Matters of the Art

In this episode, Tali Zeloof (@tzeloof) talks to Sarit Shani Hay (@saritshanihay), a multidisciplinary artist and award-winning designer who for nearly three decades has dedicated her life to designing for children. A pioneer in her field who persistently puts children’s emotional and developmental needs at the heart of her work, Sarit’s designs are both visually captivating and deeply attuned to child psychology and pedagogy. What began as a personal journey — creating idyllic interiors for her own children— evolved into a lifelong passion and a way of life. Over the years, Sarit’s work has expanded from designing playful objects and intimate spaces to large-scale public projects, with a focus on educational environments such as schools and kindergartens. Her award-winning projects reimagine spaces for children, reflecting Sarit’s unwavering belief that physical environments impact a child’s psyche. It was a true privilege to interview Sarit in her Tel Aviv studio. She is a visionary whose work invites us to experience the Exuberance, Curiosity, and Wonder of childhood. Links mentioned in this episode: https://shanihay.com/ Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Sound and Video Editing @avapomagrin Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Website - https://bio.link/mattersoftheart This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In this episode Tali Zeloof talks to Yifat Bezalel, an artist, teacher and profound spiritual thinker. Influenced by Jewish mysticism, feminism, philosophy and literature, Yifat’s ethereal drawings and evocative videos invite us to enter a mysterious realm. Her work can be found in prestigious public and private collections worldwide including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Deutche Bank Collection, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Wirth Private Collection and the Art Partners Fund NY. Embedded within Yifat’s compositions are familiar figures from children’s literature, references to masterpieces by Michelangelo and Bernini as well as religious iconography. These motifs carry symbolic weight; they are devotional but not dogmatic. Rather, we recognise the imagery of saints, temples and even Alice from Alice in Wonderland as entry points to explore more universal themes of life and death, love and suffering, triumph and tragedy. This interview was conducted in Yifat’s studio in Tel Aviv, Israel. We are in a particularly difficult moment in history, following the aftermath of the October 7th attack and the Israel-Hamas war, so the conversation oscillates between the personal and professional. Yifat is a steward of spiritual thinking and her work presents us with an invitation for introspection, meditation and revelation. Links mentioned in this episode: https://residencyunlimited.org/residencies/yifat-bezalel/ https://miravkatri.com/artists/yifat-bezalel/ https://www.tamuseum.org.il/en/exhibition/yifat-bezalel-tehilla/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgmaRJWDEQ0 Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing @avapomagrin Website - https://bio.link/mattersoftheart This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In this episode Tali Zeloof talks to legendary British painter and sculptor ALLEN JONES! Among the luminaries of the first generation of British Pop Art, Jones has been working from the 1960s right through to the present day, with unwavering devotion to rethinking the representation of the female figure and challenging constructs of what fine art could be. An early example of Jones posing the perennial question ‘What is Art?' were his sexually provocative furniture sculptures from 1969 – a series of fibreglass female mannequins wearing fetish clothing posed to act as a Table, Chair, and Hatstand. While these works incited virulent debate and even attacks of vandalism, they remain iconic pieces of art history and demonstrate the artist’s dialogue with the spirit of his time. I had the honour of hosting a group of collectors at Allen’s studio in London back in 2018 and was struck by his mastery of medium across painting, sculpture, and printmaking. I was equally enamoured with his satiric and boldly inventive work that embraces popular culture and has in turn influenced everything from design to film and fashion. Throughout his illustrious career, Allen has garnered significant commercial and institutional success with exhibitions across Europe, United States, Australia and Latin America. He has also been bequeathed dedicated rooms the Tate Britain and the Royal Academy of Arts , and a retrospective at the RA, to name but a few of his accolades. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation! LINKS https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/allen-jones-ra#artworks Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing @Freezeproductions Website - https://bio.link/mattersoftheart

In this episode Tali Zeloof talks to KAMIAR MALEKI, an art collector, curator, patron, and Director of VOLTA Art Fairs. A defining moment in Kamiar’s career came in 2015 when he curated #Abstract, a paradigm shifting show, exploring how we research and buy art via Instagram. In some ways, this was the seed of the world’s first NFT Artist Residency, he would eventually curate 6 years later in the summer of 2021. Entitled ‘Present the Future’ the residency represented a melting pot of creative visions and industries with rapper Tinie Tempah, painter Sassan Benham-Bakhtiar and digital artist Vector Meldrew collaborating to make history and ask important questions about the future. Previously the Artistic Director of Contemporary Istanbul, Kamiar’s current role as Director of VOLTA, continues his visionary commitment to championing up-and-coming and established artists and making fairs a fertile ground of discovery. It was such a pleasure connecting with Kamiar at his home in Knightsbridge. We discuss family, art fairs, footwear, NFTs, and why he believes ‘the more no’s you hear, the closer you are to a yes.’ Kamiar is a pioneering creative force, an innovator, disruptor, risk taker, and rule breaker, who lives and breathes art and culture. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation! LINKS https://www.voltaartfairs.com/about https://presentthefuture.art/ Instagram - @Kammaleki Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing by Soho Sonic Studios Website - https://bio.link/mattersoftheart

