Yahoo News Soho House's Kate Bryan praises Sky Arts' ambitious 'art-led' programming
Yahoo Entertainment's editors are committed to independently selecting wonderful products at great prices for you. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
Soho House's head of collections Kate Bryan has talked about the importance of the Sky Arts channel in bringing art to more people.
Kate Bryan, who is responsible for a collection of more than 5,500 pieces of art in her role at Soho house, has also written a book called The Art of Love.
The curator and presenter spoke to Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time as part of the How the Light Gets in Festival.
The 'Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year' judge talked about some of the projects she has been involved in and the move from paid-for channel to free-to-view for Sky Arts.
WATCH: This week's episode of White Wine Question Time looks back at some of the podcast's most hilarious lockdown moments!
She said: "The viewing numbers have gone through the roof and there's new people finding it all the time, and it's really exciting.
"I've been working for them since like 2013, so it's my second home.
"They are progressive because they're not sort of beholden to traditional things, which would have to be a bit more traditional, a bit more conventional, a bit more predictable. They're not worried so much about viewing figures, they're art led, in and across all arts. It's the dream place for me to broadcast for sure.
"There's artists I've come back to time and time again and done projects with like Sarah Maple, who's a fantastic artist.
"She actually really pushed herself and made a world first – it was like a sitcom, but a piece of video art. So she called it an 'art com'. Sky Arts, who were great and really ambitious, experimental and open-minded with their programming, they gave her money to make this art com.
"So it was actually shown on TV and it was really funny. And Sarah played a sort of a version of herself. I played a cameo in it of her mentor but I was a real b****!
"I was totally anti feminist. I was telling her to dye her hair blonde. And, you know: 'Don't put your prices up too high love, you're a woman after all, no one will believe it's worth that much.' And, just doling out bad advice, after bad advice.
"David Tennant was in it and he really sent himself up. And Sonia Boyce, an extraordinary museum level artist, she was in it and she did a really great scene with her.
"So it was really, really fun to be part of that."
She talked about how she had known Maple from previous projects she had done with the Other Art Fair.
She said: "The Other Art Fair were also really progressive, and I love their values, which is very much about art is for everybody. Artists represent themselves. So when you turn up to the fair, there's no gallery, there's no intimidation, there's just an artist and their work. And it's so direct.
"And it's really affordable out there, but great cutting edge stuff. And so Sarah was in that presentation where I just took 30 artists who were all women, and we said, you know, it's like a protest."
Read more: Museum challenges people quarantining to recreate favourite works of art at home
Bryan also revealed she has never bought a piece of work at an auction, often seen as an important part of the art world.
She said: "That's always been a bit of the art world that I've not been that interested in pursuing. I am much more interested in like relationships and younger artists and stuff. Funnily enough, I've never bought anything at auction.
"I've got loads of friends who do that, and I've never worked for an auction house either. I've been an art dealer. You know, I'm an art presenter. I'm a curator. I'm a writer.
"But that's the one aspect that I've never entered into. And I think in a way, if I'm really honest, I probably do have a slight aversion to it.
"Because I don't like the idea of these astronomical sums of money for art you know, something kicks in. I kind of get my back up a bit and I think: 'Is that for the artists? Is that for the sake of art lovers?' It feels like it's just become a power object, a status symbol."
Buy it: The Art of Love: The Romantic and Explosive Stories Behind Art's Greatest Couples by Kate Bryan | £14.31 from Amazon
WATCH: Kate Bryan: 'The appetite for contemporary art in this country has been a revolution'
