In the Studio James Lewis, Vienna

James Lewis works with the things that remain when certainty disappears — data, photographs, scent, fragments of memory. Born in London, based in Vienna, he builds installations that ask how we construct knowledge, turning a statistic into a sculpture, a memory into a scent.

In the Studio Cecilia Vicuña, New York

Cecilia Vicuña’s practice moves fluidly between poetry, sculpture, textile, and performance, always returning to what she calls arte precario: an art built from debris, unspun wool, feathers, and stone that she has been making since 1966. Rooted in Indigenous Andean knowledge systems, and above all in the khipu—the knotted cord long dismissed as a mere accounting device—her work reframes precariousness and fragility as forms of consciousness rather than loss.

Person with long wavy hair sits on a stool in a gallery, looking at the camera, wearing a navy jacket; left wall covered in blue Life posters.

In the Studio Robin Kid, Rambouillet, France

Robin Kid works with images that feel less made than encountered. Cowboys, cops, fragments of cartoon Americana: images that existed long before he picked them up, suspended somewhere between memory and mass culture. Raised in the south of the Netherlands by his grandparents, in a former mining neighbourhood bordering an American army base, he grew up with the idea of the U.S. glowing faintly from the other side of the fence.

Lächelnde Person vor roter Wand, pink-grauer Pullover mit geometrischem Muster; Hintergrund mit Kunstwerk und Bastelmaterialien.

Collector Stories Joëlle Romba, Berlin

Joëlle Romba is an expert on contemporary art and is also the director of Sotheby’s Berlin. She lives with her husband Eric, their two young daughters and their large dog in a villa dating from the turn of the century in Berlin-Nikolassee. The passion for art began for the two collectors more than ten years ago. During that period they have acquired more than 200, mostly contemporary works.

Culture Briefing

Where to meet art, culture and creativity

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With Elisabeth von Samsonow, the Heidi Horten Collection is dedicating a major solo exhibition to an artistic and philosophical perspective that transcends narrow disciplinary boundaries. This is the first time that Elisabeth von Samsonow’s multifaceted body of work has been presented on this scale, showcasing its artistic breadth and intellectual depth.

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Iranian-born artist Soli Kiani creates a body of work in which fabric becomes both a formative substance and a carrier of social meaning. Themes such as origin, physicality, and negotiating patriarchal structures are combined in her work with a distinctive, sculptural language. For the Dominikanerkirche Krems, she has conceived a spatial installation in which textile materials serve as the central artistic medium.

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For the 22nd time, VIENNA ART WEEK puts Vienna’s vibrant art scene in the spotlight. Under this year’s theme, “Navigating Angst,” the festival explores the fears and uncertainties of our time. Together with around 70 programme partners, the festival offers a full week of inspiring art – from contemporary to Baroque – with free admission.

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ART COLOGNE is the world's oldest and one of the most important fairs for modern and contemporary art. Every year, renowned galleries, artists, collectors and art lovers meet in Cologne to discover high-calibre paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and digital artworks. As an international art fair, ART COLOGNE sets standards in the art market and offers a unique platform for dialogue between artists and investors. Visit ART COLOGNE and experience high-quality works of art, exciting special exhibitions and exclusive vernissages in an inspiring atmosphere.

Nordic Notes

Collectors Agenda's view on the Nordic art scene

Smiling person in a black t-shirt stands in a textile workshop beside shelves of yarn cones and fabric rolls.

Pia Ferm, Frankfurt
Be it carving, weaving or tufting, Pia Ferm defines herself as a sculptor. In her neat tapestries, hand-trimmed to keep the surface alive, the Swedish artist mixes a pretty medium with humor, creating figures that are frozen in time like cartoons. Time is essential for Ferm but not in the way you might think. She has plenty of it.
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