In Conversation With The Mind Behind theartforce.de

Victoria Reimelt, 26, is the founder of The Artforce, an online gallery dedicated to handpicked affordable art. Originally from Germany, she is now studying Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Barcelona and will soon head to London to study Art History. I, met her in a café in post-lockdown Barcelona where we discussed the democratization of art, launching an online business in the midst of a global pandemic and curating a unique brand identity in the sector.

D: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What led you to the world of art?

V: My mother did this Sotheby’s course when she was about 18 years old. So when I turned 18 I wanted to do the same but my parents were like “it’s gonna be very difficult to make money in this industry, you might want to do something else”. Eventually I took the course but with the mindset that I was just doing it for myself and my parents agreed because of that I think. As expected I loved it, it was absolutely amazing. Yet, when I actually started thinking about making a living out of art, I quickly realized that the people in my class were coming from all these old collecting families which made me feel like I didn’t have the background to be in this world. I always found this super frustrating. I believe that art should be perceived as this very liberating thing but when you look at the art market it’s so cliché in terms of how conservative it is.

After that I studied business with a major in Finance. So I found myself in this mainly boys’ world who dreamed of working for JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs. When I told them I was going to do an internship at a gallery they thought I was absolutely crazy.

D: So how did the ArtForce come to be, what triggered its creation?

V: Well, at some point I wanted to buy a painting so I thought to myself: where can I buy cheap but “real” art. So, I started going to these Master shows in London and eventually got this painting by Motoko Ishibashi, a Slade School of Fine Art alumna. I just paid for the oil and canvas; it definitely does not get any cheaper than this. Once back home, I hung that up in my apartment and every time people would come over they would always ask where I got it from. I could see that they would like to have something similar, especially in terms of the price point. 

People are scared to go into galleries, for many it’s hard to feel like they belong to this world, especially young people. And that’s how I started thinking that I could make a business out of it: selling art to young professionals or to anyone really because I think it should be for everyone. But I never really followed up on that, until I started studying my Masters here. I’m also 26, so if I’m not going to do it now then when? And then corona came… 

D: How was that time at home for you, and for the ArtForce? 

V: It was a good period for both. At some point I talked to this good friend of mine I made while working in consulting and she told me “ Victoria, reality check, the time is now”. I then told myself: if I don't do it now when people are sitting at home and artists struggle then when? It was the perfect timing. I didn’t know where to start from so I started with the website. 

D: How would you describe the Artforce in 3 words? 

V: Affordable, Individual, Revolutionizing.

D: E-commerces are booming and will expand even more following the pandemic. What do you think will be the challenge from now on for you and players in the industry, especially those that are established and more reluctant to go online? 

V: Some are doing a lot actually. For example König Galerie, one of the biggest in Berlin, is doing crazy IG lives every week. However, the look and feel that you have by visiting the gallery, the whole experience, will never fade away. But then again galleries are empty 90% of the time. So I had the idea of launching an in-between by having some occasional pop-ups for a couple of weekends in different cities, post-pandemic obviously. I believe that it’s a great way to create hype especially for art that is so static. 

In terms of competition, the sweet spot for the ArtForce is that it's so affordable that people can just go for it. At the same time, the art can shipped back for free which is very encouraging. 

D: Going back to the physical component of art, it’s undeniable that the art world is ruled by collector circles, a certain jet set and so on. Would you say that the nature of online breaks or at least lowers this barrier?

V: Definitely. It’s going to take a lot to democratize the art market, we have such a long way to go. When my mom did the Sotheby’s course she didn’t go into art for the same reasons that I decided not to at first. Auction houses and galleries lack a lot of transparency and the social circles you mentioned push to preserve their exclusivity. With The Artforce, even when choosing the name, there was this whole idea of revolutionizing art. Price and transparency will definitely help reshape the art world. 

D: Do you think that this quasi-unattainable environment was exacerbated by the increasing consideration of art as an asset?

