Art scene
"I work remotely. Very remotely! I am based in a small town just outside of Seattle in the United States but I work with contemporary artists from various parts of the globe. This month, for example, I am working with artists or organisations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates primarily via Skype and email. I plan on visiting Sharjah later in the year and Baku is on my radar, with Tehran not far behind.
Although I speak with people from very different locales and traditions, I have found that many of these artists and organisations do have similar issues relating to the art world (such as the globalisation of contemporary art and concerns about the commercialisation of art)."
Blog
"At the moment, I write for several online sources and am moving towards print magazines. Early in 2014, because money was tight, I bartered with a friend who helped me design and launch my blog shortly after a trip visiting galleries and artists in Dubai and Sri Lanka. I thought it was time to have a more professional portfolio and I suppose in a way, feel validated! We also put together a Mailchimp account, so I could send out my work just as soon as it’s published. In addition, I have Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Twitter accounts. It’s a lot of work!"
Expertise
"I took a bit of a circuitous route towards becoming an Art Journalist. For many years (despite holding an advanced degree in Asian Studies) I worked in Healthcare, a field that I had no interest in. One day, I decided that it was time to take the leap and I ended up enrolling in an online class offered thorough an e-journal based in Hong Kong. Initially, my interest was primarily in contemporary art from Southeast Asia. Recently, I have included artists from the Middle East, as I wish to provide a platform where artists from that region can honestly speak about their work and address some of the very important themes and realities that they face."
Money
"Although my blog is not monetized, I do feel a strong sense of responsibility towards connecting artists from Asia and the Middle East to the West and hope that my efforts will help ease communication and understanding between others internationally."