In this episode Tali Zeloof talks to ARCH HADES, a bestselling poet who made history in 2021 when she sold ARCADIA an NFT for $525,000 at Christie’s making her the highest paid poet of all time. The first fine art interdisciplinary NFT of its kind, ARCADIA combines poetry, music, and graphic art in a 10-minute film that journeys through our collective existential crisis. Arch’s words speak to the complexities of the modern mind with tenderness and truth. She asks life’s big questions, delving deep into the human experience of love, loneliness, pain, and fear but in a way that is deeply relatable. Testament to the universal resonance of her work are the 1 million followers she has on Instagram, who enjoy her playful mix of profound poetry and amusing memes. It was such a privilege interviewing Arch at her apartment in London. In my eyes, she is a mouthpiece for the spirit of our time, a linguistic archaeologist who so skilfully excavates emotional granularity, helping us articulate humanity’s enduring search for meaning. LINKS https://www.archhades.com Instagram @ArchHades Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing @Freezeproductions Website - https://bio.link/mattersoftheart This Podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In this episode Tali Zeloof talks to NATASHA ARSELAN, the Founder and CEO of AucArt the world’s first online auction house specialising in early career artists. Featured in prestigious publications including Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Forbes, and The Art Newspaper, AucArt become the digital hunting ground for collectors to discover emerging artists and buy works directly from the studio. It was so much fun speaking to Natasha at her apartment in London. We discussed her triumphs and tribulations as a young, female tech entrepreneur, why inclusivity is at the heart of her business, and why she believes art has the power make us feel less alone. LINKS: https://www.aucart.com/ Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing @sohosonic This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In this episode, Tali Zeloof talks to CYRUS MAHBOUBIAN, a British-Iranian photographer based between London and Oxfordshire. He has exhibited widely in the UK, United States, Europe & Middle East, and has taught photography workshops at prestigious institutions including the Tate Britain and The Photographers' Gallery. Known for his atmospheric black and white Polaroids capturing rugged woodlands, sublime seascapes, mystical trees, and the male and female nude, Cyrus sources his subject matter from nature. She is his muse. His photographs of remote landscapes are the result of long meditative walks in nature, where he trusts an internal creative compass rather than any prescriptive map. It was so special speaking to Cyrus, an incredible talent and dear friend. I hope you enjoy our conversation. LINKS https://www.mahboubian.com/ Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Sound Editing by Soho Sonic Studios Cover Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin https://matters-of-the-art.zencast.website/ This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In Episode 2 of Matters of the Art, Tali Zeloof interviews SARA BERMAN, a multidisciplinary artist, former fashion designer, wife, mother, and pug dog lover. After founding and running her own fashion brand for 15 years, Sara turned her attention to visual arts, completing her MFA Slade School of Fine Art where she was awarded the prestigious Audrey Wykeham prize for painting. I was lucky enough to see Sara’s brilliant degree show and have been following her career ever since. Working across painting and textiles, Sara’s practice unpicks the threads (quite literally in some cases) of the feminine experience. At once autobiographical, but also deeply resonant on a universal level, her work deals with themes of materiality, the domestic, the body and the act of making. It was such a treat speaking to Sara at her studio in London. She’s a deep thinker who can traverse any topic! I hope you enjoy our candid conversation LINKS: http://www.sarabermanartist.com/ https://kristinhjellegjerde.com/exhibitions/236/overview/ Follow us: @tzeloof Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing @sohosonic https://matters-of-the-art.zencast.website/ This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In Episode 1 of Matters of the Art, Tali Zeloof interviews CHRIS LEVINE, an internationally acclaimed artist working with light as a conduit for expanded perception and spiritual revelation. With presentations at the National Portrait Gallery and Royal Opera House, international exhibitions commissioned by MoMA, collaborations with luxury fashion brands including Chanel and Swarovski, AND a current solo show at Houghton Hall, Chris is an indistinguishable creative light across diverse cultural spheres. I was lucky enough to host a group of collectors at Chris’ studio back in 2019 and was struck by his enlightened musings on the transcendent power of silence and meditation. I was equally enchanted by the famous faces populating his studio walls. Luminescent photographic portraits of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The Dali Lama, Grace Jones and Kate Moss are familiar, and yet represented in a totally new way, their faces imbued with a sacred glow, an aura distinctive to Chris’ work. It was such a privilege interviewing Chris at his studio. He’s a deep and reflective individual and a steward of spiritual thinking. I hope you enjoy our illuminating conversation LINKS https://chrislevine.com/ https://www.houghtonhall.com/art-and-exhibitions/528hz-love-frequency-at-houghton-hall/ Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound editing by @sohosonic https://matters-of-the-art.zencast.website/ This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Matters of the Art is a podcast about the emotive power of creativity. Presented by art world insider, Tali Zeloof, this podcast ebbs and flows between the personal and professional, interviewing today’s leading creative minds on their careers, and the power of art to externalise our emotions. Follow us: Tali Zeloof @tzeloof Artwork by @see.aiche Music by @LiranDonin Sound Editing by @sohosonic This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm