I’m so happy to share this first episode of 2022 because this episode is about hope, photography and nature. In this episode my guest is Soraia Salvador, the Head of Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition organized by the Natural History Museum in London.

I met Soraia last December, at her place in south London. We sat at her table surrounded by plants, facing her beautiful garden. And not to sound too cheesy, but the sky was blue, the birds were singing and a little fox passed by as soon as we finished the recording.

Soraia is the mentor that everybody wants to meet. She’s sitting a front of me with a vision and she brights up the room with her communicative smile and her sparkly eyes. In this episode we talk about what it takes to be a Wildlife Photographer and the strategies to bring more female photographers and minority groups to participate to the competition but we also talk about the responsibility we all have, the importance of role models and of slowing down.

If you check the Wildlife Photographer of the Year website at nhm.ac.uk/wpy 

You can discover the amazing selection of pictures, the winners of the different categories, watch the latest award ceremony but you can also vote for your favorite picture for the People Choice’s Award until the 2nd of February 2022! 

You can also follow the competition on Instagram and Twitter at nhm_wpy

The Wildlife Photographer of The Year exhibition is currently on view at the Natural History Museum in London until the 5th of June 2022. 

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook @theaudioguidepodcast and Twitter @theaudioguidepod

© Music by Jacques Jaguar

This year 2021 was a very special one. The Audio Guide was launched last October and I had the chance to meet, talk and record with so many amazing women working behind the scene, on all kind of projects, creating and making the cultural sector.

If you haven’t done yet, you can now listen to the 5 first episodes of The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and you can also follow, share and support the podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The Audio Guide is coming back with a new episode on the 4th of January and I cannot wait to share with you what’s coming in 2022.

Today I’m grateful for your listening, your support, your feedback and the beautiful people I deeply connect with this year. 

And you … what are you grateful for today?

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook @theaudioguidepodcast and Twitter @theaudioguidepod

© Music by Jacques Jaguar

In this episode, my guest is the gallery director Federica Beretta.

Director of the international London based Opera Gallery, Federica is also a journalist from Italy who moved to London few years ago for her studies in Cultural Management.

She stayed in the big city since to the point of becoming a real Londoner. Very fast, very busy.

She offered me a coffee as soon as I entered her apartment, last October, in central London. Even though she says she doesn’t drink any because « otherwise she wouldn’t sleep for the next 10 days ».

Besides her work as the director of Opera Gallery in London, Federica writes for arts magazines such as the cover of Frieze Art Fair for Art Tribune and Art Life. With her delicious Italian accent, Federica talks with a smile about her passion for journalism, the arts world, public arts and the must seen exhibitions in London. But we also talk about Brexit and the arts market, her love for her home country Italy, and the power of listening to others. 

The free public installation of Anthony James at Marble Arch in London will be on view until the 9th of January 2022. You can follow Federica beretta on instagram at federicaberetta90 and on twitter at berettafederic8 and if you have’t done yet, you can check Opera Gallery’s latest exhibitions at operagallery.com or on social media at opera gallery.

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook and Twitter.

© sound / music piece by Anthony James

© music The Audio Guide by Jaques Jaguar

Award winner of the Prada Fondation Curate Award, and besides freelancing on various projects, Evelyn is mainly the curator and art programmer for the Horst, the Arts and Music Festival based in Vilvoorde, near Brussels but she’s also in charge of the residency and Artists Liaison for the Cab Foundation.

I met Evelyn last September, in her apartment in central Brussels, one week before the beginning of the Horst Festival. She arrived in a rush, with an empty box of artwork in one hand and two raspberry tarts on the other hand. We sat at her dining table with a cup of tea, and we recorded this episode. Evelyn doesn’t pretend and is this type of person that you speak to for 2 hours, and times goes by so quickly, and yet you feel that you actually learned so much.

In this episode, we talk about the Cab Foundation, the story behind the Horst Festival, Brexit and the film she’s produced in collaboration with the artist Jeremy Hutchison. But we also talk about feminism, culture and politics, and arts as a shared public space.

You can follow Evelyn on instagram @evelyn_simons

If you’re in Brussels, you can visit Cab Foundation or their website for their latest exhibitions.

