MEET THE GALLERY is an interview series highlighting returning exhibitors and first-time VOLTA galleries. More than simply experts, these VOLTA exhibitors are supporters of young and mid-career artists and provide insights on their presentation at the fair.

MEET THE GALLERY introduces Anna Maurrasse-Tomaiuolo, founder of ARTPOWHER Contemporary in Zurich, a collaborative art project initiative which shines light on the incredible Womxn shaping the art world.

Dear Anna Maurrasse-Tomaiuolo, we are excited for you to join us at VOLTA Basel in June. Tell us a bit about your gallery and your journey in the art world.

Anna Maurrasse-Tomaiuolo: ARTPOWHER Contemporary is a collaborative art project initiative which shines light on the incredible Womxn shaping the art world. Our mission is to contribute to increasing the representation of female-identifying and non-binary (Womxn) creatives in the arts. We promote and present a varied-media selection of work from national to international emerging and mid-career artists.

Born and raised in Switzerland, I studied Brand & Strategic Communication, Marketing and PR. I have a long professional experience in my field, and I worked for companies in different industries. At a certain point of my career, I decided to follow my dream. I started intensively to cultivate my passion for the visual arts, by studying and researching different art movements, business projects, and offering consulting services to artists. My credo is rooted in my creative thinking, and in fostering an environment that is more inclusive, empowers, respects and uplifts Womxn.

What encourages you to support female artists?

Anna Maurrasse-Tomaiuolo: For many years I’ve traveled to different countries and visited galleries, museums, and public art spaces. I was constantly seeing mostly male artists exhibited and missing the female representation. While attending various art history and business art market classes in the past, I noticed that rarely female artists were included in the lessons, as if they have never existed or are not worth mentioning. Art history should be inclusive and belong to all of us. The inequality was evident. These ongoing experiences led to the launch of ARTPOWHER Contemporary in 2020.

The startup happened organically during the pandemic. More than ever, it was my ambition to foster artists during this challenging time. My work consists of dedication and commitment. I was driven by the thought that we can either focus on what is missing, or we can create opportunities for what we want to see. And I want to see more Womxn artists and provide more inclusive narratives to collectors and art enthusiasts. The idea is to create opportunities that allow Womxn creatives to flourish and to unfold their voices. These voices are essential and a reflection of our society. Hence we aim to work with partners and organizations, who also wish to disrupt gender stereotypes and inequalities, by inspiring change through creativity and collaborations.

Which artist are you bringing to VOLTA?

Anna Maurrasse-Tomaiuolo: At VOLTA Basel in 2022 ARTPOWHER Contemporary presents Ishita Chakraborty (b. 1989), an artist and poet born in West Bengal, India. She lives and works between Switzerland and India.

Chakraborty’s artistic practice includes drawings, installations, poetry, performance, and sound. The context of her works is marked by the traces of displacement, traumas of colonialism, articulation in language, orality and identity. She investigates the strategies and the discourses of resistance narrated by individuals — often the subalterns. Her work is political, powerful, lyrical, and has been honored with several awards including the Visiting Artist Fellowship at Lakhshmi Mitaal SAI, HARVARD UNIVERSITY (2020-21). Chakraborty’s installation, Europa, has impressed the jury of the Aargauer Kunsthaus. She was awarded by the Kunsthaus as part of the Auswahl 21 program and thus invited as a guest for the upcoming annual exhibition (2022). The artist has also been awarded with the Credit Suisse Förderpreis and received a project grant from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.

Chakraborty’s upcoming art installation CAN YOU DIVIDE THE SKY? comprises sculptures, drawings and poems. It explores stories of identity and puts forward questions around our coexistence, borders and migration. The works will be connected in material and textual practices, and a multitude of clay mushrooms will sprout throughout the installation. The mushroom installation is the result of multiple participatory workshops in which refugees, migrants, and locals shared their stories and engaged in crafting mushrooms as an enriched community experience. The hue of the mushrooms alludes to the skin color of the hands that sculpted them. Chakraborty says: "Mushrooms migrate. They grow wherever they find nutrients. And so, I started depicting people as these little mushrooms. Just like in a natural ecosystem, we are also connected by our stories and experiences.“

Chakraborty was inspired by Anna Tsing's book "The Mushroom at the End of the World “. An exploratory essay on capitalism based on one of the most valuable edible mushroom in the world — the Matsutake mushroom. The author also describes how people migrate across the globe in mutual dependence alongside plants in search of nutrients, whether in the form of carbohydrates or love.

In CAN YOU DIVIDE THE SKY? visitors are invited to walk through the space observing their own perception and sensations fused together with the textual source of the installation. Chakraborty’s solo presentation provides a poetic outline of alternate forms of identities, creating and thinking. It establishes a perceptual field of hope for a more egalitarian global future.

Ishita Chakraborty’s recent and upcoming shows include her solo presentation at VOLTA Basel (2022), CAN YOU DIVIDE THE SKY?, ARTPOWHER Contemporary, The Mouth Is For Speaking at WE AIA, Löwenbräu Kunst Zürich (2022), Unfortunately It Was Paradise POP UP Public Art Project ‘Whispering Benches’ , supported by Pro Helvetia curated by Gianni Jetzer (2022), 5th International Biennale de Casablanca in Morocco (2022) curated by Christine Eyene, Auswahl 22 in Kunsthaus Aarau, solo exhibition in Gallery Espace, New Delhi, India (2023), and more. She is represented by Gallery Espace in India.

Which advice would you give to the next generation of collectors that are making their first steps into the art world?

Anna Maurrasse-Tomaiuolo: I would advise the next generation of collectors to first ask themselves why they want to collect art, considering, that their acquisitions can make a difference and contribute significantly to making the art market more inclusive. Visit exhibitions, art fairs, non-profit organizations, museums, art public spaces, experimental art projects, online art platforms, or artist studios. Do some research, just familiarize yourself with the world of contemporary art. Meet with people who are interested in art, engage in conversations, and start asking questions. Find out what intrigues you and what you are really excited about. Keep an open mind and look at artworks that may not appeal to you at first. You might be surprised! Read and learn about the artists, there are also many insightful podcasts, like The Great Women Artists or the All About Art podcast. You can find artwork at all price levels. I personally collect what speaks to me. My decisions are not based on speculations, and I get to live with an art collection I truly enjoy, and which inspires me.

Follow ARTPOWHER Contemporary on Instagram at @artpowhercontemporary.