Barbara Lo Bianco's guest appearances

Barbara Lo Bianco

Jewelry Journey Podcast

Robert Lee

Stefanie Walker

Sasha Nixon

Matt Burkholz

Elyse Zorn Karlin

Charon Kransen

Irija Øwre

Barbara Schwartz

Sarah Nehama

Lisa Berman

Donna Schneier

Lisa Kramer

Amy Wilson

Diana Holstein

Jo Ellen Cole

OwlTail

What you’ll learn in this episode:    How the artists represented by BABS translate their artistic vision to jewelry Why showing art and jewelry outside of the traditional gallery setting can make it less intimidating for non-collectors Why artist jewelry has yet to catch on with Italian consumers, and how Barbara hopes the industry evolves Why Barbara thinks there should be no division between art and art jewelry, and how she is trying to solve this issue What Barbara looks for in the pieces she selects for her gallery    About Barbara Lo Bianco Barbara Lo Bianco is the CEO and Owner of BABS (Beyond Art Before Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, Italy. An art enthusiast with a long-time passion for artist jewelry, Barbara opened BABS in October 2018. As the first gallery in Italy dedicated to artists’ jewels, BABS collaborates with contemporary artists to create wearable art.   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com   Additional Resources:  Website: www.babsartgallery.it Artists Page: https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/ Barbara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/ Twitter: @BabsGallery    Transcript   Barbara Lo Bianco’s mission is to smash the arbitrary line that divides art and jewelry. As owner of BABS (Before Art Beyond Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, she works with fine artists to create their first pieces of jewelry and translate their vision to a new medium, breaking all the rules of what art or jewelry are supposed to be. Barbara joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she’s trying to change the way art jewelry is displayed at fairs; the types of artists she likes to represent; and some of her favorite pieces from BABS. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven’t heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com.    We’ve had a lot of entrepreneurs on The Jewelry Journey. Barbara Lo Bianco is an entrepreneur, but in a different category. Her forays before art and jewelry and having a gallery were in unrelated fields. She was involved in a fitness center and was a real estate investor. Welcome back.   I look at art. I give a cursory glance at the art that might not be at a gallery, let’s say, but at a jewelry store. It’s decoration, but it’s not to sell.   Barbara: You see a lot of restaurants in Milan that exhibit artworks by artists that are just there for the exhibition, so I think Italians are more acquainted with it. They do see it, and they might even ask questions because it’s another environment. They’re talking to somebody that is not doing that for business. They knew I was not going to sell to them. I was just saying, “You like it? Look, this is the business card of the artist. Just call him.” They feel free to ask him questions about it.   Sharon: That is different. It’s different from the experience I’ve had here. How do you divide historical contemporary from contemporary? I was surprised to see on your website what I would consider contemporary, but they were maybe historical. You had some Dalí. I can’t remember exactly.   Barbara: Yeah, we have Dalí. You cannot say it’s contemporary. He’s dead, so I cannot work with him anymore, unfortunately. He was last century. He’s modern; he’s not contemporary. There is this small distinction between modern and contemporary. There are some artists that are modern and others that are contemporary. Contemporaries are the ones that are living now and the ones that are working still. Those who are no longer working cannot be called contemporary. They are modern, yes, but they’re not contemporary.    Then there are some that are contemporary, but they’re already established. Some others are emergent or mid-career. What I’m focusing on now is mid-career, moving a little bit towards established. I’m between that field. I don’t do emerging, and I don’t do contemporary jewels. I do contemporary art, yes.    Sharon: It seems like a tremendous incentive. They show their art and a jewel or two they have made for you, and they talk with people who are aficionados.    Barbara: Yes, what is nice is that when we finish the project with the artist, we do an exhibition. I do exhibit works the artist is usually known for so you can recognize his style; you can recognize his message alongside the jewels he or she created. You can see the starting point or the inspiration point and the actual work they did, the new project, which is not often just a small reduction. It is something else, but you can still recognize the style and the message of the artist.    They do come to the exhibition, of course; they do speak with the people, but during the period of the exhibition, I always try to organize another talk or some sort of small event by appointment. There are 20, 40 people at most, so they get a chance to talk with the artist and ask them questions if they want—even if, most of the time, artists like to have their works speak for them. They are not so keen on speaking, especially in a larger group. In a small group, it works better.   Sharon: Do people see the connection?   Barbara: Yes, once they see them outside, they do. You do understand it. If you see the work by itself, it probably is not that easy, but if you see the works alongside the jewels, you do see the same end, the same meaning. It is like a speech that works within different media.   Sharon: Would you give us an example where you saw the connection?   Barbara: For example, there is an artist we work with. She made a sculpture which is about two meters high. It was treated as if it were a mirror in a bronze cage in front that looked like a medieval prison. So, you walk in front of this sculpture and suddenly you see yourself within a prison. You should start asking yourself, “Am I free or not? Why do I see myself within a cage?”   The piece of work is called The Golden Cage, because even if we are free, we are actually closed in a golden cage, more or less, because of all the limitations we give ourselves, because of all the routine, because of all the relations we have, because of all the boundaries we give ourselves, because of where our family or our business or our everyday life leads us. We wanted to give the same idea within a jewel.    