Adele Smejkal, Founder of Artistellar, The Innovative Online Gallery Platform, shares what inspired her idea…

In Conversation : Adele Smejkal

Artistellar is an innovative online gallery platform which successfully bridges the gap between physical gallery concepts and online art e-commerce. Adele discovered her idea during lockdown, due to her realisation that there was a lack of coherent and engaging online galleries. Her solution? An innovative online experience of collecting art from selected emerging artists through her expertly curated exhibitions. In our interview, Adele shares tips for new art collectors, the psychological importance of art and her advice for emerging artists navigating the complexities of the art world at present.

By Hannah Tappin

Adele is an art entrepreneur, curator and writer. Prior to founding Artistellar in 2020, she gained rich experience in both primary and secondary art markets. After completing her Masters, Adele worked for the renowned Pace Gallery in London before moving onto Sothebey’s. Her entrepreneurial flair has been consistent throughout her career, dating back to 2016, when she launched her Instagram blog @as_artjournal whilst publishing articles. In 2019, Adele co-founded The Artichoke, which is an organisation that hosts curated art events. During the pandemic, she also started a successful campaign titled ‘Saving Emerging Art’ to support impacted emerging artists, galleries and curators. To browse and collect incredible work carefully curated by Adele of talent emerging artists, click here.

Hannah : Could you briefly share where your idea to create Artistellar came from? What inspired it?

Adele: I played with the idea of creating something online, having previously focused on emerging art already. But it wasn’t until January 2020 that I finally formed the idea in my head. At that time, I was still working at Sotheby’s and I saw the rising number of online auctions and how the company slowly but surely adjusted to digitalisation. It wasn’t just Sotheby’s, galleries started to have online viewing rooms and new platforms emerged. The problem was I couldn’t see how they were anything else but 2-D websites selling artworks with very basic descriptions. So, I decided to create something that would really feel like a gallery that tells the story of each artist.

Hannah: Yes what you have created in truly unique. The exhibitions are 3-D and you literally feel the same experience of physically walking around a gallery exhibition. On top of this, you detail the story behind your artists and share interviews. For someone new to the art scene, what would be your top three tips for someone new to art collecting?

Adele: My first tip would be; don’t be afraid of art. Art seems elitist to many people, but it really shouldn’t. Art is for everyone to be viewed and felt. You don’t need any special knowledge. That brings me to my second tip; look, look and look. The more artworks you view, the more you start really seeing it and distinguishing what is good and bad. Most importantly, you will start understanding what you like and dislike. My third tip is; don’t set ‘return on investment’ as your primary motive. Great art collections are not based on how much money they can make one day but on what cultural and artistic value they bring.

Hannah: Noted. I’d love to know what art means to you? Do you remember your first memory with art?

Adele: I think one of my first memories is from when I was a kid and my mum took me to Musee de Orangerie. I was absolutely mesmerised by Monet’s Nympheas. Since then, I go there every time I am in Paris. It’s really my favourite place. There is this quote by Ferreira Gullar that I love and I think it’s very true: ‘Art exists because life is not enough’.

There is this quote by Ferreira Gullar that I love, and I think it’s very true: ‘Art exists because life is not enough’.

Hannah: I will definitely visit next time I go to Paris and I love that quote! Within your website's blog, you wrote an article called ‘Art is Therapy: how living with art improves your brain and mental health’ ,HannahRoseInspired explores the role of psychology in creativity, what role do you believe psychology has in what you do?

Adele: I think art is an outlet for our emotions, memories, experiences, but it can also be an escape. Especially from a viewer’s perspective, I believe that the art you live with can make you smile, make you think, calm you down, make you inspired, make you motivated (and many other things) every day. It also stimulates your visual senses and that reflects on your perception of things.

Hannah: I completely agree. It’s impact on our brains, perception and senses fascinates me! You host an array of extremely talented artists, what do you look for when scouting emerging artists?

Adele: This is quite difficult to define. I look for something special; it can be a new way of seeing things or a special technique that I haven’t seen before. But I also look at how it makes me feel.

‘I look for something special; it can be a new way of seeing things or a special technique that I haven’t seen before. But I also look at how it makes me feel’.

Hannah: To touch on your earlier career experiences, what were your favourite memories/ highlights when working at Pace Gallery & Sotheby's London?

Adele: There are quite a few! In Pace I would say it was mostly seeing and meeting artists that Pace represented in person. I especially remember Joel Shapiro and Nathalie du Pasquier, who both had their solo shows during my time at the gallery. From Sotheby’s days, it would definitely be seeing great art every day and then also the auction craziness and excitement. I did several auctions, which turned out to be like tennis tournaments. I also travelled for sales abroad about three times a year. One year I went to Mumbai to work on an auction of Indian art; it was a really exciting experience.

Hannah: Wow, what fantastic experiences! Last year, you started a successful campaign called 'Saving Emerging Art'. It supported emerging artists impacted by the pandemic; what do you think the biggest challenges will be for artists going forward?

Adele: I think artists will, or already have been struggling mentally, like the rest of us. Being an artist, you are used to being alone when working, but you also need to breathe, go out, gain inspiration, make memories and socialise. I am curious and maybe a bit concerned about how the art made during the pandemic will look. Of course, I am generalising it a bit now, but I do think that art reflects what is happening in our world and society.

From a business point of view, I think everyone has become so ‘comfortable’ with exhibiting and selling online that when the world goes back to normal, there might be a strange transitional period. Will artists still want to exhibit online? Will online exhibitions still be in demand?

‘Being an artist, you are used to being alone when working, but you also need to breathe, go out, gain inspiration, make memories and socialise. I am curious and maybe a bit concerned how the art made during the pandemic will look’.

Hannah: All very interesting points raised. Speaking of the future, what are your future plans for Artistellar?

Adele: I hope to continue finding great talents and cultivating new collectors, but I also hope for the world to get back to normal so we can organise pop-up shows. Artistellar is based online and will be, but I believe that pop-up shows could be amazing additions to the concept. Art is still the best experience in person.

Hannah: Yes that would be very exciting, I would love to attend one! I am curious, if you had to pick one piece of Art Work that means the most to you, which would it be and why?

Adele: Phew, that is a hard one! But I guess if I could really pick any piece of art in the world, I would go for a piece from my beloved Nympheas series by Monet.

Hannah: I love the story-telling element to your platform. Why do you believe that sharing the story of each artist and the message behind their work is so important?

Adele: Because every artist has something to say, and even if it’s sometimes obvious from his or her work, it’s still best to hear it from the artist’s perspective. It’s always a unique point of view that only the artist can share through her/his story.

Hannah: Finally, what would your advice be to aspiring/emerging artists who are struggling to navigate the complexities the art world finds itself in at this time?

‘I would say never give up. It is a bit of a cliché, but I believe that if you really want something and you are truly passionate about it, it will happen’

Adele: I would say never give up. It is a bit of a cliché, but I believe that if you really want something and you are truly passionate about it, it will happen. Now, from a more practical point of view – I think that these days it’s really important for artists to be seen and that starts with having a website with at least basic information (although it is always better more than less), sharing your art and process on Instagram (there are so many great artists that I discovered this way! ) , be organised and communicative (respond to emails, keep up with deadlines!) I think that it is very important to be proactive and reach out to people (curators, galleries, anyone in the art world) ask questions, opinions…

Hannah: Great advice, thank you so much Adele. To check out the latest exhibitions online, click here.