You can also get ready for the 2022 Horst festival by going on their website at horstartsandmusic.com and follow them on social media @horstartsandmusic

Since our conversation, there has been some developments for the upcoming Horst exhibition, which will be co-produced with Kanal Centre Pompidou, and co-curated by Evelyn Simons and Sorana Munsya. 

The festival and the exhibition will open on the 29th and 30th April and 1st of May 2022.

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook @theaudioguidepodcast and Twitter @theaudioguidepod

© Music by Jacques Jaguar

This is the third episode of The Audio Guide, and in this one, we’re going to talk about books and literature. In this episode, my guest is Rachel Wood, the founder of Rare Birds Book Club, an online bookclub dedicated to celebrate females authors. The home of women’s fiction. Not only the Rare Birds Book Club highlights women’s literature, giving more space for female authors on bookshop shelfs, but it also encourages people to read and enjoy reading, cutting the seriousness and snob around it. In other words, it is about making books more accessible and reading more fun and simple. 

By taking the traditional bookclub online, Rachel never thought her little side project would become such a success! Therefore The Rare Birds Bookclub eventually became a bookshop that opened recently in Edinburgh, in the trendy area of Stockebridge, where we recorded this episode. 

In this episode, we talk about female literature, book curation and the unexpected success story of the Rare Birds Book Club but also the general feeling of guilt around reading , the importance of enthusiasm, passion and persistence when launching a business, and the power of books to give you a real mental headspace and to change your way of thinking.

If you’re looking for good books, or a bookclub, or just the perfect gift, don’t forget to check the Rare Birds Bookclub at rarebirdsbookclub.com or on socials at rarebirdsbooks

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook @theaudioguidepodcast and Twitter @theaudioguidepod

© Music by Jacques Jaguar

What if starting your art collection was easy?

In this episode, my guest is Ohana Nkulufa, the founder of LENART, an art leasing company that makes artworks purchase more accessible to everyone. 

With Lenart, you can acquire your dream art piece through a 0 % fee installment payment. 

I had the great pleasure to be invited to meet her last September, in Lenart’s brand new offices in Brussels. Unapologetic and ambitious, Ohana replied to my questions with no hesitation. At only 32 years old, Ohana defines herself as a mum and an entrepreneur and seems to know exactly what she wants and how to get there. 

I loved her fearless energy and how she speaks about respect, time and priority. In this episode, we talked about the purpose of art, the exclusivity and diversity of the art world but also how to pick your battles and how to face challenges.

You can find Lenart at lenart.be or on social media at lenart.belgium.

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook @theaudioguidepodcast and Twitter @theaudioguidepod

© Music by Jacques Jaguar

This is the first episode of The Audio Guide and this is a very special one. My first ever guest is my dear friend, Laure Decock, the curator of the walking exhibition ALLES STROOMT, organized by the nomadic collective ELDERS. 

Until the 24th of October, this exhibition is taking over the small town of Kortrijk, in Flanders: in six empty shop windows, six international artists present a site specific installation. 

In this episode, we talk about art institutions, music, galleries, podcast, her first curated show and the people behind the nomadic collective ELDERS but we also talked about how to go with the flow and the importance of coincidence, of your people, of being out of your comfort zone, of taking the time to own up what you really want to do.

This is a very special episode because it is very personal

but also because this is one of the main reason why I wanted to start this podcast: women supporting women.

You can find ELDERS on instagram at elders collectief and subscribe to their newsletter on their website elderscollectief.be to stay tuned on their upcoming exhibitions.

You can follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram @theaudioguidepodcast, Facebook @theaudioguidepodcast and Twitter @theaudioguidepod

© Music by Jacques Jaguar

Welcome to the Audio Guide!

A new arts and culture podcast dedicated to give a voice to the people behind amazing creative projects. 

In this podcast, we’ll talk about arts, music, dance, theatre, literature, cinema, design with my talented guests all across Europe.

And because it is time for change and recognition, this first season will highlight women creating and making the cultural sector of tomorrow. 

I really hope you will be as inspired as I am by these conversations. 

In each episode, a new interviewee will talk about their current projects, their journey as well as touching on what inspired and challenged them along the way. 

A new episode is released every second Tuesday, twice a month 

Follow The Audio Guide on all podcasting platforms and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.