It was quite hard because of the sizes. You cannot reflect yourself entirely within a cage. We tried and it came out very nice, but then we had an idea, “O.K., why don’t we put something precious in it?” We started putting in a precious stone, and that gave the message. The stone doesn’t get any light from anywhere, so it doesn’t follow the rules of jewelry where you have to give light to stone; you have to embellish it; you have to make it shiny; you have to show that it’s worth it. In this case, we put this stone within a cage, and it doesn’t get any light from anywhere. You can see it because it’s huge. The message is no matter how beautiful you are, you can never shine if you are within a cage. So, you get the same feeling; you get the same taste of the poetry of the artist, but in a different way.   Sharon: Do the artists you exhibit have favorite stones that they work with more than others?   Barbara: It depends. Some of them don’t want to work with any type of stone. Some work with stone. It depends. They are totally free. Another one is Alex Pinna. His bigger sculptures are usually made in big rope, like the ones for boats and other ships. We made the jewels with ebony, gold, silver, even rope. They give exactly the same feeling of his sculptures but made in a different way and with different shapes. He makes mixed sculptures. He’s a little bit individual. He makes these very thin human beings, but not in detail, that are sort of waiting for something that will happen or just happened; you don’t know. He captured exactly the same sense of being suspended in his sculptures and in his jewels.    Sharon: Do you tell the artist what you’re looking for? Do you tell them, “I want bracelets”?   Barbara: No.   Sharon: You don’t tell them. They have free reign.    Barbara: I tell them, “Don’t try to do what is easy; try to do what you think would be good, and leave it to me and the goldsmith to try to figure out the way to realize it. Don’t go for the easy thing.” The medallion would be the easiest way, but it’s banal; it’s something that has been seen tons of times. I think that in some way, art has to go beyond, has to go a little bit further. That’s what I tell them.   Sharon: It’s in your name, Beyond Sculpture.   Barbara: Yeah, that’s right.   Sharon: When I hear the word unique, it means I won’t see anything like it. Is that different at your gallery?   Barbara: No, that’s right. We work with unique pieces, unique within a series, or we work with very small editions. That means if it is unique, it is just one piece and that’s it. No way are we ever going to have another one again. If it is unique within a series—for example, we worked with one artist that made 13 rings which were all similar, but all very different. They are unique within a series. The series is of those 13 rings, but they are all different from one another. They differ in color. They differ in material. They are different in treatment. They are different because one might be made with enamel; the other might be without. It depends.    Otherwise, it can be a small series. We usually work with eight pieces because in the sculpture world it can still be defined as unique, but we do declare that it is one out of eight or two out of eight. In some cases, we talk with the artist, especially if they want to make the price a little bit lower. We might be working with a series of 20 or 30. In three cases, we did something for charity, so we worked in a series of 99.   Sharon: Do your artists care if it’s a unique piece? Is it important to them that they have a small series of 12 or eight?   Barbara: Some of them do want to keep it unique or in a very small series because that’s how they work with their art. Some others don’t mind. For example, Emilio Isgrò, who is one of the most accredited artists in Italy now, didn’t mind working with the larger series. So, we worked with 30 pieces. He doesn’t really mind. If it helps spread it and makes it something people would wear more, let’s do it. It depends.   Sharon: Do your clients come from all over Europe or from Italy?   Barbara: We have clients from Japan, from the U.S., from Canada, from the U.K., Belgium. We do work everywhere because with the technologies now, that’s a little bit easier. With some clients, they ask us to ship it. We wear it and do some videos to show how the ring looks or how the necklace looks, and then we ship it. We are doing some fairs. Last year we did Basel, the design fair. We had great contacts and clients from all over the world. It depends.   Sharon: You did Design Basel?   Barbara: Sorry if I interrupted you. Actually, I might say that more clients are foreigners than Italians. The Italians are still a little bit more toward traditional jewels.   Sharon: I’m surprised to hear that.    Barbara: Yes, there’s still not too much of a culture for artist jewelry.   Sharon: Do you see that changing?   Barbara: There’s a little bit more interest, but it’s still quite hard because in Italy there’s the tradition. Jewelry is often a present, and jewels by artists is something you buy for yourself because it’s a liaison between you and the artist and the piece of art. Usually if somebody gives it to you, it’s because they know you very well; they know you like that artist. Otherwise, no. It is a little bit harder that way. Italian women especially don’t buy too many jewels by themselves.   Sharon: So, most of the jewelry you’re seeing is run of the mill, the kind you’d give as a gift. It’s not what you carry.   Barbara: Yeah.   Sharon: O.K.   Barbara: What were you asking before?   Sharon: I was just going to ask what your dream would be for the business, what the next step is.   Barbara: The next step is to keep working with major artists. The thing I would really like is to make it easier to exhibit at fairs. Last year, as I was telling you, we exhibited at Basel, but we were in the bazaar in the pavilion, because the business was considered an applied art, which I don’t think is fair. It is art. It is just a small size that can be worn. The same artists that were exhibiting their jewelry, they were in the art pavilion with other works of art. Why can’t they stay together? That’s one thing.    Another thing is that they often tell me, “No, you have to exhibit either the piece of art or the jewelry,” and I don’t see why. Art should have no limits. If it is an art exhibit, it is art. That’s something I’m really trying to make the curator of the fairs understand, but it’s hard.   Sharon: That sounds like a big hurdle, a big one to get over and get past.   Barbara: Yeah, I don’t see why. We had pieces from artists and their other artwork was on the other side. We had Gilardi, and Gilardi was on the other side. Why can’t they be in the same space, in the same location? Applied art doesn’t mean it’s less valuable than normal art.   Sharon: That’s interesting. It’s been about four years since the first time we talked to you. I hope by the next time, you will have resolved a lot of these issues.   Barbara: Thank you. I’ll try.    Sharon: Thank you very much.   Barbara: I’ll keep trying. Thank you very much for having me. It was a pleasure to see you again.   Sharon: It’s nice to see you. Thank you. We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