V: Undeniably. Collectors do a lot for art and support artists but then again yet despite the money flowing around, in the art market we’re in complete deregulation, there are no rules. Especially in terms of transparency. And the experience becomes less about the aesthetic side of art and more about and for the market. Auction houses put a stamp on an art piece and only then it is considered as ‘proper’ art. I would like to liberate this. Of course, if you take Saatchi and SaatchiArt.com they have very affordable art too but we’re talking about a website with thousands of artists that they don’t really curate. 

D: What would you say is different about the Artforce?

V: What the final format will be like I don’t know yet. For now, I would say that we’re the only online gallery that is donating all its profits to Covid-19 affected kids. 

What I am aiming at though, is to have a maximum of 15-20 amazing handpicked artists per period, that I truly curate. When you go to most affordable art websites you get bombarded with so much. After ten minutes you don’t know what you like anymore. I want something curated but not in an extremely intellectual way either, so that people can relate to it. Accessibility is key. 

Also, linked to the pop-up idea, I wish to have the artists online for limited amounts of time which can give them a great stage. I think this will also incentivise people to buy; having a time component is not bad. 

D: You talked about handpicked curated artists and your website already has a carefully curated visual identity. How do you build on it and how do you select your artists? 

V: I had many talks with people that told me I should focus on a very curatorial edge but I don’t want to have a completely thematic selection. I would like to encourage diversity although, for sure, the artists need to fit into the identity. 

I thought that I would have a hard time getting the artists but surprisingly they are the ones contacting me so far. So, when they apply via Instagram or email I always ask for a selection of their work to see if it suits the brand. As a next step, I would certainly try to get artists straight out of art school which is great for them as they are not necessarily familiar with the commercial part, with selling their art. By curating the website in the current direction, far from an Ebay-looking SaatchiArt.com, I hope to attract them and make them feel like they can belong here.

D: Since the beginning of the pandemic there’s been a lot of talk about consuming locally, both in terms of sustainability and supporting local communities, where does the Artforce stand in this, considering it’s an online business that can ship anywhere?

V: At the moment we only have German artists although I admit that I would like to expand towards other nationalities. Even so, this current local approach is very interesting and it’s doing good to all stakeholders. 

Not long ago there was a delivery error for a painting and it was returned back to the artist. Since both the artist and costumer lived in Berlin, to avoid potential damage from this extra transportation, I asked the artist if she would like to deliver it herself. The customer loved the experience since the artist really explained every little detail of the painting and the artist did too; she got to connect with the owner of her work. For art this is inherently present in studio tours so I would like to do this from time to time if the artist lives in the same city, it creates this connection and a sense of community. 

D: Barcelona is a great hub for technology and creativity. Do you think that the city influenced you in developing the ArtForce?

V: Definitely. I was surrounded with so many people starting their businesses and really trying to find themselves. Apart from that Barcelona played a big role with regard to what the city offers in terms of lifestyle and the possibility to immerse yourself in a diverse environment.

D: Regarding education, I feel that nowadays there are so many different paths one can take as well as so much information that can be found online that you can be successful without making the most traditional degree choices. Art is very conservative however, what are your thoughts on this?

V: Now it’s becoming more and more possible, there are various openings for people interested in the industry. It is harder than for other industries but the whole art system needs a revolution in my opinion. There have been too many old white men in museums and galleries.

D: What would you say to someone that wants to launch a venture in the sector? 

V: Just go for it! We always underestimate ourselves, especially us women. I’m so grateful for my friend from my consulting days that always pushed and encouraged me but also reminded me that I should celebrate some milestones along the way. We should be proud and confident but also thankful for what we’re able to do by ourselves. If I could give a piece of advice it would be to sit and reflect. I think this one was one of the strong points of studying Innovation and Entrepreneurship, it was so liberating to think and create again. 

Find The Artforce here and on Instagram