In this episode Tali Zeloof talks to KAMIAR MALEKI, an art collector, curator, patron, and Director of VOLTA Art Fairs.

A defining moment in Kamiar’s career came in 2015 when he curated #Abstract, a paradigm shifting show, exploring how we research and buy art via Instagram. In some ways, this was the seed of the world’s first NFT Artist Residency, he would eventually curate 6 years later in the summer of 2021. Entitled ‘Present the Future’ the residency represented a melting pot of creative visions and industries with rapper Tinie Tempah, painter Sassan Benham-Bakhtiar and digital artist Vector Meldrew collaborating to make history and ask important questions about the future. Previously the Artistic Director of Contemporary Istanbul, Kamiar’s current role as Director of VOLTA, continues his visionary commitment to championing up-and-coming and established artists and making fairs a fertile ground of discovery.

It was such a pleasure connecting with Kamiar at his home in Knightsbridge. We discuss family, art fairs, footwear, NFTs, and why he believes ‘the more no’s you hear, the closer you are to a yes.’ Kamiar is a pioneering creative force, an innovator, disruptor, risk taker, and rule breaker, who lives and breathes art and culture.

I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation!

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