What you’ll learn in this episode: <ul> <li>How the artists represented by BABS translate their artistic vision to jewelry</li> <li>Why showing art and jewelry outside of the traditional gallery setting can make it less intimidating for non-collectors</li> <li>Why artist jewelry has yet to catch on with Italian consumers, and how Barbara hopes the industry evolves</li> <li>Why Barbara thinks there should be no division between art and art jewelry, and how she is trying to solve this issue</li> <li>What Barbara looks for in the pieces she selects for her gallery</li> <li> </li> </ul> About Barbara Lo Bianco Barbara Lo Bianco is the CEO and Owner of BABS (Beyond Art Before Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, Italy. An art enthusiast with a long-time passion for artist jewelry, Barbara opened BABS in October 2018. As the first gallery in Italy dedicated to artists’ jewels, BABS collaborates with contemporary artists to create wearable art. Photos Available on <a href="http://TheJewelryJourney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TheJewelryJourney.com</a> Additional Resources: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="http://www.babsartgallery.it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.babsartgallery.it</a></li> <li>Artists Page: <a href="https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/</a></li> <li>Barbara’s LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/</a></li> <li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/</a></li> <li>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/</a></li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/BabsGallery" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@BabsGallery</a></li> </ul> Transcript Barbara Lo Bianco’s mission is to smash the arbitrary line that divides art and jewelry. As owner of BABS (Before Art Beyond Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, she works with fine artists to create their first pieces of jewelry and translate their vision to a new medium, breaking all the rules of what art or jewelry are supposed to be. Barbara joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she’s trying to change the way art jewelry is displayed at fairs; the types of artists she likes to represent; and some of her favorite pieces from BABS. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven’t heard part one, please head to <a href="http://TheJewelryJourney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TheJewelryJourney.com</a>.  We’ve had a lot of entrepreneurs on The Jewelry Journey. Barbara Lo Bianco is an entrepreneur, but in a different category. Her forays before art and jewelry and having a gallery were in unrelated fields. She was involved in a fitness center and was a real estate investor. Welcome back. I look at art. I give a cursory glance at the art that might not be at a gallery, let’s say, but at a jewelry store. It’s decoration, but it’s not to sell. Barbara: You see a lot of restaurants in Milan that exhibit artworks by artists that are just there for the exhibition, so I think Italians are more acquainted with it. They do see it, and they might even ask questions because it’s another environment. They’re talking to somebody that is not doing that for business. They knew I was not going to sell to them. I was just saying, “You like it? Look, this is the business card of the artist. Just call him.” They feel free to ask him questions about it. Sharon: That is different. It’s different from the experience I’ve had here. How do you divide historical contemporary from contemporary? I was surprised to see on your website what I would consider contemporary, but they were maybe historical. You had some Dalí. I can’t remember exactly. Barbara: Yeah, we have Dalí. You cannot say it’s contemporary. He’s dead, so I cannot work with him anymore, unfortunately. He was last century. He’s modern; he’s not contemporary. There is this small distinction between modern and contemporary. There are some artists that are modern and others that are contemporary. Contemporaries are the ones that are living now and the ones that are working still. Those who are no longer working cannot be called contemporary. They are modern, yes, but they’re not contemporary.  Then there are some that are contemporary, but they’re already established. Some others are emergent or mid-career. What I’m focusing on now is mid-career, moving a little bit towards established. I’m between that field. I don’t do emerging, and I don’t do contemporary jewels. I do contemporary art, yes.  Sharon: It seems like a tremendous incentive. They show their art and a jewel or two they have made for you, and they talk with people who are aficionados.  Barbara: Yes, what is nice is that when we finish the project with the artist, we do an exhibition. I do exhibit works the artist is usually known for so you can recognize his style; you can recognize his message alongside the jewels he or she created. You can see the starting point or the inspiration point and the actual work they did, the new project, which is not often just a small reduction. It is something else, but you can still recognize the style and the message of the artist.  They do come to the exhibition, of course; they do speak with the people, but during the period of the exhibition, I always try to organize another talk or some sort of small event by appointment. There are 20, 40 people at most, so they get a chance to talk with the artist and ask them questions if they want—even if, most of the time, artists like to have their works speak for them. They are not so keen on speaking, especially in a larger group. In a small group, it works better. Sharon: Do people see the connection? Barbara: Yes, once they see them outside, they do. You do understand it. If you see the work by itself, it probably is not that easy, but if you see the works alongside the jewels, you do see the same end, the same meaning. It is like a speech that works within different media. Sharon: Would you give us an example where you saw the connection? Barbara: For example, there is an artist we work with. She made a sculpture which is about two meters high. It was treated as if it were a mirror in a bronze cage in front that looked like a medieval prison. So, you walk in front of this sculpture and suddenly you see yourself within a prison. You should start asking yourself, “Am I free or not? Why do I see myself within a cage?” The piece of work is called The Golden Cage, because even if we are free, we are actually closed in a golden cage, more or less, because of all the limitations we give ourselves, because of all the routine, because of all the relations we have, because of all the boundaries we give ourselves, because of where our family or our business or our everyday life leads us. We wanted to give the same idea within a jewel.  