#87 | ANTON SVYATSKY | Management, NYC | Independent Special 2024

Voices On Art - The VAN HORN Gallery Podcast | hosted by Daniela Steinfeld

This is a special episode created in collaboration with Independent NYC. Anton Svyatsky (b. 1991, Moscow) is an American philosopher, curator, artist studio manager and gallery owner based in NYC. He has worked on, among others, parallel program exhibitions for different Biennials and has organized exhibitions at galleries in Europe and the US. He has been a guest lecturer at diverse Universities and is the studio director of the art collective AES+F. Anton founded his gallery „Management“ in 2021 partly as reaction on the Covid crisis, partly because his credentials didn't fit into other galleries job descriptions and partly because his threshold for taking risks has always been exceptionally low. Having the mind of a thinker, being a studied philosopher, he nevertheless turned out to be a self-taught maker and entrepreneur, first in his own design studio as well as now in his gallery. Anton reflects on him growing up as the son of a famous artist, dropping out of high school, studying philosophy and, after wearing many hats, „wiggling“ his way into the art world. He believes in serendipity and that doors open for somebody taking risks while at the same time having a plan. Quoting Hannibal Smith of the A-Team, Anton says: „ I love it when a plan comes together“. Still, he doesn't take the easy road, he is interested in complicating things, playing the devils advocate and therefore chooses artists purely relying on his own taste and unique reaction to their work. Artists whose voices have the potential of becoming loud and being heard. He says: „You want to be part of something great and a gallery is a legitimate way of doing it.“ In our conversation, Anton covers the entire gamut of the art world, leaving us with smart reflections on art, the general gallery model, the voice of artists, the importance of art fairs and their intertwined relations. At the Independent Art Fair „Management“ will show a solo presentation by Anastasia Komar, on which Anton reflects in depth. He explains the scientific background of her work, it's connections with something like the „divine“, how the works are executed and mentions their eerie beauty. Anastasia's practice is highly original in both subject matter and execution. It looks at a field that is impenetrable to the layman and translates it into the realm of visceral visual communication that literally halts people in their tracks. With progress toward "divine powers" accelerating at an ever-increasing pace, from genetic modification to artificial intelligence, it is important to occasionally pause and ponder its implications. For Independent, Anastasia is preparing her most ambitious work to date which aims at nothing less than to ensnare the public and lead them to these urgent reflections. Recorded January 23, 2024, 33 min., language english Links:https://management.nyc/ https://www.independenthq.com/ https://van-horn.net/podcast/