GUEST CURATORS FOR ISSUE 19

ALEXIS YUEN

Art Advisor and Founder of The Art Diplomat

Alexis Yuen, the Founder of The Art Diplomat, is an independent art advisor and curator dedicated to using art for social change. As a former artist, she is committed to empowering women by working with emerging female artists who seek a platform in the exclusive art world. Alexis is also a business strategist, researcher, contributing writer, and content developer on the topic of arts management, arts marketing, cultural policy, and cultural tourism.

Experienced in event planning, exhibition management, and art market strategy, Alexis has an extensive professional network across the globe. Prior to founding The Art Diplomat, she worked for the premier art fair, Art Basel, across Hong Kong, Basel, Miami, and Buenos Aires, as well as the prestigious auction house, Christie’s, in London. Alexis holds a B.F.A. in Studio Art & Art History from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston, and an M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University in New York. She is based in New York City and her native Hong Kong.

MARIE-ODILE FALAIS

Art Historian, Influencer, & Gallery Manager

Marie-Odile Falais traded the HEC Business School in Montreal to study Art History at la Sorbonne in Paris. There, she chose to learn about Archaeology, Greek Art, and Arts from Africa, but her majors were Italian & Flemish Renaissance and also Modern & Contemporary Art. Her Master's Degree studies eventually led her to Rio de Janeiro where she first focused on Thiago Martins de Melo after a month of research on the presence of religious syncretism in Brazilian contemporary art. Her last essay was about the exhibition IMAGINE BRAZIL and it explored the relationship between art and globalization as well as the potential tensions between local and global dynamics.

Currently, she works as a Gallery Manager in Paris and maintains an active art Instagram account called @imgine_moi. She started to develop the profile two years ago and has since used it to carve out a place for herself in the industry as an art influencer. Launching this platform allowed Marie-Odile to connect with other women working in the arts from all over the world including Cologne, London, San Diego, Milan, and more. Her aim is to spread a desire for and curiosity about art and she loves that people can follow along on her arty adventures, discovering new contemporary artists and learning about old masters through themed digital curating.