The Portuguese Curator Mara Alves Takes the London Contemporary Arts Scene by Storm

The Lisbon-born curator Mara Alves, since her arrival to London in 2015, has managed to run some of the most exciting projects in the City of Dreams. From bringing the best emerging Art from Portugal to overseeing a successful art gallery in Mayfair; from raising funds to LGBT+ charities to introducing us talented painters from West Asia in collaboration with the innovative pioneers that founded Caspia Contemporary. Currently involved in an almost one million pound art venture in a town house next to the Victoria & Albert Museum in Kensington, before enrolling in a Master's Degree at Sotheby's in 2019. Alves is the Contemporary Art Curator to watch – she is unstoppable.

Alves, an accomplished artist herself, possesses an unusual combination of skills that allows her to fulfil art shows and events to an outstanding level of achievement. Sensitive to artists' needs and pragmatic to the market and the general public, she knows how to strike such a delicate balance. A sharp eye to recreate visual narratives with an effortless flow helps. The latest show she curated in Mayfair of the Caracas-born photographer Alexandro Pelaez brought us a touch of Magic Realism, the beauty of the daily. Titled Londoners and Their Environments, was selected by many Visual Art publications as one of the best in London last June.

Alves responds to the following questions:

1. Can you please tell us a bit about your background?

I am a Lisbon-born Artist and a Contemporary Art Curator with a degree in Fine Arts and Curatorial Studies, also I taught Drawing and Painting before moving to London in 2015. Between 2010 and 2015, I developed and led educational and cultural programmes for students and the general public at a studio and gallery that I set up in Lisbon. That project developed into PortugArt, which I founded, to promote Portuguese culture on a global scale and dialogue among countries with the excellent collaboration of the Portuguese Embassy.

One of the most relevant roles I led in London was as the Chief Curator and Manager at the start-up gallery D Contemporary for three years. It became the Arts hub in Mayfair for many artists, collectors and VIPs, and I am very proud of the achievements. Subsequently, Afsana and Elnara, the founders of Caspia Contemporary, asked me to advise and curate an art exhibition bringing relatively unknown painters, but of superb talent, from West Asia to the London Market. I loved that project and made great connections with that region.

Currently, I am managing and mentoring individual artist's careers; organising and curating exhibitions and conducting independent studio visits with artists, presenting their works to a broad audience of clients and investors.

In March 2018, I was sponsored with merit to enrol on an MA in the Art Business programm at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in 2019.

2. What made you pursue a career in the Contemporary Visual Arts?

As far as I can remember, I started by appreciating the visual beauty almost on everything from childhood. At the age of 10, my mother gave me an art book, I immediately realised that art was going to be my life. I started as an artist myself but have discovered quite soon that what indeed fulfilled me the most was to share it with others, to make other artist’s work visible, to manage and mentor artists and to deal with the business side of the arts. Somehow I think it runs in my veins.

3. What are the two achievements you feel more proud of and why?

PortugArt, designed to showcase the best emergent and mid-career Portuguese artists in London. It was enthusiastically endorsed by The Portuguese Embassy in London and Marcos Rizolli, a professor at Mackenzie University and art critic. The show was very successful, not only in terms of the sales proceeds but also to create new cultural connections between different countries and open future dialogues for extensive collaborations from different regions. It also created a vital career launch for the participant artists who had an unparalleled exposure in the Art capital of the World.

”Art Of Being OUT” in collaboration with OUTstanding to raise funds and visibility to the charity GALOP – A group of selected and established artists took part in a call to express inclusion through diversity uniting LGBT+ and Civil Society in an Art Fundraising Event during London Pride week 2017. The exhibition was a great success thanks to the support of Michael Arthur, University College London president and provost; Cardiff University; TATA Consultancy services; MOTT Macdonald and Strategy International.

4. What are your next projects?

There are several projects that I am running during 2018/2019. I am enrolled as cultural facilitator and advisor in London for the Portuguese project with EMERGE where we will launch the book PEA 2018 (Portuguese Emerging Artists) at the Portuguese Embassy in London. I am also working alongside MEELPress to bring a group of Portuguese printmakers to London and as a judge in several art competitions to support emerging Art.

In October 2019 I am presenting and curating a solo exhibition with Venezuelan photographer Alexandro Pelaez at After Nyne Gallery in Holland Park; after that, I will enrol at the MA programme at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Exciting times ahead!

For more information about Mara Alves, her projects and ways to collaborate with her, please visit her LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com/in/alvesmara/