Taking a deeper dive into the art world with ANDART

Studying in Australia and Europe

My name is Mimi. 
I graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor's Degree in Art History in 2020. For the final year of my degree, I studied abroad at Amsterdam University College in the Netherlands and Heidelberg University in Germany. I have been interested in art and art-making for as long as I can remember; however, tertiary education introduced me to critical theories that completely changed the way I view and appreciate art.

'The Banquet of Cleopatra' by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 2018).

Working at an art gallery in Kobe, Japan

Before joining ANDART, I worked at a contemporary art gallery in Kobe, Japan. During my time at the gallery, I was engaged in almost every aspect of running an art gallery, including the planning of exhibitions, designing posters, managing social media platforms, and interviewing artists. I had the privilege of attending international art fairs such as Art Basel Hong Kong and Frieze New York where I manned the gallery’s booth and helped with the sales of incredible artworks by postwar Japanese artists.

An artwork by postwar Japanese artist, Kazuyo Kinoshita. (Art Basel Hong Kong, 2017).

The art market and its shortcomings

I joined ANDART in July 2021 because I was intrigued by the fractional ownership of art. I have always had an issue with the notion that the art market is only accessible to the rich and feels purposefully esoteric. This became increasingly apparent to me as I visited more art fairs and realised the lack of transparency within the art market. I was astounded by how contemporary art is exchanged at exorbitant prices decided arbitrarily by an elite class of collectors. The unregulated nature of the art market appeared to make it impossible for emerging artists to be recognised to the same extent as Maurizio Cattelan's banana duct taped to a wall.

I wanted to be a part of a company whose mission is to democratise the art market to make art accessible to anyone. I was initially drawn to the idea that anyone could own a small share of a blue-chip artwork, and later realised its larger potential: the ability for average people to influence the demands of the art market. This transformed what I came to understand from my art history education that financially viable art was only accessible to the affluent.

'Dance (I)' by Henri Matisse. (Museum of Modern Art, 2017).

Working for a startup company in Tokyo, Japan

Once I joined the ANDART Art Division team, I began researching the art market and learning the intricacies of working with galleries and dealers abroad. Working at ANDART allows me to make the most of my bilingual skills while gaining invaluable experience in the art industry and in the world of international trade.
While the Japanese art industry has a relatively small influence on the global stage, ANDART is doing something exceptional by acquiring world-class artworks for Japanese clients. I see the potential for ANDART to become a major player in the art industry in the coming years as the fractional ownership of art becomes normalised both domestically and abroad.
I feel privileged to be a part of a company with the ambition and drive to challenge the archaic ways of the art world and make art accessible to all.

A photoshoot to celebrate ANDART's 280 million yen funding. (2021).