PAVE Contemporary launches inaugural series ‘CURATED’ showcasing emerging artists from young and prolific art collectors’ portfolios

‘CURATED’ is a series of specially curated contemporary art exhibitions showcasing emerging artists selected from the diverse portfolios of young and prolific international art collectors. Launching on 19 November 2020 the inaugural exhibition will be shown virtually, due to restrictions, and will be the first of its kind to be hosted by PAVE Contemporary in tribute to the far-reaching impact of the relationship between art collectors and artists. 

‘PAVE Contemporary’ is a new division of HOFA Gallery and will be dedicated exclusively to supporting global emerging talent, with its key objective to promote diversity and inclusivity, whilst providing a platform for artists to create and exhibit across HOFA’s international galleries in London’s Mayfair and Mykonos.

The first show of the series will feature 5 up-and-coming female artists curated by Raphael Isvy, who specialises in fintech, and at only thirty has become a well-respected collector of contemporary art. His show is titled 'Inner Escape' will explore the surreal side of lockdown experience heightened by the human desire to escape reality. A concept fitting to the times and to be shown virtually between 19 November - 3 December 2020.

Leading the group of 5 artists is Emily Stollery whose soft knotted sculptures captivate Raphael as abstract metaphors of the mind-twisting experiences brought on by living in lockdown. As Raphael puts it, “Emily Stollery’s knots represent the twisted mind of everyone when facing difficulties. The perfect knots, bending in different directions, reflect the fears and anxieties in our minds at this exact moment.”

Raphael Isvy is well known in art loving circles as the quintessential millennial collector for whom art is both a private love and a social endeavour. Also set to feature in his self-curated exhibition are the colourful figurative paintings by Lise Stoufflet which cleverly combine the familiar and the ominous; the abstract expressionist art of Keren Schwarz, brimming with vibrance and organized chaos; the poetic paintings of Lucile Gauvain which eloquently fuse the magical with the natural; and the alluring landscapes of Kidd Murray with their technicolour intensity and unsettling artificiality. 

The other leading collectors set to curate shows will be renowned Italian collector and advisor, Francesco Bena and award-winning medical oncologist, Fadi Braiteh, alongside esteemed Doctor of Medicine Dan Nguyen.

Explaining the concept behind 'CURATED', PAVE Contemporary founder, Elio D'Anna, said, "The art world is incredibly diverse, so we have launched PAVE Contemporary to embrace this richness, working with impressive art collectors to showcase the talented artists they revere and admire. We’re very happy that to begin the series, we will feature some remarkable female contemporary artists collected by Raphael Isvy, followed closely by emerging names in the world of street art from Francesco Bena’s portfolio."

The second show in the series which is set to go live on 10 December, is titled 'American Roots' and will feature the portfolio of the young American collector, Francesco Bena. The exhibition will feature artists from his extensive portfolio which includes contemporary figurative painters and popular mixed media artists. Speaking about curating his own show with PAVE Contemporary, Francesco said, “I’ve always loved that sweet spot where art and social commentary meet, and many of the artists I’ve picked are masters in this regard. I’m very excited about putting this show together and can’t wait to share my vision for ‘American Roots’.”