It was quite hard because of the sizes. You cannot reflect yourself entirely within a cage. We tried and it came out very nice, but then we had an idea, “O.K., why don’t we put something precious in it?” We started putting in a precious stone, and that gave the message. The stone doesn’t get any light from anywhere, so it doesn’t follow the rules of jewelry where you have to give light to stone; you have to embellish it; you have to make it shiny; you have to show that it’s worth it. In this case, we put this stone within a cage, and it doesn’t get any light from anywhere. You can see it because it’s huge. The message is no matter how beautiful you are, you can never shine if you are within a cage. So, you get the same feeling; you get the same taste of the poetry of the artist, but in a different way. Sharon: Do the artists you exhibit have favorite stones that they work with more than others? Barbara: It depends. Some of them don’t want to work with any type of stone. Some work with stone. It depends. They are totally free. Another one is Alex Pinna. His bigger sculptures are usually made in big rope, like the ones for boats and other ships. We made the jewels with ebony, gold, silver, even rope. They give exactly the same feeling of his sculptures but made in a different way and with different shapes. He makes mixed sculptures. He’s a little bit individual. He makes these very thin human beings, but not in detail, that are sort of waiting for something that will happen or just happened; you don’t know. He captured exactly the same sense of being suspended in his sculptures and in his jewels.  Sharon: Do you tell the artist what you’re looking for? Do you tell them, “I want bracelets”? Barbara: No. Sharon: You don’t tell them. They have free reign.  Barbara: I tell them, “Don’t try to do what is easy; try to do what you think would be good, and leave it to me and the goldsmith to try to figure out the way to realize it. Don’t go for the easy thing.” The medallion would be the easiest way, but it’s banal; it’s something that has been seen tons of times. I think that in some way, art has to go beyond, has to go a little bit further. That’s what I tell them. Sharon: It’s in your name, Beyond Sculpture. Barbara: Yeah, that’s right. Sharon: When I hear the word unique, it means I won’t see anything like it. Is that different at your gallery? Barbara: No, that’s right. We work with unique pieces, unique within a series, or we work with very small editions. That means if it is unique, it is just one piece and that’s it. No way are we ever going to have another one again. If it is unique within a series—for example, we worked with one artist that made 13 rings which were all similar, but all very different. They are unique within a series. The series is of those 13 rings, but they are all different from one another. They differ in color. They differ in material. They are different in treatment. They are different because one might be made with enamel; the other might be without. It depends.  Otherwise, it can be a small series. We usually work with eight pieces because in the sculpture world it can still be defined as unique, but we do declare that it is one out of eight or two out of eight. In some cases, we talk with the artist, especially if they want to make the price a little bit lower. We might be working with a series of 20 or 30. In three cases, we did something for charity, so we worked in a series of 99. Sharon: Do your artists care if it’s a unique piece? Is it important to them that they have a small series of 12 or eight? Barbara: Some of them do want to keep it unique or in a very small series because that’s how they work with their art. Some others don’t mind. For example, Emilio Isgrò, who is one of the most accredited artists in Italy now, didn’t mind working with the larger series. So, we worked with 30 pieces. He doesn’t really mind. If it helps spread it and makes it something people would wear more, let’s do it. It depends. Sharon: Do your clients come from all over Europe or from Italy? Barbara: We have clients from Japan, from the U.S., from Canada, from the U.K., Belgium. We do work everywhere because with the technologies now, that’s a little bit easier. With some clients, they ask us to ship it. We wear it and do some videos to show how the ring looks or how the necklace looks, and then we ship it. We are doing some fairs. Last year we did Basel, the design fair. We had great contacts and clients from all over the world. It depends. Sharon: You did Design Basel? Barbara: Sorry if I interrupted you. Actually, I might say that more clients are foreigners than Italians. The Italians are still a little bit more toward traditional jewels. Sharon: I’m surprised to hear that.  Barbara: Yes, there’s still not too much of a culture for artist jewelry. Sharon: Do you see that changing? Barbara: There’s a little bit more interest, but it’s still quite hard because in Italy there’s the tradition. Jewelry is often a present, and jewels by artists is something you buy for yourself because it’s a liaison between you and the artist and the piece of art. Usually if somebody gives it to you, it’s because they know you very well; they know you like that artist. Otherwise, no. It is a little bit harder that way. Italian women especially don’t buy too many jewels by themselves. Sharon: So, most of the jewelry you’re seeing is run of the mill, the kind you’d give as a gift. It’s not what you carry. Barbara: Yeah. Sharon: O.K. Barbara: What were you asking before? Sharon: I was just going to ask what your dream would be for the business, what the next step is. Barbara: The next step is to keep working with major artists. The thing I would really like is to make it easier to exhibit at fairs. Last year, as I was telling you, we exhibited at Basel, but we were in the bazaar in the pavilion, because the business was considered an applied art, which I don’t think is fair. It is art. It is just a small size that can be worn. The same artists that were exhibiting their jewelry, they were in the art pavilion with other works of art. Why can’t they stay together? That’s one thing.  Another thing is that they often tell me, “No, you have to exhibit either the piece of art or the jewelry,” and I don’t see why. Art should have no limits. If it is an art exhibit, it is art. That’s something I’m really trying to make the curator of the fairs understand, but it’s hard. Sharon: That sounds like a big hurdle, a big one to get over and get past. Barbara: Yeah, I don’t see why. We had pieces from artists and their other artwork was on the other side. We had Gilardi, and Gilardi was on the other side. Why can’t they be in the same space, in the same location? Applied art doesn’t mean it’s less valuable than normal art. Sharon: That’s interesting. It’s been about four years since the first time we talked to you. I hope by the next time, you will have resolved a lot of these issues. Barbara: Thank you. I’ll try.  Sharon: Thank you very much. Barbara: I’ll keep trying. Thank you very much for having me. It was a pleasure to see you again. Sharon: It’s nice to see you. Thank you. We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to <a href="http://TheJewelryJourney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TheJewelryJourney.com</a> to check them out. Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.

