Trailer: What is Oko and who is it for?

Welcome to Oko. I’m Lisa Cooley. I have over 25 years experience working in the art world and I made this podcast because I want to make it easier to learn about collecting art.

Oko will be valuable to anyone interested in collecting art, no matter where you are in that journey. Experienced collectors, and collecting-curious alike! 

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Transcript

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Welcome to Oco. I'm Lisa Cooley. I have over 25 years experience working in the art world, and I made this podcast because I want to make it easier to learn about collecting art. Oco will be valuable to anyone interested in collecting art, no matter where you are in that journey. I know many young collectors or collecting curious who have a lot of questions, and simultaneously many veteran collectors who want to become even more expert than they already are. OKO is for all of you. About 15 years ago, I noticed that many art collectors weren't getting the information that they needed to make effective decisions. I ran a gallery in downtown New York, and I noticed that many of my favorite collectors had striking misconceptions about how the art world works, or even basic knowledge about art history. Now I would never judge them for this. I realized that collectors face a number of systemic challenges when it comes to learning about art. Plus, everyone starts somewhere, and I'm just not into judging people in general. For one, the nature of work has changed. Everyone works around the clock. Back in the olden days when vinyl records were hot for the first time, if you had capital, you probably had more free time. Now, if you're a collector and you're not a doctor or a lawyer or a nuclear scientist or an advertising exec or some other kind of professional, you probably are managing your family office or working on your foundation. But in short, you are working. There's no more leisure class, which means there's less time to learn about art. Second, the nature of consuming information has changed. Yes, the internet, but also the media landscape has fragmented, critics have waned in importance or attention, schools have cut arts education, and newspapers have drastically cut the arts coverage. Publications which do cover contemporary art frequently focus on either eye-popping auction numbers, fluffy lifestyle, or theory, which are all fine in and of themselves, but those are all only parts of the story. Third, many people who want to collect art don't feel welcome in the art world. This happens for reasons which I believe are unintentional, but it still needs to change. So let me be clear. Artists make art for other human beings, not for trees, not for pigeons, not for whales, not for calculators. Artists make art for other humans. So if you're a human, you belong. You should be in the museum, in the gallery, at the biennial, looking and thinking and learning and participating. And finally, the art world itself has absolutely ballooned in the 21st century, undergoing rapid changes and expansions which create real challenges to keeping up. Take the most recent art Basel, Miami Beach, which in 2024 had 283 exhibitors. Now, this is the premier art fair in North America, and each one of those galleries has between 15 and 100 artists. Each gallery has one, maybe two hot artists, and the gallerists will tell you that these are absolutely the best on fire artists working right now. And that's their job, they should. But that makes maybe 400 artists to keep tabs on. There's just no way that all of those 400 artists are going to get through to either the Valhalla of Art History or the Prestigious Museum Show or the Blockbuster Evening Auction. My point is that collectors are expected to consume a wild amount of information. And then they are expected to synthesize it all and make decisions that cost anywhere from$5,000 to$50 million. So, my dear listeners, for this first season, I'm taking you on a tour through the power centers of the art world. We're talking to artists, journalists, gallerists, critics, auctioneers, curators, and art fair directors about what defines the art world right now and how we got to this moment. Along the way, I'll be interviewing different collectors about their experiences and looking at these topics specifically from a collector's point of view. Lastly, as one of my guests, Marianne Mannecker observed, 20 years ago no one wanted to talk about prices. And today people only seem to want to talk about prices. So expect a lot of frank talk about balancing art historical value and monetary value. I'll tell you the secret right now. They're related. Yes, art can be an investment, but it can also be a lifelong passport to thrilling adventure, community, and intellectual pleasure. Art is fundamentally a reflection of our humanity. After all, the earliest art makers, cave dwellers, didn't fight their way to the back of the sacred cave to make a handprint because they thought it was going to increase in value. If you are only thinking of art as an investment, you're missing out on all the fun. If this sounds intriguing, please listen to Oko and please support the show on Patreon. Right now it's$5 a month. You'll help the show grow, you'll get bonus content, and you'll get the chance to directly ask me questions about collecting art. And hopefully some of our guests too. Thank you so much. Oh, PS. Oko means I. And PSS, one million thank yous to David and the team at Good Studio in Garanis, Brooklyn, who have helped me incredibly in making this podcast.