Conversation with Pati Lara
Director at The RYDER Projects
Tell us about a woman, well-known or not, whom you admire and why.
I fully admire the work of Ainhoa Grandes, president of Fundació MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona). Ainhoa is a self-made woman who dedicates her life to the development and promotion of contemporary art, not only securing the acquisition of relevant works for the museum, but also helping in the relationship with patrons and collaborating companies at times of complex economic situation. Her ambition as well as her knowledge and commitment to contemporary art is an example for me to follow.
Do you collect art?
I collect art, but I wouldn’t call myself a collector. My aim lies in helping artists reach their goals while working on an exhibition program at the gallery that tries to be relevant to our society and the issues we currently face. Every single work I acquired has been the result of a personal relationship with the artist.
Who is the last artist who caught your eye?
Geumhyung Jeong, recently in residence at Delfina Foundation. Her performance 7ways at Tate Tanks was a delight for both the eye and the mind. Highly skilled and with a strong conceptual background, her performances use puppetry to explore power relations, fetishism and the human-machine relationship so increasingly present in our lives.
If you were to give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I’m 30 years old and started the gallery with 26. Maybe I still need to find the piece of advice I would give to my younger self, but for now I would say that as long as you are true to your beliefs and values, nothing can go wrong.