Episode 196 Part 2: Translating Art to Jewelry with Gallerist Barbara Lo Bianco

What you’ll learn in this episode:    How the artists represented by BABS translate their artistic vision to jewelry Why showing art and jewelry outside of the traditional gallery setting can make it less intimidating for non-collectors Why artist jewelry has yet to catch on with Italian consumers, and how Barbara hopes the industry evolves Why Barbara thinks there should be no division between art and art jewelry, and how she is trying to solve this issue What Barbara looks for in the pieces she selects for her gallery    About Barbara Lo Bianco Barbara Lo Bianco is the CEO and Owner of BABS (Beyond Art Before Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, Italy. An art enthusiast with a long-time passion for artist jewelry, Barbara opened BABS in October 2018. As the first gallery in Italy dedicated to artists’ jewels, BABS collaborates with contemporary artists to create wearable art.   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com   Additional Resources:  Website: www.babsartgallery.it Artists Page: https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/ Barbara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/ Twitter: @BabsGallery    Transcript   Barbara Lo Bianco’s mission is to smash the arbitrary line that divides art and jewelry. As owner of BABS (Before Art Beyond Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, she works with fine artists to create their first pieces of jewelry and translate their vision to a new medium, breaking all the rules of what art or jewelry are supposed to be. Barbara joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she’s trying to change the way art jewelry is displayed at fairs; the types of artists she likes to represent; and some of her favorite pieces from BABS. Read the episode transcript here.    Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it’s released later this week.    We’ve had a lot of entrepreneurs on The Jewelry Journey. Barbara Lo Bianco is an entrepreneur, but in a different category. Her forays before art and jewelry and having a gallery were in unrelated fields. She was involved in a fitness center and was a real estate investor, but her passion has always been in art and jewelry. BABS stands for Beyond Art Before Sculpture. She opened a gallery which showcases artists she knew. They were doing sculpture, but she convinced them to do jewelry. They didn’t know their creativity was also in this area until she gave them the space and encouragement to do it. We’ll hear all about her art gallery today.   Barbara: Hello, Sharon. Thank you for having me again.   Sharon: I’m so glad that we connected. Why did you decide to locate in Milan?   Barbara: It’s very normal. It’s just that I live here. It’s the easiest thing. Milan has a long tradition in artist jewelry. Actually, artist jewelry in Italy started in Rome right after World War II, when some of the sculptors were commissioned to do unique pieces in order to recreate an interest in our jewelry, which was not something necessary right after the war, when everything had to be reconstructed again. So, you had to make jewelry that was a little bit different.   Then, in the 60s, it moved to Milan. In Milan, there was GEM by Montebello, who has been the biggest and most famous editor of jewelry by artists in Italy. They worked with more than 50 artists and created more than 200 jewelry pieces. So, there is a tradition, but there had never been a gallery doing that. So, I was in Milan. Why not? Actually, I’m still the only gallery in Italy.   Sharon: In Italy?   Barbara: Yes.   Sharon: I’m thinking about Thereza Pedrosa. She gathers pieces she likes, not pieces that have been commissioned for the gallery.   Barbara: Yeah, this is a little bit different. We don’t focus on contemporary; we focus on jewels made by artists, visual artists, painters, sculptors, photographers. We ask them to do a piece of jewelry. We also exhibit some historical pieces, but it’s not our major business.   Sharon: I was wondering if you live in Milan. I don’t know that much about Italy, but I’ve heard Milan is the fashion capital.   Barbara: It is. It’s so busy.   Sharon: Did you have a reason to start there?   Barbara: It’s the most motivational and vibrant city in Italy. It is very European, although in size, it’s quite nice. It still has a local atmosphere although it’s quite international. The other cities in Italy are more for tourists. This is one is more a business city, and it’s more where you do things. It’s the most business city we have, but it’s nice.   Sharon: I’ve heard it’s an up-and-coming city. It was industrial and now it’s really changed.   Barbara: Yes, in the 70s, it used to be a little bit more industrial. Now, it’s mainly services.   Sharon: Was that one reason you decided to open in Milan, besides the fact that you lived in Milan? Did you consider other places?   Barbara: No, honestly, I did not. I think it is quite a good location because a lot of the expertise, especially for goldsmiths, is in this area anyway. I would have had to work mostly from here. Plus, it is quite convenient if you do road shows or if you want to do exhibitions. It’s very logistically easy. There are some cities in Italy which might be a little bit more artistic, like Florence or Venice or Rome, but I still think working in Milan would be the best place.   Sharon: Did you consider other artists you didn’t know, or artists that were in other parts of Italy?   Barbara: Oh, yes. We do work with them. I started with just a few whom I knew. I had been buying their work because I am an art enthusiast. I did buy some pieces of artists I liked. That was just the beginning, but I’m still working and starting to get work from other artists, not only Italians, but also foreigners.    Sharon: Did you find it difficult to start because they didn’t know who you were?    Barbara: Yes. I have to say yes, because at the beginning I was totally new and a very young gallery. It was the only gallery doing this in Italy, so it was quite strange to approach an artist and ask, “Excuse me, would you like to do this?” Second, it was because I don’t come from the art world. I’ve not been in the system. My husband is not a collector. He’s not a gallerist nor is my family. We’ve always been very enthusiastic about it, but we’re not related to anyone and haven’t worked with museums or galleries. So, connections were not that easy at the beginning.    I’m usually a little bit humble, but this time I have to say it because I’ve been having a lot of appreciation lately. I’m working a lot and trying to work well and consistently, so people are now approaching me, and once I approach them, they’re willing to work with me. So, it’s getting easier.    Sharon: What did you do during Covid, when nobody would talk to anybody?   Barbara: Well, we needed to work. We worked at trying to build up an archive. We were organizing, taking pictures and trying to exploit social media and what technology gave us. We were quite a young gallery because we opened in the autumn of 2018. After a year and a half, we were already closed for the pandemic, but that gave us some time to slow down a little bit. We had been doing exhibitions every two months, which was a lot. So, we had time to slow down and reorganize the archive, reorganize the website, reorganize the Instagram, and try to understand how all those types of media work, because I had never been using them. I didn’t need them in my previous business. So, there was everything to learn.   Sharon: Is this what you focus on mainly, besides the gems? Have you given up the gems? Have you given up the real estate investing? Is this your main business?   Barbara: No, this is my main business. I gave up fitness. I’m still doing real estate and financial investments because that’s a family company. I work for them, but that doesn’t take too much time. I have to say that the gallery absorbs 90% of my working time.   Sharon: Wow! Do you have people who work for you in the gallery?   Barbara: Yes, I have a couple of assistants.   Sharon: How do you find new artists? Do they submit things to you?   Barbara: Sometimes they submit them. Sometimes I work with curators and consultants. I explore new artists and try to see what’s new in this world, plus I go to classes. I’m doing a class with an art historian with a focus on contemporary artists. So, I see the artists I like or artists I might find interesting for what they have to say. I always get inspiration.    Sharon: Is that an official class, or is that something you do because you like to?   Barbara: No, that’s just because I like to. At this time in my life, I’m doing things just because I like them. It’s always been an interest, so I want to pursue it; I want to do it. I do study a lot of art because that’s not my background. My background is in law and then taking classes for an MBA. I’ve been working in a totally different field, so there’s always a need to learn more. Of course, I’ve grown up surrounded by art, but that’s mostly ancient art. That helps you build a critical eye and makes you a little more curious about exploring things, but somehow you have to continue pursuing what you like. So, I do study.   Sharon: Do people send photos to you of things you’ve never heard of?   Barbara: Yes, artists do propose. There are not that many, I have to say. They propose themselves mostly if they are emerging artists. A lot of contemporary jewelers do promote themselves, but I do not work with them most of the time because that’s not my business. That is a very nice type of art, but it’s not what I’m focusing on. What I do in the gallery is work with regional artists that usually do not do jewelry. I ask them to create something with their poetic position, with their aesthetic eye, with their meaning, and with the message they usually try to correlate with their art. I propose that they exploit a new medium to convey the same type of art, which is a small sculpture.   Sharon: Do they understand what you’re after?   Barbara: Yes.    Sharon: And if you’re low on rings or bracelets, let’s say, and you need more, you don’t tell them that.   Barbara: No, usually not. I ask them to do something and leave them free—at least at the beginning, I let them feel free to explore, to draw, to create a prototype in paper, in concrete, in clay, in wax, in whatever they like. That’s a starting point. From that starting point, we start creating things. Maybe we say, “O.K., this one doesn’t work as a bracelet, but maybe we can transform it into a necklace or into a pendant,” or “This doesn’t work as a ring, but it could be an earring or vice versa.” It depends.    Sharon: Are they open to your changes, if you have changes?   Barbara: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If they do not want to change the work, but the work is not wearable, sometimes we discharge that project. We do another thing.   Sharon: If it’s not wearable?   Barbara: Yeah, because there are some limitations. If you want to create a ring in gold and in a particular size, but it doesn’t fit because it would be way too heavy, then I cannot make it. If you want to make an earring and it weighs too much so that your ear falls down, there is no way we can do an earring. We can do something else, or we can change the material and try to find something lighter. Sometimes they do accept it; sometimes we just don’t do that piece.    Sharon: You mentioned that you like the fact that you can show your art and jewelry in different places where you don’t usually see it, like a gym.    Barbara: Since I’ve always been passionate about art, I’ve always thought people are quite shy about walking into a regular art gallery, especially in Italy. You have some sort of fear. “What if they ask me to buy it and I cannot afford it? What if I don’t understand and I ask the wrong question?” Especially with contemporary art, it’s always harder to approach it.    I had a chain of very high-end fitness centers. Very nice people were coming to the gym, and they were coming quite often. I had a lot of walls, so I said, “Why not exhibit some young artists or some contemporary artists?” I did, and it was appreciated by other people. They did approach the art and they liked it. Twice a year, I was doing a bigger exhibition with sculptures. For the rest, I was just exhibiting flatworks. It was quite a successful experience for everyone. We had nicer spaces for the clients that were seeing something new, and the artists sold pieces quite a few times. It was a win/win situation.   Sharon: Wow! We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.

