Editor's Notes

Editor's Notes

Editor in Chief, Despina Stokou, has been in charge of Bpigs since it first launched in 2010. Here she discusses her experiences, observations, and outlook on being an artist, the art market, and life in general.

2022

bold and emboldened

"Sometimes offensive", of course, does a lot of heavy lifting in the collective socioeconomic wet dreams of the rich Wunderkind. I consider König a peer, of sorts, from our Bar 3 days. I mean, I was a thirty-something foreigner…read more

on nonideological privilege

Why dont we want our rich people to fail? Let's talk about it. I am summarizing (and commenting) this NYT article which you can have free access to here . Julia Stoschek’s great-grandfather, the German industrialist Max Brose, was a member of the...read more

Venice Survival Guide Covid edition

Anyone who is anyone will be in Venice this year, because it has been two years god dammit and we are all gonna die soon. But not everyone can speak Italian. We are here to help, capturing the Zeitgeist and having our Italian co workers translate...read more

on cultural bans

And here I thought we should be discussing a transition from the feudal, redundant snooze fest of state funding that procures the so-called National Pavillions every two years at the otherwise lovely Bienalle Jardini. But no, let's bring the...read more

2021

Meme by Martin Skauen, updated by me

Manual of Gallery Artist relationships

On the occasion of another friend getting screwed over by their gallery at the tender age of We Should Know Better, here is a long overdue post on walking that thin, thin line between social niceties, handshake deals, and well, labor law. First of...read more
M. Behrmann, Ohne Titel (Raut), 2021 Wood, colour laquer 110 x 72 x 40 cm

A brief history of Berlin exclusivism

I was minding my own business one post-2020 afternoon (yesterday) when scrolling through the ad-lgorythm that is Instagram these days; I happened upon the latest Berlin art venture: the Clubhouse. An experience so exclusive it might as well not...read more

2020

Vikenti Komitski "The World", Edition of 75 +5 AP unique pieces, silksceen on map- 33,7 x 50 .5 each

2020 C U Next Tuesday

As this year, the year that will from now on be referred to as THAT year comes to an end, I couldn't help but wonder… what does it all mean. Do global pandemics need to happen for a reason? No. But happened it did, and I am curious if we, we the...read more
When This Is Over...I am Going to Get a Divorce

Is Art Essential?

I think this is an excellent moment to start over in the art scene: Educate collectors, gallerists, art lovers, even artists. Any reform in the art world and one is now sorely needed, should start in the ways we talk and write about Art. Starting...read more

ART IS ALWAYS LONELY

Art is always lonely. It is lonely in its conception because you need to quiet the voices in your head. It is lonely in its process because you left it too long, and now you have to finish the damn show. It is lonely in its social context because...read more
pic by @ClemensWilhelm in Berlin Neukölln.

No I don't want to zoom I want to look at the moon

pic by Clemens Wilhelm in Berlin Neukölln I miss FOMO. I miss opting out. I miss lipstick. Not on me, on you. I miss Aperols and Margaritas and impromptu picnics on the grass and babies running around and touching stuff. Dirty Fingernails. Licking...read more

2019

Rachel Mc Adams for the cover of VOGUE (..ish- it didnt actually end up on the cover)

Mother Fucker

LADIES. What are we fighting for here? Best of Gender? Because you are not gonna grow a dick however many sisters you throw under the bus... In the summer of 2016 an androgynous version of Hillary Bonham Clinton was poised to become the first...read more

2018

Us and Them

The day before my recent opening in New York titled "White Lies", I received an email from a collector I know and like in Los Angeles reacting to the press release. I don't wish to publicize a private conversation, but I do think it is interesting...read more

2015

The stupid quota

I wanted to post my response to this article as well. For what is worth. https://www.artnews.com/toc/women-in-the-art-world/ Art does not have gender. You could maybe, if so inclined, try to differentiate between nuances of female and male energy...read more
paramount ranch, art los angeles, art weekend

Forever For now For sho

This artist from Greece people tell me copies my stuff finally caught up with me in an afterparty of Art LA. “YOU HAVE TO BEEEEE BETTER… “ he informs me drunkenly. He pauses and leans even closer - Is he trying to kiss me or throw up on me?? - “AT...read more

2014

Rudolph the Red Nose Berliner

It is a special day every year, the day I hear Rudolph the red nose reindeer for the first time. I was always impressed by this Christmas song, which is NOT about how six mammals fly around the world carrying a carriage full of presents and quite...read more
art basel miley cyrus performance

Fuck Yeah Basel

“You have to be careful!!! “ she grabs my hand and hisses in my ear “he is a very dangerous guy…” I have to look away and hide a laugh at this, she seems so earnest in warning me, woman to woman, how Stefan Simchowitz can take off my art panties...read more
 David Ostrowski F (A thing is a thing in a whole which it's not), 2013

How to Fuck Things Up 2

So we are through Armory, Frieze NY and Basel Hong Kong in one week, and at least one Biennal, more mature, more self assured and some of us even more prosperous. This is the second part of the how to fuck things up , a series of realistic,...read more

Berlin Studio Selfie

Despina, 35, in Wedding, working on Eigen &Art Lab show 03.04 Bpigs was chosen as a Berlin Social Media Ambassador for the Future Generation Art Prize! In the next few weeks we are going to be streaming live from Berlin, promoting our...read more

How to Fuck Things Up

It is around this time of the year (Armory time!) where you pack your suitcase full of giddy anticipation to start on the roller coaster art fair ride through the Basels, the Friezes, and the Biennals that will eventually strand you on the South...read more

2013

The Other Miami

You will miss the big Tomatina taking place in August in Spain and in Februar in Miami, but while you are shifting your weight from one stiletto to the other watching the booth or talking to some random suit, you can fantasize about walking on a...read more

The artist is present

Nicholas Byrne, Anthea Hamilton, Jack McConville, Rallou Panagiotou, Despina Stokou @remap4 I used to think of openings like birthday parties. You prepare something special and your friends, their friends and their friends friends come to...read more

An Apéritif

So what has been going on? Berlin Art Week is getting ready for its second edition. It got bigger, better and if possible... Berlin_er! The 10 main institution partners, abc and Preview art fairs are now joined by ten temporary partners, chosen by...read more

Artists and other Animals

Maybe it was the alcohol, the lack of sleep, the constant flying or the fact that I kept bumping into Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev in Venice. While landing in Zurich last week I heard cows (the sound of cows: muuuuh). Twenty hours later it happened...read more

Venice Survival Guide #1

Does his name mean “Big”? Like Maximum? No wonder he is so famous… I don’t know. And lives in New York… Hm… The maximum Curator. The Ultimum Curator. The Curator Ultimatum… I don’t know... Ultimilianno? I DON'T KNOW Despina! But you are Spanian!...read more

Gallery Weekend/ Editor's Cut

Unlike "director’s cut", this new series, which might or might not become a thing in Bpigs, will try to present readers with a shortened version of events: a dense mix of popular oppinion, marked usually with “I heard” and personal ones marked,...read more

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