Biography
I created Celeste Network in 2007, an online community for contemporary artists, in response to the growing needs of artists to have their artwork shown to a wider audience across the internet. Celeste Network organizes every year, Celeste Prize (an international art prize, since 2006) and Visible White Photo Prize (a photography prize, since 2012), and Premio Celeste (a prize for Italian artists, 2004-14). For Celeste Network's community of 70,000 members, I have organized many exhibitions, events and prizes around the world, in London, New York, Berlin, Miami, Rome, Venice, Milan, etc. I have presented papers, written articles and discussed at public meetings the subjects of social networks, online communities and art prizes. I have been jury member of art prizes (none of which were organized by Celeste) and for several years have advised an international art school as non-executive board member. Between 2001 and 2006, I founded and ran L’Albero Celeste, a contemporary art gallery in Italy. In the previous 9 years I worked as a ‘runner’ with art galleries in Europe for contemporary and modern artists. I was the BBC’s second correspondent in Rome (1990-2), and covered energy affairs as a journalist in London for Petroleum Argus, as well as collaborating with Reuters and the Financial Times (1986-9). I have a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Politics from Bristol University, UK.