What you’ll learn in this episode: <ul> <li>How the artists represented by BABS translate their artistic vision to jewelry</li> <li>Why showing art and jewelry outside of the traditional gallery setting can make it less intimidating for non-collectors</li> <li>Why artist jewelry has yet to catch on with Italian consumers, and how Barbara hopes the industry evolves</li> <li>Why Barbara thinks there should be no division between art and art jewelry, and how she is trying to solve this issue</li> <li>What Barbara looks for in the pieces she selects for her gallery</li> <li> </li> </ul> About Barbara Lo Bianco Barbara Lo Bianco is the CEO and Owner of BABS (Beyond Art Before Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, Italy. An art enthusiast with a long-time passion for artist jewelry, Barbara opened BABS in October 2018. As the first gallery in Italy dedicated to artists’ jewels, BABS collaborates with contemporary artists to create wearable art. Photos Available on <a href="http://TheJewelryJourney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TheJewelryJourney.com</a> Additional Resources: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="http://www.babsartgallery.it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.babsartgallery.it</a></li> <li>Artists Page: <a href="https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/</a></li> <li>Barbara’s LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/</a></li> <li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/</a></li> <li>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/</a></li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/BabsGallery" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@BabsGallery</a></li> </ul> Transcript Barbara Lo Bianco’s mission is to smash the arbitrary line that divides art and jewelry. As owner of BABS (Before Art Beyond Sculpture) Art Gallery in Milan, she works with fine artists to create their first pieces of jewelry and translate their vision to a new medium, breaking all the rules of what art or jewelry are supposed to be. Barbara joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how she’s trying to change the way art jewelry is displayed at fairs; the types of artists she likes to represent; and some of her favorite pieces from BABS. Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the first part of a two-part episode. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it’s released later this week.  We’ve had a lot of entrepreneurs on The Jewelry Journey. Barbara Lo Bianco is an entrepreneur, but in a different category. Her forays before art and jewelry and having a gallery were in unrelated fields. She was involved in a fitness center and was a real estate investor, but her passion has always been in art and jewelry. BABS stands for Beyond Art Before Sculpture. She opened a gallery which showcases artists she knew. They were doing sculpture, but she convinced them to do jewelry. They didn’t know their creativity was also in this area until she gave them the space and encouragement to do it. We’ll hear all about her art gallery today. Barbara: Hello, Sharon. Thank you for having me again. Sharon: I’m so glad that we connected. Why did you decide to locate in Milan? Barbara: It’s very normal. It’s just that I live here. It’s the easiest thing. Milan has a long tradition in artist jewelry. Actually, artist jewelry in Italy started in Rome right after World War II, when some of the sculptors were commissioned to do unique pieces in order to recreate an interest in our jewelry, which was not something necessary right after the war, when everything had to be reconstructed again. So, you had to make jewelry that was a little bit different. Then, in the 60s, it moved to Milan. In Milan, there was GEM by Montebello, who has been the biggest and most famous editor of jewelry by artists in Italy. They worked with more than 50 artists and created more than 200 jewelry pieces. So, there is a tradition, but there had never been a gallery doing that. So, I was in Milan. Why not? Actually, I’m still the only gallery in Italy. Sharon: In Italy? Barbara: Yes. Sharon: I’m thinking about Thereza Pedrosa. She gathers pieces she likes, not pieces that have been commissioned for the gallery. Barbara: Yeah, this is a little bit different. We don’t focus on contemporary; we focus on jewels made by artists, visual artists, painters, sculptors, photographers. We ask them to do a piece of jewelry. We also exhibit some historical pieces, but it’s not our major business. Sharon: I was wondering if you live in Milan. I don’t know that much about Italy, but I’ve heard Milan is the fashion capital. Barbara: It is. It’s so busy. Sharon: Did you have a reason to start there? Barbara: It’s the most motivational and vibrant city in Italy. It is very European, although in size, it’s quite nice. It still has a local atmosphere although it’s quite international. The other cities in Italy are more for tourists. This is one is more a business city, and it’s more where you do things. It’s the most business city we have, but it’s nice. Sharon: I’ve heard it’s an up-and-coming city. It was industrial and now it’s really changed. Barbara: Yes, in the 70s, it used to be a little bit more industrial. Now, it’s mainly services. Sharon: Was that one reason you decided to open in Milan, besides the fact that you lived in Milan? Did you consider other places? Barbara: No, honestly, I did not. I think it is quite a good location because a lot of the expertise, especially for goldsmiths, is in this area anyway. I would have had to work mostly from here. Plus, it is quite convenient if you do road shows or if you want to do exhibitions. It’s very logistically easy. There are some cities in Italy which might be a little bit more artistic, like Florence or Venice or Rome, but I still think working in Milan would be the best place. Sharon: Did you consider other artists you didn’t know, or artists that were in other parts of Italy? Barbara: Oh, yes. We do work with them. I started with just a few whom I knew. I had been buying their work because I am an art enthusiast. I did buy some pieces of artists I liked. That was just the beginning, but I’m still working and starting to get work from other artists, not only Italians, but also foreigners.  Sharon: Did you find it difficult to start because they didn’t know who you were?  