FRANCESCA GAVIN
Francesca Gavin is a writer, curator and editor based in London. She is the curator of the Soho House collection as well as the Visual Arts Editor of Dazed & Confused, Art Editor of Twin and contributing editor at Artsy, Sleek and AnOther. She has written five books including ‘The Book of Hearts’, ‘100 New Artists’ and ‘Hell Bound: New Gothic Art’, as well as curating exhibitions including The Dark Cube (Palais de Tokyo 2012), E-Vapor-8 (319 Scholes 2012 and Site Sheffield 2014) and The New Psychedelica (Mu 2011). She has written for publications including Vogue, Elle, GQ, Blueprint, The Guardian online, Art Review and FT.
If there was one piece of art you could feature in, which would it be and why?
Adrien Piper's ‘Funk Lessons’. I really, REALLY love dancing to 80s soul.
Who inspires you and why? An artist, a family member, someone current or historical?
My sister Seana Gavin – a collage artist who draws brilliantly on our childhood in Woodstock and the weirdness of visual ephemera.
What are your cultural aspirations? What do you still want to see, do and achieve?
I think I’m doing it already! But I’d love to curate a massive museum show at a London institution, write a huge book for Phaidon and learn how not to work 7 days a week.
What are your favourite cultural cities in the world and why?
London above all. Paris for the museum shows. Berlin for the grass roots scene and people.
What are you up to at the moment and where can we find it?
I am putting together the collection for Soho House Istanbul which opens in early 2015, and juggling deadlines for Artsy, Dazed, Sleek and various other outlets. roughversion.blogspot.com September 2014.