In conversation with Bettina Korek

“It is essential for leaders not only to treat people with respect, but to respect everyone’s individual wisdom and abilities as well.”

- Bettina Korek

Image: Bettina Korek. © Dave Bennett, Serpentine Summer Evening 2022.

Bettina Korek, a champion of contemporary artists and a leader with over 15 years of experience, serves as the CEO of Serpentine. She has a track record of successfully expanding programmes, as demonstrated by her tenure as Executive Director of Frieze Los Angeles and her wide expertise in public art presentations and writing. In 2006 she founded ForYourArt, an organisation that has expanded the place of art in everyday life in Southern California through projects with institutions like The Getty, LACMA and the Hammer, brands as well as municipal governments and local artists, including legends like Barbara Kruger, Raymond Pettibon and the late John Baldessari. She served as a political appointee to the Los Angeles County Arts Commissioner from 2011-2020 and was the organisation’s President in 2016.

Can you tell us about your background in the arts, and how you became the CEO of Serpentine in London? 

My interest in art started with my mother. She was a graphic designer and always had lots of art books around…she loved Picasso especially. Seeing Mother and Child at the Art Institute when visiting my grandparents in Chicago became a special kind of ritual for us. I worked  for Kevin Salatino (now head of prints and drawings at Art Institute ironically!) at LACMA a few years after graduating from Princeton. I remember it was then that I began to imagine what a non-traditional route to a career in museums might look like—one that was focused on breaking down silos between departments in order to reach broader audiences in new ways. I’ve always had a strong conviction that it’s essential for audiences not only to experience art, but to play a part in supporting it as well. 

In 2006 I founded the Los Angeles organisation ForYourArt as an experiment in patronage. Consisting of a website, a weekly email compiling art events and openings across all of L.A.’s galleries, museums and artist run spaces (at a time when such a resource did not yet otherwise exist), and a range of discursive, publication, strategic and exhibition projects, I’m proud of all that ForYourArt did to make L.A.’s rapidly expanding art communities of the 2000s and 2010s more legible, navigable, and plugged into new audiences and systems of support. From projects with legends like John Baldessari and Barbara Kruger, to work with brands like Hermès and various local governments—I wore many hats for ForYourArt and developed a nuanced perspective on how artists’ practices, cultural tourism, corporate sponsorship and traditional forms of patronage all are so incredibly different, yet must somehow be brought together to sustain art ecosystems. 

My last position before Serpentine was as the founding Executive Director of Frieze LA. Years prior to that, I worked as a consultant for Frieze, which always brought me to London at the time of the Serpentine Marathon in October, which I loved. Hans Ulrich and Julia Peyton Jones pioneered such an incredible interdisciplinary format with the marathon, and when I was given the opportunity to develop Frieze LA, I wanted to bring in some of this boundary-breaking spirit of curiosity, as well as ForYourArt’s interest in sparking patronage in unexpected ways. It was an amazing experience to setup a citywide event, and to ensure that Frieze LA—which is owned by Endeavor, and thus, tied to Hollywood in a way unlike other contemporary art events—leveraged its influence to galvanise the city and all its visitors not only around sales, but around the vibrant artist communities that breathe life into L.A. 365 days a year. 

Serpentine has always been artist-led, innovative and interdisciplinary—so when the conversations began about this position, I was excited to envision how such a strong cultural institution could do even more to deepen local relationships with art communities, while at the same time expanding globally and beyond gallery walls into digital realms and beyond.

According to you, what does it mean to be a leader in the art industry today? 

The art industry is made up of many different communities and worlds, all of which you might say are governed in various ways by their relationships to symbolic and commercial values. A leader in the art industry is someone who is capable of steering action across these communities in a way that not only creates impact, but retains integrity as well. It is essential for leaders not only to treat people with respect, but to respect everyone’s individual wisdom and abilities as well. This goes for staff, collaborators, and audiences. Serpentine is committed to amplifying the work of artists engaging the urgent issues of today. This often involves making ideas more accessible for a broader public, but it’s so important to remember that people can tolerate being challenged—people love to be challenged and can grow from it.

Have any artists, writers, curators, or other creative thinkers influenced you? 