Barbara: Yes. I have to say yes, because at the beginning I was totally new and a very young gallery. It was the only gallery doing this in Italy, so it was quite strange to approach an artist and ask, “Excuse me, would you like to do this?” Second, it was because I don’t come from the art world. I’ve not been in the system. My husband is not a collector. He’s not a gallerist nor is my family. We’ve always been very enthusiastic about it, but we’re not related to anyone and haven’t worked with museums or galleries. So, connections were not that easy at the beginning.  I’m usually a little bit humble, but this time I have to say it because I’ve been having a lot of appreciation lately. I’m working a lot and trying to work well and consistently, so people are now approaching me, and once I approach them, they’re willing to work with me. So, it’s getting easier.  Sharon: What did you do during Covid, when nobody would talk to anybody? Barbara: Well, we needed to work. We worked at trying to build up an archive. We were organizing, taking pictures and trying to exploit social media and what technology gave us. We were quite a young gallery because we opened in the autumn of 2018. After a year and a half, we were already closed for the pandemic, but that gave us some time to slow down a little bit. We had been doing exhibitions every two months, which was a lot. So, we had time to slow down and reorganize the archive, reorganize the website, reorganize the Instagram, and try to understand how all those types of media work, because I had never been using them. I didn’t need them in my previous business. So, there was everything to learn. Sharon: Is this what you focus on mainly, besides the gems? Have you given up the gems? Have you given up the real estate investing? Is this your main business? Barbara: No, this is my main business. I gave up fitness. I’m still doing real estate and financial investments because that’s a family company. I work for them, but that doesn’t take too much time. I have to say that the gallery absorbs 90% of my working time. Sharon: Wow! Do you have people who work for you in the gallery? Barbara: Yes, I have a couple of assistants. Sharon: How do you find new artists? Do they submit things to you? Barbara: Sometimes they submit them. Sometimes I work with curators and consultants. I explore new artists and try to see what’s new in this world, plus I go to classes. I’m doing a class with an art historian with a focus on contemporary artists. So, I see the artists I like or artists I might find interesting for what they have to say. I always get inspiration.  Sharon: Is that an official class, or is that something you do because you like to? Barbara: No, that’s just because I like to. At this time in my life, I’m doing things just because I like them. It’s always been an interest, so I want to pursue it; I want to do it. I do study a lot of art because that’s not my background. My background is in law and then taking classes for an MBA. I’ve been working in a totally different field, so there’s always a need to learn more. Of course, I’ve grown up surrounded by art, but that’s mostly ancient art. That helps you build a critical eye and makes you a little more curious about exploring things, but somehow you have to continue pursuing what you like. So, I do study. Sharon: Do people send photos to you of things you’ve never heard of? Barbara: Yes, artists do propose. There are not that many, I have to say. They propose themselves mostly if they are emerging artists. A lot of contemporary jewelers do promote themselves, but I do not work with them most of the time because that’s not my business. That is a very nice type of art, but it’s not what I’m focusing on. What I do in the gallery is work with regional artists that usually do not do jewelry. I ask them to create something with their poetic position, with their aesthetic eye, with their meaning, and with the message they usually try to correlate with their art. I propose that they exploit a new medium to convey the same type of art, which is a small sculpture. Sharon: Do they understand what you’re after? Barbara: Yes.  Sharon: And if you’re low on rings or bracelets, let’s say, and you need more, you don’t tell them that. Barbara: No, usually not. I ask them to do something and leave them free—at least at the beginning, I let them feel free to explore, to draw, to create a prototype in paper, in concrete, in clay, in wax, in whatever they like. That’s a starting point. From that starting point, we start creating things. Maybe we say, “O.K., this one doesn’t work as a bracelet, but maybe we can transform it into a necklace or into a pendant,” or “This doesn’t work as a ring, but it could be an earring or vice versa.” It depends.  Sharon: Are they open to your changes, if you have changes? Barbara: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If they do not want to change the work, but the work is not wearable, sometimes we discharge that project. We do another thing. Sharon: If it’s not wearable? Barbara: Yeah, because there are some limitations. If you want to create a ring in gold and in a particular size, but it doesn’t fit because it would be way too heavy, then I cannot make it. If you want to make an earring and it weighs too much so that your ear falls down, there is no way we can do an earring. We can do something else, or we can change the material and try to find something lighter. Sometimes they do accept it; sometimes we just don’t do that piece.  Sharon: You mentioned that you like the fact that you can show your art and jewelry in different places where you don’t usually see it, like a gym.  Barbara: Since I’ve always been passionate about art, I’ve always thought people are quite shy about walking into a regular art gallery, especially in Italy. You have some sort of fear. “What if they ask me to buy it and I cannot afford it? What if I don’t understand and I ask the wrong question?” Especially with contemporary art, it’s always harder to approach it.  I had a chain of very high-end fitness centers. Very nice people were coming to the gym, and they were coming quite often. I had a lot of walls, so I said, “Why not exhibit some young artists or some contemporary artists?” I did, and it was appreciated by other people. They did approach the art and they liked it. Twice a year, I was doing a bigger exhibition with sculptures. For the rest, I was just exhibiting flatworks. It was quite a successful experience for everyone. We had nicer spaces for the clients that were seeing something new, and the artists sold pieces quite a few times. It was a win/win situation. Sharon: Wow! We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to <a href="http://TheJewelryJourney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TheJewelryJourney.com</a> to check them out.

