Cultureshock Connects

Welcome to Cultureshock Connects, our monthly selection of innovative, engaging content created in partnership with some of the world’s leading cultural brands. Featured in this issue: Anna Wintour, Tefaf New York, Tom Stoppard, Sotheby’s, The London Library, the FT Business of Luxury Summit and more.

Q+A magazine launches at the Venice Biennale

Qatar Museums’ overarching ambition is to harness the power of culture in order to transform nations and positively impact individual lives. We were tremendously proud to publish Issue #1 of Q+A (Qatar and Arts), a print and digital magazine that embodies that inspirational creative vision – and the opening of the Venice Biennale was the perfect place to launch it. The spring/summer issue features a remarkable conversation between Her Excellency Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and fashion icon Anna Wintour, intriguing thought pieces by celebrated journalist Farah Nayeri and distinguished curator Tom Eccles, a look back at Art Basel Qatar, and celebrations of fashion, food, design and much more. It’s all available online, but if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of the lavish print edition, you will be transported to another realm when you inhale the fragrance-infused cover, designed by Liwan Design Studios and Lab director Aisha Al Sowaidias a multi-sensory meditation on place.

Learning from luxury

The historic Borgo Egnazia in beautiful Puglia, Italy, was the stunning setting this May for the Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit – attracting luminaries such as Victoria Beckham, Delphine Arnault (chairperson and CEO, Christian Dior Couture), Jonathan Anderson (creative director, Christian Dior), Ermenegildo Zegna, Cédric Charbit (CEO, Yves Saint Laurent) and Stéphane de La Faverie (president and CEO, The Estée Lauder Companies). Cultureshock was delighted to be a sponsor of the event, and thrilled that our Art Thinking book and podcast were featured in the programme when author Vadim Grigoryan gave a keynote address to the illustrious group about the thriving intersection of art and luxury. The main takeaway from the event: the world’s leading luxury brands are increasing their investment in arts programmes both to inspire their own creative teams and to reach the sophisticated, influential, and often wealthy audience for art.

Celebrating Sir Tom Stoppard and the power of literature

With its magical building, million-plus volumes, and storied history, The London Library (founded in 1841) may be the world’s most fabulous lending library. Through its membership magazine, published twice a year by Cultureshock, the Library brings readers insight and access they wouldn’t otherwise have. Just off the presses, the new issue celebrates the late Sir Tom Stoppard who – in addition to his long and celebrated career as a playwright and screenwriter – served as the Library’s president for 15 years. Also inside, acclaimed author Sebastian Faulks talks with Sam Leith about his collection of essays, Fires Which Burned Brightly, and historian Alice Loxton speaks about her fascinating 200-mile trek to resurrect a queen of England.

Tefaf New York turns 10

With marquee auctions, gallery and museum openings, and multiple international art fairs, New York was the undisputed centre of the art world this May. In a crowded field, Tefaf New York, celebrating its 10th anniversary at the Park Avenue Armory, shone with a unique mix of international dealers exhibiting a wealth of modern and contemporary art alongside design, jewels, and even some antiquities – all in a sensational space with rooms designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Cultureshock contributor Helen Stoilas captured the unique flavour of the fair and shared her favourite booths in this post. And we were delighted to see World Monuments Fund (WMF) represented with a fantastic booth, prominently displaying Irreplaceable: 60 of Humanity’s Most Treasured Places, the Cultureshock-designed book celebrating WMF’s critically important work, recently published by Rizzoli.

Accessing the extraordinary with Sotheby’s

New York’s May marquee auctions got off to a strong start with Sotheby’s masterful sale of the Robert Mnuchin collection, headlined by a Mark Rothko masterpiece selling for US$86 million. But for the international collectors coming to bid on art in the landmark Breuer Building, Sotheby’s is much more than an auction house – it is the entry point to a world of sublime beauty, rarity and sophistication. Over the past two decades, Cultureshock has partnered with Sotheby’s to welcome its most important clients into this exclusive realm, producing the company’s magazine, videos, digital content and market reports. We are currently working with the Brand team to bring Sotheby’s Preferred members – the company’s most important clients – information and insight about international cultural programming through a dedicated newsletter and private online content portal. We couldn’t ask for a more privileged platform.

Global design leaders convene in Istanbul

As luxury leaders gathered in Puglia, and the art world convened in New York, Istanbul – the fabled city bridging Europe and Asia – hosted the first international edition of the Global Design Forum this May. Tess Savina, Cultureshock’s head of creative, joined Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh, British designer Tom Dixon, African Futures Institute director Lesley Lokko, British-Cypriot fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, and other international leaders in design, architecture, fashion and tech, sharing new perspectives across the creative industries. Snippets of moments at the forum that caught Tess’s eye can be found on Cultureshock’s Instagram. We can’t wait to see how the lessons learned in Istanbul make their way into Cultureshock’s upcoming creative work.