Art and Ambition: Selasie Gomado's Journey from Engineering to Art Business

In this episode of the Art Business Podcast, host David Bellingham, Programme Director of the Master's Degree in Art Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art in London, interviews Selasie Gomado, the co-founder and creative director of Artemartis. Broadcasting from Ghana, Selasie shares his journey from a science-focused education to a passion-driven career in the arts, highlighting the influence of his entrepreneurial family background. Selasie discusses the formation and growth of Artemartis, an art agency based in Accra, Ghana, which supports emerging artists locally and internationally. He delves into the challenges and successes of establishing a collective and agency model without traditional gallery representation, sharing insights on the art scene in Ghana and the broader African art market. The conversation explores the dynamics of the African art world, the importance of networking, and the balance between commercial success and cultural recognition. Selasie offers valuable advice for aspiring artists and art entrepreneurs, emphasizing patience, humility, and the significance of financial literacy. Join us for an engaging discussion on the evolving landscape of art and business in Africa. SELASIE GOMADO: PROFILE   Selasie (Ghanaian), is involved in managing the rapidly growing art collective and agency, Artemartis, and overseeing operations and the development of artists in both Ghana and the rest of the world. He has fully executed numerous projects in multiple countries, both in the art and engineering fields.   Selasie started his career in 2017 as a Mechanical Engineer with Orsam Limited (Ghana/France), where he worked as a Project Coordinator and Engineer in the Project Management and Quality Control departments until 2021.   In 2018, he founded Artemartis and has performed multiple pivotal roles including artist management, exhibition curation and planning, together with his engineering role until he decided to resign from his work in engineering to focus on his art career in the year 2021. He has since been featured in multiple articles, including The New York Times, National Geographic, Artnet, and The Art Newspaper, and has worked with prestigious institutions including Phillips Auction House, 1-54 Art Fair, Gallery 1957, among others.   Selasie has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana (2017).   Since its launch in 2018, Artemartis has evolved into a well-known and respected brand. This is evident through their collaborations with artists and art galleries, museums and institutions around the world, including the recently ended 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (London), where Artemartis participated as one of the first collectives from the continent to ever show at the art fair, Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong), Phillips Auction House (London), Mitchell-Innes & Nash (New York), Lehmann Maupin (London), Gallery 1957(Accra), Septieme Gallery (Paris) and Loft Art Gallery (Marrakech), as well as some museums including Kunsthalle Krems (Vienna) and Museo Ettore Fico (Turin). Notable collaborations include a collaboration with Phillips Auction House in London in 2022 with the exhibition “Birds Of A Feather” featuring 18 works celebrating contemporary artistic production in Ghana, “Worldmaking” at Mitchell-Innes & Nash in 2023 presenting a group show of ten emerging artists living and working in Ghana and “Material Muses,” a solo show of works by Emmanuel Kwaku Yaro, represented by Artemartis, at Loft Art Gallery in Marrakech, Morocco in 2024 and a viewing at Pearl Lam Galleries in Hong Kong, also this year.     Links: www.theartemartis.com www.instagram.com/_artemartis www.x.com/artemartis  www.theartemartis.com/subscribe     music ‘Baby, I Miss The Internet’ (Rama, Rama, Rama)  by TOT TAYLOR is used by kind permission of the artist ©Tot Taylor/Songmatic Music (2020)