Of course! All day, every day. My proximity to the thinkers who have become my friends and teachers is the most important thing that I get out of working in this space, for sure. Through Serpentine I’ve gotten to work closely with Sumayya Vally, our 2021 Pavilion Architect, and trustees Sir David Adjaye and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye—all of whom have taught me so much about creativity and leadership. Our work every day is about trying to maintain a context that honours their level of creation and invites emerging voices to find a platform that takes their practice to the next level.

Image: Bettina Korek © Serpentine

The Serpentine Galleries is widely known for its exciting programme of thought-provoking events and exhibitions. Can you tell us a bit about how the Serpentine Galleries yearly programme comes together? 

Hans Ulrich and the entire curatorial team always does such a brilliant job of responding to an ever changing global context. With this in mind, there are a number of inquires we return to year after year which speak to our mission of building new connections between artists and society. Our Dynamic Memory” program, for example, refers to shows that advocate for a more just, diverse and polyphonic art history, by showcasing creators who are lesser known (in the UK or internationally) than their talents warrant. To this end, emerging artists are another focal point—as are the emerging architects whose Pavilion commissions are transformative to their careers. Then, the overarching topics of ecology, technology and community we see as the most important issues facing the future of society.

What is the most challenging thing about what you do? 

Cultural organisations operate with unprecedented uncertainty today and I would say the most challenging aspect of the job is balancing ambition with capacity. Our incredible team, like everyone, are adapting to challenges left and right.

What are some memorable things that have happened throughout your career? 

Since arriving at Serpentine it’s been thrilling to work on such an international and durational scale—such as with our durational ecology initiative Back to Earth. Earlier in my career, realising buses and billboards with John Baldessari and Barbara Kruger for the LA Fund for Public Education was a personal dream come true. Public art is really my passion, and it was incredible to work with Barbara again on a campaign (Questions) around Frieze LA and Paramount, with digital billboards all over the city and a huge mural on Sunset Boulevard.

What’s been the biggest lesson – about yourself, your abilities or just general life lessons – you’ve learnt throughout your career? 

Everything is temporary, from the lowest lows to the highest highs. It’s important to appreciate the present, and its context, and it’s a mistake to get too bogged down by challenges or disappointments.

What kind of experience do you want visitors to have at Serpentine?

I want visitors to feel something—to feel present, curious, engaged, and to feel relaxed. After all, we’re in the middle of a park. For those who want to dig deeper, our Bloomberg Connects is such an enriching guide, and as all our programmes and exhibitions are free of charge, and repeat visits can lead to unexpected discoveries. Most of all, I want visitors to feel welcome.

We like to discover new artists in our interviews. Can you recommend three artists that you think our readers should watch out for this year? 

Lauren Halsey at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Gabriel Massan’s online game and Serpentine exhibition from May 2023.

James Barnor’s Serpentine show travelling to the Detroit Institute of Arts. 

These are three must-sees!

Image: Gabriel Massan, Third World: The Bottom Dimension, 2022 [Video Game]. Featuring Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro, Novíssimo Edgar & LYZZA. Image courtesy Gabriel Massan.

Do you have any tips for a young person aspiring to work within the art industry? 

Outside of an artist’s studio, art takes place in public—so go! Everywhere. Go to every talk, every opening, every book-signing. Learn what you love, meet people and be a part of the conversation.

Who is Bettina Korek outside the office?

I really do love culture—concerts, theatre museums, heritage sites. But I love pop culture, too—Formula One, the I Heart Radio awards and a filming of The Voice TV series are some standout cultural moments as well. I love to make connections among people and to always be actively thinking about the bigger picture—which often means considering where and how Serpentine fits in, which is often in new and surprising ways.

Website: serpentinegalleries.org

Instagram: @bettinakorek

LinkedIn: Bettina Korek

This week, Serpentine announced new episodes of its podcast. REWORLDING, is a curated series featuring five new episodes launching on streaming platforms. This new series will explore how today’s leading artists and thinkers are engaging with worldbuilding, collective dreaming and collaborative transformation. The podcast presents a striking selection of interviews, discussions, sound landscapes, audio works, and materials from Serpentine’s vast archive. Each episode will be presented as an artistic and emotive experience bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives. Full access here.