How one woman works to bring all artists together
Many patrons in Chattanooga are already familiar with Romanova Arts, an organization that has been sponsoring pop-up shows and an online gallery since 2015. This innovative artist representation service is the brainchild of Natasha Romanova, who was kind enough to talk with us about her project.
“My goal is to help artists get exposure, and to help them sell their art through additional channels,” she explains. “Another goal is to introduce new collectors to awesome local art that they may not be aware of. Oftentimes the art world can scare people away—I want people to know that one doesn’t need a lot of money to be an art collector and to afford good art. I can steer them in the right direction.”
Though Romanova Arts’ focus is on pop-up shows, they also have a website. The online world is an important venue for artists, and it is definitely a bull market. Online art sales have been growing exponentially every year—per the Hiscox annual report, the online art market has grown from $1.57 billion in 2013, to $2.62 billion in 2014, to last year’s figure of $3.27 billion.
Natasha is always on the lookout for new artists. Her approach is open minded, allowing artists to decide what they want to do. The focus is on original artwork, but she does sell a few prints as well.
Romanova Arts currently represents six artists full time: Elena Burykina, Yuri Ozaki, Aleksi Shautanov, Antony Squizzato, Neil Podbery, and Gleb Kryukovbut. They also work with other artists on the side, for group shows. The promotions are both online and offline, and their shows are known for being well-attended. Half of the artists live in Europe, and Romanova Arts is their only stateside representation.
Natasha’s education helps her to be a better representative. After school, she worked in finance for nearly five years. She began to wonder if there was more to life than Excel spreadsheets, and discovered that there is—in art (though she still uses spreadsheets). She took the plunge, quit her job, and started representing artists full time.
“My background in accounting and finance helps me look at art from a different perspective,” she says. “I love art, and appreciate it. I know that it is very individual and difficult to do what artists do, even though they make it look easy. Many people have no idea how many hours it takes to make the art, to transport, deliver, and hang a show—Yuri’s show took five hours to hang.”
This past Saturday at the Townsend Atelier, Yuri Ozaki’s solo show opened, and the artist did a coffee painting demonstration. The guests were invited to try the process, and the event became an impromptu workshop, with all of the participants sitting together and merrily painting with coffee.
Natasha has an understanding of why people buy art, why they collect certain artists, and why they like what they like. She goes to New York to see shows and visit museums, and meets people in their home to help them find something that is perfect for their particular space.
“My time is best spent helping artists,” she says. “I’m always on the lookout, and I want to know artists—so that when a client wants a particular thing, I can send them in the right direction. The more artists I know, the better it is for all of us. I’m a matchmaker for artists and clients.”
Natasha accomplishes much of what an art gallery does for an artist without a physical space. “People hear that Chattanooga is an arts city, and there are large organizations who have huge grants for the arts, but the money doesn’t always trickle down to individual artists,” she notes. “Sometimes galleries can be stifling and pretentious; I want people to know that it’s okay to come to a show and not buy anything. It is okay to show up and meet the artist, drink some wine, and look at the art. Just being there is helpful. I want people to come to the shows for no other reason than to look at the art—if they want to buy something, that’s fine, but they don’t have to.”
The closing reception for Yuri Ozaki’s solo show will be next Tuesday, Nov. 29th, at 5 p.m. at Townsend Atelier. The show will also be open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All proceeds from Yuri’s coffee paintings are being donated to the local fire departments who are fighting the ongoing wildfires.