Tell us about the project. We brought together ten leading graphic artists, including Anthony Burrill and Morag Myerscough, and two students – each creating an original artwork. To coincide with International Women’s Day, the pieces were auctioned at Christie’s. We also created a shop selling a series of limited-edition prints for Refuge at Christie’s.
How did you pick the artists? We curated a lot of the show using Instagram. Caroline Pay [BBH’s deputy executive creative director] and myself would tag each other in posts from artists we liked. So there was a lot of emoticons floating around in the curation of this! We were looking for bright, colourful typography and illustration. We wanted the exhibition to be positive and optimistic.
What do you look for in a great piece of art? When it comes to buying a piece of art, you should only have one rule: that you love it. Sometimes, you are just drawn in by a photograph or a painting. That is the magic of it. It doesn’t have to matter why you like it. My favourite shows, such as the excellent Secret 7" or the RCA Secret, are often the ones where the identity of the artist is hidden until after you buy the work. Rather than being swayed by the profile of an artist, it encourages you to choose based on your personal taste.
How do you find time to run your online art journal and shop, They Made This? That’s a very good question! When I first launched the blog, I spent three months working on it almost every night. Which was a bit mental. I now have a lot of lovely writers contributing on the site, which is great, and that was always my intention. I didn’t want it to just be about the artists I like; I wanted it to be a cross-section of commissioners and artists sharing the work of people they have encountered. I hope it’s starting to become a little online community.
What inspires you? I meet a lot of artists as part of my job commissioning photography and illustration, and I find the conversations I often have with them are really inspiring. I also find a lot of inspiration on Instagram. You still can’t beat a visit to a gallery, though, to get a fresh perspective on things.
What’s your next project? The response to She Lights Up The Night has been amazing. My focus right now will be to turn this into an annual event.