The Founders and Speakers
Farah Nayeri
Farah Nayeri is a journalist, author and podcast host based in London. She writes on culture for The New York Times, and is the author of Takedown: Art and Power in the Digital Age (on how the art world has been reshaped by social movements and activism). Farah is also the host of the CultureBlast podcast, and a public speaker and conference moderator.
In more than two decades covering art and culture, Farah has interviewed some of the best-known artists of our time: from David Hockney, Ai Weiwei, Marina Abramovic and Christo to Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Nan Goldin and Maurizio Cattelan. She has developed an understanding of what art is, why artists do what they do, and what makes them tick. And she is eager to share those firsthand experiences during the ArtLoft seminars.
Farah began her journalism career in Paris as a reporter for Time Magazine and a contributor to the Wall Street Journal. She then became a correspondent of Bloomberg in Paris, Rome and London, covering politics and economics, before switching her focus to art and culture.
'Discover who artists really are, and why they are sometimes misunderstood'
Joséphine May Bailey
Josephine May Bailey (Curator & Art Historian, Director of Sales, gallery rosenfeld, Founder of 8 Vine Yard)
Josephine May Bailey is a curator, gallerist, and art writer based in London. She is Director of Sales at gallery rosenfeld in London, and previously ran Pictorum Gallery.
Josephine holds a BA in History of Art from Christ Church, Oxford University, and an MFA in Curating from Goldsmiths College. She has curated more than 25 exhibitions in the UK and Europe, including for museums and cultural institutions such as the Barbican, where she worked on Rebel Rebel, a solo show by the Iranian artist Soheila Sokhanvari. Josephine has also set up artist residencies in London: most recently, the 8 Vine Yard residency in Borough, South London, which offered subsidized studios as well as a large exhibition space to five artists as part of a 13-week program.
At gallery rosenfeld, Josephine bridges the creative and commercial aspects of being a gallerist. She represents and exhibits a wide roster of contemporary artists, helping them develop meaningful careers. She also collaborates with collectors from around the world, offering tailored advice on how to start and develop collections that have depth, coherence and lasting value.
'Why collect? How to build a collection?
How to navigate the art world?'
Annka Kultys
Annka Kultys is the founder and director of one of the world’s leading galleries of new-media and digital art ,merging physical and digital experiences: Annka Kultys Gallery, established a decade ago and now headquartered in the beautiful 280-square-meter loft where the ArtLoft seminars take place.
Described by the Financial Times as “early adopters of new technologies,” the Annka Kultys Gallery has presented more than 75 exhibitions and featured more than 175 artists, from established figures such as Cao Fei, Simon Denny, and Oliver Laric to a younger generation of AI artists including Sasha Stiles, Jonas Lund, and Anna Ridler. As of 2020, the gallery is the first in the world to represent a humanoid robot artist: Ai-Da.
Since 2022, the gallery also runs Annka Kultys Phygital: a hybrid and virtual-reality space accessible via headset, and designed as an experimental platform for digital artists.
Annka holds two master’s degrees – an MSc in Mathematics from a university in Switzerland (where she grew up) and an MA in Contemporary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute in London. This dual focus gives her a unique understanding and passion for art, technology, and the digital world.
'What is digital art? How do artists paint with pixels and sometimes algorithms? How can you collect digital art?'
Why Art Loft?
Art Loft is not just another lecture series.
Artloft is cofounded and hosted by Farah Nayeri, Josephine May Bailey and Annka Kultys - it brings salon style conversations to a central London loft, opening the door to meaningful dialogue and insider perspecrives on the art world: a warm, curious room where fresh ideas meet real access.