Episode 196 Part 1: Translating Art to Jewelry with Gallerist Barbara Lo Bianco

Barbara Lo Bianco is the founder and owner of BABS (Beyond Art Before Sculpture ) Art Gallery, a gallery engaged with contemporary artists to create unique pieces of jewelry. As a lover of both contemporary art and jewels, Barbara works with artists to discover new ways to express their talent and message. An entrepreneur at heart, Barbara also owns several real estate businesses and fitness centers in Milan. She often organizes exhibitions at the fitness centers to support young artists and provide an opportunity to showcase their work as well as allow people to see art in a different setting than a gallery. Barbara began her career as a lawyer, obtaining a Master’s degree in American and International Law from Southwestern Legal Foundation and studying law at the University of Palermo. She went on to obtain an MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management which launched her profession in the art world. What you’ll learn in this episode:  The inspiration behind BABS Art Gallery. How BABS works with artists to explore how their pieces can be turned into jewelry. The materials artists work with and types of pieces they’ve created. How the idea of “wearable sculpture” inspires many of the gallery’s artists to be experimental with their designs. A look at upcoming BABS exhibits.  Additional resources:  Website: www.babsartgallery.it Artists Page: https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/ Barbara’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/ Twitter: @BabsGallery Upcoming Exhibits:  Orna Ben Ami Exhibition, opening on April 2, 2019 Chiara Dynys Exhibition, opening on May 28, 2019   

Barbara Lo Bianco is the founder and owner of BABS (Beyond Art Before Sculpture ) Art Gallery, a gallery engaged with contemporary artists to create unique pieces of jewelry. As a lover of both contemporary art and jewels, Barbara works with artists to discover new ways to express their talent and message. An entrepreneur at heart, Barbara also owns several real estate businesses and fitness centers in Milan. She often organizes exhibitions at the fitness centers to support young artists and provide an opportunity to showcase their work as well as allow people to see art in a different setting than a gallery. Barbara began her career as a lawyer, obtaining a Master’s degree in American and International Law from Southwestern Legal Foundation and studying law at the University of Palermo. She went on to obtain an MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management which launched her profession in the art world. What you’ll learn in this episode: <ul> <li>The inspiration behind BABS Art Gallery.</li> <li>How BABS works with artists to explore how their pieces can be turned into jewelry.</li> <li>The materials artists work with and types of pieces they’ve created.</li> <li>How the idea of “wearable sculpture” inspires many of the gallery’s artists to be experimental with their designs.</li> <li>A look at upcoming BABS exhibits.</li> </ul> Additional resources: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="http://www.babsartgallery.it/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">www.babsartgallery.it</a></li> <li>Artists Page: <a href="https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.babsartgallery.it/maestri-gioiello-milano/</a></li> <li>Barbara’s LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-lo-bianco-a1330a/</a></li> <li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/babsartgallery/</a></li> <li>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/babsartgallery.gioiellidartista/</a></li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/BabsGallery" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">@BabsGallery</a></li> <li>Upcoming Exhibits: <ul> <li>Orna Ben Ami Exhibition, opening on April 2, 2019</li> <li>Chiara Dynys Exhibition, opening on May 28, 2019</li> </ul> </li> </ul>