With a main focus on emerging art and feminism, Joséphine May Bailey is a London-based curator and writer. She recently started as a gallery director of Pictorum, a gallery based in Marylebone. wtf? had the pleasure to speak to Joséphine about her background, how she finds the artists she works with, and upcoming projects.
I would like to start with your personal background, what is your academic background and curatorial focus?
I am a Curator, Arts Writer and Feminist. My interest and research into intersectional feminism influences all that I do and create, and as a result I work most often with women and non binary artists.
I studied Art History (BA) at Oxford University, with an (attempted) focus on feminist studies and contemporary theory. I say attempted as, unsurprisingly, it was pretty hard to focus on anything more contemporary than the 1970s under the Oxford-guise. After this, I worked in a series of different contemporary galleries and auction houses before deciding to complete a 2 year MFA in Curating at Goldsmiths.
I am now Director and Curator of Pictorum Gallery, where I ensure my curatorial focus remains one routed in research, with a particular focus again on supporting women artists in a feminist context. Alongside my gallery work, I still write and curate independent projects.