I’m an editor and writer

committed to the understanding and enjoyment of contemporary art. Editing in-gallery, online, and print material at Mana Contemporary was a fascinating process requiring quick thinking and a flexible approach. Editing reviews at Artforum immersed me in an international scene in the context of a monthly magazine; editing publications connected to the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum exposed me to a broad range of critical conversations in the context of a major institution, and editing art material at Vice Media for GARAGE taught me how to edit and write at the rapid pace of the web. 

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I'm the author of How to Read Contemporary Art: Experiencing the Art of the 21st Century (Abrams, 2013; lauded by the Good Book Guide as "‘superlative . . . essential reading for artists, students, and interested viewers"). I've also written for magazines from Art Monthly and frieze to the New Yorker and The Wire. I've contributed to catalogues published by MoMA PS1, Matthew Marks Gallery, and many others. I've curated exhibitions at galleries including Lisa Cooley and Locust Projects, held curatorial posts at Kagan Martos Gallery and d.u.m.b.o. arts center, and worked editorial jobs at Art in America, Artforum, Untitled, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, GARAGE, and Mana Contemporary.

 

I've been surrounded by visual culture from an early age: my father trained as a painter at Central St. Martin’s in London before working as a graphic designer; my mother is a lifelong museum-goer; and my grandfather, John Anthony Thwaites, was a critic who worked in Germany, championing such artists as the ZERO group. I'm proud to keep that family tradition alive.