Sophie Nowakowska is a London-based curator and mentor who also works as an artist's manager and marketing specialist for the creative industry. It is important for her to create opportunities for artists to experiment and talk about topics often ignored or censored by the art world. On her Instagram @professional_art_bullshitter she posts snapshots about her curatorial work and exhibition reviews.
Sophie Nowakowska
I'm passionate about exploring various curatorial elements such as press releases, labels, digital marketing, and using diverse mediums like exhibitions, panel discussions, and workshops to enhance communication with audiences. I want to work with communities that may not be widely regarded as contemporary art's primary consumers.
As a curator, I aim to help artists develop their practices through mentoring, project management, and creating opportunities beyond traditional exhibition venues. My research centres on curators' online presence and social media's impact on this field. I explore Instagram as an archival platform for contemporary art history, capturing individual curators' perspectives and utilising it to establish connections and document personal growth in the field. Through the post-internet lens, I observe the evolving modern world and explore how Instagram enables direct audience interaction, reshaping the curator's role and the concept of curatorial work. Under the term "curating," I encompass various skills such as editing, marketing, advising, building connections, and sourcing suitable clients and artists for specific projects. While my practice embraces the traditional notion of the curator as a "caretaker," it is adapted to contemporary times, emphasising the artist more than the artwork itself. Listening, observing and problem-solving are key elements of my practice.