The vision behind AMA VENEZIA is to create a space where exceptional artworks can be shared with a wide audience. Laurent Asscher, who began collecting art in 2012, believes in the importance of supporting contemporary artists and fostering discussions around contemporary art. This space will not only showcase the AMA Collection, which focuses on contemporary art from the 1960s to today—placing particular emphasis on American artists—but will also serve as a hub for creativity, inspiration, and experimentation. AMA will provide artists with the opportunity to push boundaries and create extraordinary works. Ahead of the official opening of this new artistic landmark, Laurent and Rita share their thoughts and future plans.

The Children's Room, an exhibition by Mykolas Sauka, delves into a universe as fascinating as it is unsettling, exploring the intricacies of human existence and the world around us. Beneath its innocent title lies a world far from idyllic, where a veil of purity seems to envelop the exhibited works. The deformed and enigmatic bodies that populate this space captivate the eye, amplifying the contrast between the apparent safety suggested by the title and the strange and complex reality that unfolds before visitors.

Christine Barbe is a French artist whose creative journey has been enriched by her experiences in two major artistic hubs: New York and Paris. Her work has been extensively exhibited internationally, with notable presentations in prestigious institutions such as the Musée d'Art Moderne de Grenoble, the Musée du Couvent des Cordeliers, the Fondation Coprim in Paris, the Musée d'Art Moderne de Tokyo in Japan, the San José Institute of Contemporary Art in the United States, the Fondation Deutsch in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Palais de Raïssouni in Asilah, Morocco, and the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Ningbo in China. Her works are also included in numerous private collections in the United States, Japan, and Europe, as well as in various museums, art foundations, and art libraries. I am excited to interview the artist and share her inspiring story with you.

On a sunny day in May, I arrived at the mysterious "Grand Amour" hotel, located in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. After taking the elevator to the 5th floor, I walked through dark hallways adorned with photographs of passionate couples and lovers, love notes, and walls covered in writings. Until that day, I had never conducted an interview in a hotel room. This ambiance transported me to another era. Free, beautiful, unrestrained, and shameless... This scenario was created for me and photographer Julie De Sousa by Joanna Cohen, her artistic coordinator and curator of her first exhibition "New Loves: Intimate Explorations Through the Lens" which took place at Discowork - a new coworking/art gallery space in Paris. It was thanks to Joanna that I discovered Julie's work. Her photographs, full of shamanism, tenderness, and nostalgia, intrigued me greatly. So, I decided to interview this promising photographer to learn more about her.

Let’s talk with Alexandra Hedison - an inspiring photographer who creates magic by experimenting in her studio and darkroom. Her photographic work takes us to a vast, incredible universe. Growing up in Los Angeles in the family of actor David Hedison, she thought she would follow the path of acting. And indeed she did, starring in numerous Hollywood television shows and films. Photography was always in the background - something she considered a hobby until it finally overtook all other activities. Since 2002, she has been actively involved in the world of photographic art, experimenting with various photographic techniques. According to Alexandra, each of her works is a meeting, both architectural and natural, between the individual and the immensity of the landscape. “It’s in this suspended state that the unusual and unexpected arise and a kind of abstraction emerges.” Alexandra’s exhibition “A Brief Infinity,” is her latest work recently exhibited in Paris at H Gallery. This is not the first time I am presenting exceptional artworks from this gallery. After viewing Alexandra Hedison’s exhibition, I couldn’t resist interviewing the artist and for that, I thank her.

Passionate art collector, art consultant, and originally a New Yorker, Joanna Cohen has been living in Paris for 18 years. Growing up between two cultures, two continents, Cohen has developed a special ability to perceive subtleties in art collecting invisible to the naked eye. On her professional path, Joanna is successfully guided by her intuition and knowledge. Hearing Joanna speak about art is like music to my ears, so I decided to talk to her a little about how art came into her life and how she lives with it today.

The serenity of artworks by the Paris-based Korean painter Jihee Han is somewhat mesmerising. There is something serene about her presence and her gaze too. Her subtle canvases depict snowy mountains, waterfalls, oceanic vibrations, vast seascapes and landscapes. The artist is a master of transferring the natural scenery and fragments of her memories onto the canvas, and turning them into mysterious worlds. Han has recently stepped out of her comfort zone and started painting in public – until 29 October 2022, the visitors of the Galerie Odile Ouizeman, Paris, can observe Han bringing her work to life, stage by stage.

Sporting a pair of his trademark blue light glasses and a warm smile, Philippe Tavaud is certainly a recognisable figure among art collectors. Always stylish and surrounded with artists and fellow gallerists, Tavaud is an active participant in the French art scene. On his Instagram account one can always find a wide range of rich and comprehensive posts about the art world events, artworks and artists. In addition to his work as a collector of contemporary art, Tavaud sometimes curates shows and mediates during the artwork acquisition processes. This year, Tavaud is also a jury member of the Young Painter Prize, an international art competition for young artists from the Baltic states.

I recall the sense of being deeply moved when I first saw their photographs in a group show at the H Gallery in Paris. Since then, I kept seeing the artists elsewhere, including the international contemporary art fair “Paris Photo” and their solo show at the “La Forest Divonne” gallery. There is this peculiar feeling that comes over me when looking at their work: gazing out intently from the scenes frozen up in an unsettling silence, their subjects evoke a paradoxical mix of modesty and eroticism.

“Man and Fish”, a group show of Lithuanian and French artists, has opened at M.K. Čiurlionis National Museum under the initiative of the contemporary art gallery “Menų tiltas”.