In Conversation with Kiara Cristina Ventura: A Bronx Tale Set in the Art World
Portrait by Kameron Robinson.
Kiara Cristina Ventura (she/her) is a young force in the art world, switching shit up, all while navigating thoughtfully and intelligently. The Bronx-born art writer, curator, and founder of ARTSYWINDOW brings Black and Brown artist voices of her generation to the fore in her hyper-accessible art exhibits. Ventura walks us through her art journey, what’s next, and keeping that passion for creativity alive during these quarantine times.
GG: Can you talk briefly about your journey in the art world as a curator and writer?
KCV: What pushed me to enter the art world was that I didn’t see my story or that of my community being told enough. It wasn’t being told in the downtown museums I was constantly going to, in the media, or in the art history classes I was taking. These constant reminders were telling me that my work was needed. In 2016, I was hosting pop-up exhibitions in alternative spaces in The Bronx. I had my first two-month gallery show at Bronx Art Space in 2018 with the exhibition, FOR US. This exhibition was very affirming and it was the message I needed to continue in independent curating. At the same time, I was graduating from NYU with a degree art history and journalism. My grades weren’t high enough to do a thesis for art history but I always viewed FOR US as my thesis. I kept in contact with previous internships and as soon as I graduated I jumped on writing for Art Forum and Performa. And now, I’m a columnist for Teen Vogue Art School. Whether I’m curating or writing, my goal is to push documentation about artists of color, put the artists first, break down the walls of the art world’s views on elitism, and simply meditate on the work and how it makes me feel.
You've made very impressive achievements with ARTSYWINDOW, by curating POC-driven exhibits and offering art history classes focused on Black and Brown modern & contemporary artists. Can you talk about planning goals, doing the work, taking moments for self-care, and pushing the AW vision?
With the state of the world right now, curating physical exhibitions just isn’t in the cards for me right now. However, I was already planning to make a digital pivot with ARTSYWINDOW in April, except now I have to go full force. My love lies in doing studio visits, interviewing, and simply having chill sit-down talks with artists. I’m going to document more of these moments. I was teaching mobile art history about POC artists in different spaces around NYC and beyond, these classes will soon live online. I think of how I can curate spaces that promote expressive releases…emotional releases. When these moments of healing happen…when an artist is speaking and their words make me or someone in the room cry or we even laugh, these are moments of self-care too. ARTSYWINDOW is about curating intimate moments with art. Through my platform, I want to master curating more meditative moments because those are the moments that our community needs and never forgets.
“What pushed me to enter the art world was that I didn’t see my story or that of my community being told enough. It wasn’t being told in the downtown museums I was constantly going to, in the media, or in the art history classes I was taking. These constant reminders were telling me that my work was needed.“
Opening night of The Living Room Kitchen group show curated by Ventura at The Andrew Freedman Home in The Bronx. From L to R: Raelis Vasquez, Mónica Hernández, Albany Andaluz, Estelle Maisonett, Dana Davenport, Jessica Spence, Samantha Box. Bottom left to right: John Rivas, Shaira Chaer, Kiara Ventura, Alizé Santana. Photo courtesy of Ventura.
Congrats on your Art School column with Teen Vogue, especially with centering young Black and Brown womxn artists. What's your writing process like and choosing how to portray these artists?
I position myself to step back and listen to the artists. I’m story-telling and I want to make sure I’m telling these stories right, especially when I’m in the position of being the first to tell these stories. My goal with writing these precious profile pieces for Teen Vogue are to simply present the artists as human. I want to talk about their upbringing, hardships, inspirations, etc My main goal is to present each artist as human because I want our teen readers to know that they can do it too. I don’t focus too much on accomplishments. I focus more on the journey and on how the artist’s mindset brought them there.
What does POC mentorship in the art world look like and feel like to you? Can you talk about any mentors that have influenced you?
The art world is so dynamic and it’s a realm with very little set of rules and laws, which is exciting yet scary. POC mentorship is super essential because it’s truly a blessing to have someone who has been through it all to help you make decisions. Larry Ossei-Mensah is my mentor and I’m so so grateful. Being his mentee feels liberating because he’s constantly challenging me to expand my views on curating. Thorough him, I’ve realized how important a curator is in supporting and motivating artists to push their crafts further. Larry isn’t afraid to tell an artist to try a new medium or read these books and explore this topic. He is constantly pushing which is why his projects are always bringing something fresh. He influences me to always communicate and go hard. Also we are reppin’ The Bronx so we gotta do it right!
Opening night of The Update group show curated by Ventura at The Longwood Gallery at Hostos Community College in The Bronx. From L to R: Ron Baker, Estelle Maisonett, Kiara Ventura, Audreamia Wardlow, Monica Flores, Patrick Alston, Mark Malave, Dillon Gardner, Rocio Marie Cabrera Bottom: Stanley Steel. Photo courtesy of Ventura.
What's next for 2020, but real talk, feel free to be honest about these uncertain times we're in and how you're coping.
Quarantining! An ARTSYWINDOW digital pivot. Lots of Zoom meetings. Being in the lab, studying, releasing, connecting, breathing, and lots of meditations. With two group exhibitions I released earlier this year in January and February, I was experiencing burnout in early March. It dawns upon me all the time that if I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be able to serve myself or the galleries and artists I work with. So I’m taking this time to….take my damn time. I’ve been at home doing what I have to to keep myself sane….. Talking to my loved ones, breath work, nature, and spirituality keeps me grounded. When I need some signs, I read my own tarot cards. When I need to release and let go, I do pole dancing in my house to FKA twigs. When I need to connect with nature, I water my plants. My curatorial work is healing work as well. It’s done with the intention to create a safe space of relation and connection for my community.
“My curatorial work is healing work as well. It’s done with the intention to create a safe space of relation and connection for my community.”
Portrait by Kameron Robinson.
