interviews

Agathe Piroir

Agathe Piroir is a master printer, editor, and gallery owner based in Montréal, Canada. Atelier Galerie A. Piroir was started by Agathe’s father, Alain Piroir, in 1975; in 2006, they joined forces and embarked on a journey to modernize printmaking. They print, collect, exhibit, restore/conserve, and sell work for other artists.
I spent this past summer in Montréal, Canada, working as an intern at Atelier Galerie A. Piroir under Agathe’s guidance; during this time, I transferred the gallery’s archives to a web/cloud-based Collection Management System (CMS) software which improved workflow, accuracy and efficiency.
Q: How has technology impacted your job as a gallerist and the art world in general?
A: At Atelier-Galier A. Piroir, we work on older machines; many of our printing presses are from the mid-1800s, so updating technology hasn’t been necessary for the craft. However, in the last few years, I’ve been working to adapt to new technologies for gallery operations. COVID forced us to create online showrooms and virtual exhibitions; we all need to work, so having more online options to show and sell has become more important. Virtual tours and online auctions help us maintain an international clientele.
Q: What technology is critical to the gallery’s operations?
A: Our software is, for the most part, very simple. We have our website and profiles on various art sites, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Photoshop… we need Photoshop!
Q: What do you use to manage your collection?
A: Since 2006, we have tracked our inventory in Excel, which had many flaws, but I wasn’t really aware of any alternatives. This past summer, we switched the inventory over to ArtworkArchive, a collection management system made for collectors and small businesses. It has features like private showrooms and automated features that make cataloging easier.
Q: Have you heard about any developing technology that interests you or would be helpful for Atelier Galier A. Piroir?
A: I’ve been hearing about AI tools that can help you calculate the price of an artwork based on the market as it fluctuates; pricing is always hard, and art is subjective, so that seems like it could be nice.

Katharina peter

Katharina Peter is the Director of BORCH Editions and Gallery; The Gallery was founded my Neils Borch Jensen, has presented at Art Basel for decades and is an esteemed member of the Internation Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA). In 2021 I spent the summer in Berlin working as curatorial intern at BORCH ediions where I became famjiliaar with the inner working. BORCH Editions wants to democratize art collection and has been experimenting with way to get more art into homes!
Q: How has technology impacted your job as a gallerist and the art world in general?
A: BORCH Editions has two locations, Berlin and Copenhagen, so technology is necesary in almost everything we do because of the language and geographical difference. We use translator plugins and cloud systems to make sure we are always on the same page.

Q: What technology is critical to the gallery’s operations?

A: I use a lot of digital rendering to envision and show clients what artwork may look like in their homes.

Q: How has BORCH Editions used technology to advise clients and improve sales?

A: We started using some built-in marketing tools offered by social media and website hosts—they suggest things to people based on what is popular or what they like.

dawn cardenas

Dawn Cardenas is the great-grandaughter of reknowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle, and currently works for the Niki de Saint Phalle's Foundation managing her artwork and maintaining her legacy. Her work includes coordinating retrospective exhibtions, loaning artwork and sales. In the summer of 2023 I interned at Il Giardino de Tarrocchi/The Tarot Garden, my main focus was creating condition reports, paper for loans and exploring potential preservation options.
Q: How has technology impacted your work at the Niki de Saint Phalle Tarot Garden Foundation?
A: We have two foundations split between the US (New York & Santa Monica) and Europe (Capalbio & Paris) technology is important for our teams comm7unications. The Tarot garden is also in a remote part of italy, about 2 hours from Rome, so not many people know about it but through online publication we've been able to attract more people. 

Q: What technology is critical to the Tarot Garden and Foundations operations?

A: We use translator software for documents, and we keep copies of everything in English, French, and Italian because many team members only know one language. 

Q: Have you heard about any developing technology that interests you or would be helpful for Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden and Foundation?

A: We have all of these wonderful sculptures, but very few know about them because of the location. We started working with The Getty Institute and some UCLA PhD students to create a VR that would allow people to walk through the multi-acre Tarot Garden virtually which is very exciting!