gagyi, Magnetic fields 2, Oil on canvas, 2021, 170 x 150 cm.
CB: What do you want the viewer and potential buyer to experience through your gallery?
RR: The work presented varies from abstract to figurative paintings. In all cases the artists demonstrate a powerful aesthetic. Apart from creating visually seductive paintings, the featured artists tackle issues of modern life which gives a deeper meaning to their work.
I hope that new and experienced art collectors will discover works with which they can relate, and that represent their personal taste. Visiting an art gallery may be intimidating to people, who believe that it is a place only for those who ‘understand art’ or think that the artworks are too expensive for them - through operating online such concerns are eliminated. Also, people who would not normally visit a physical gallery are now encouraged to visit it online and can discover the world of Contemporary Art. At the same time, experienced collectors are given the opportunity to discover new up-and-coming artists; they can enrich their current collection with works whose value is expected to rise both culturally and financially.
Art is an inseparable part of life which allows intellectual stimulation, personal expression, and joy. This is what I want my clients to experience.
CB: Are there any plans to grow the gallery’s exhibition program in the future?
RR: As I mentioned, there are going to be curated exhibitions through the gallery’s online viewing room on a regular basis. The ability to enjoy an inspiring exhibition through the comfort of your home is amazing, not only in times of social isolation and distancing, but at any time.
In the future, we will also organize physical exhibitions in different parts of the world. In this way, art lovers will be able to experience the artworks in the flesh, which is of course an opportunity we wish to offer to our clients as well as to our featured artists.
Besher Koushaji, Woman, Mixed media on canvas, 2021, 130 x 100 cm.
CB: I think our readers would be interested to learn about the experience of creating an online exhibition space. Would you care to elaborate? What considerations did you have to make when approaching software, layout and navigation?
RR: Creating the gallery was a multi-faceted project. Of course, the most important element is the quality of the artworks. As a result, most of this time has been spent researching artists. This process involved sourcing individuals whose work I found not only aesthetically appealing, but also conceptually powerful. I also invested a lot of time in positioning each artist’s work based on contemporary art theory. This was to allow viewers to better understand their philosophies. After all, that is what contemporary art is about.
Apart from that, setting up an international online gallery involves choosing the right technical infrastructure to ensure easy navigation, the ability to view the works in detail, and to get a real feeling of what the work is all about. As already mentioned, agreements with art handlers, insurance companies, lawyers and financial advisors are also a necessary part of the equation.
In other words, setting up an international online gallery requires a focus on the art itself as well as the ability to put in place a set of procedures with external professional networks.
Ming Ying, Keep moving forward, oil on cotton, 2020, 60 x 76 cm.
CB: For a gallery that intends to operate online, I would imagine that marketing through social media platforms will become a very important part of your operations. Would you care to share more about your digital marketing approach?
RR: No matter which platform one chooses to use in their communication strategy, it is important to provide meaningful, inspiring and authentic information. Being an art gallery where ‘Image is King’, Instagram will be the main platform used for our promotion.
As part of our digital strategy, we will promote the artists’ work through interviews, articles, videos and of course, through the images of their paintings. We will also encourage our artists to create their own videos in order to give our viewers a better insight into their artistic practice.
Kate Howe, Ellen, Oil and oil stick on canvas, 2021, 220 x 220 cm.
CB: Is there any advice you could provide for readers interested in establishing online galleries themselves?
RR: Any professional decision that you take needs to be based on what truly inspires you as an art professional. First and foremost, you need to respect the artists you work with. It is important to truly appreciate their work and to be able to listen. At the same time, it is important that the artists you choose to work with relate to the gallery’s philosophy and vision. Your artists are your priority, without them you cannot exist - either as a physical or an online gallery.
In terms of practical issues, you must organize all aspects of the work, including legal, financial, and technical matters in a way that each action is done in the right order. Passion, enthusiasm, self-discipline and hard work are important ingredients in establishing a gallery that will flourish and succeed through time.
Thank you, Riana!
Image courtesy the Artists
For more information about Riana Raouna Gallery and its featured artists please visit the gallery’s Instagram or website.
Carlisle Berkley,
Contributor, MADE IN BED