Beyond the CV
How Design, Photography, and Global Perspectives Shape a Gallerist’s Eye
Two collectors stand before the same black-and-white photograph. One encounters it on a phone screen, wedged between a product launch and a stranger's sunset. The other meets it in a quiet room, after a conversation about the photographer's decade of work, the printing process behind it and the wall where it might one day hang. The image is identical. The experience is not.
This quiet dilemma lies at the core of contemporary collecting. If an artwork's meaning depends on how it comes to us, then the person transporting it from studio to collector is never just a neutral courier; they become part of its interpretation. We tend to examine an artist's biography to understand their work, but we rarely consider what influences the gallerist's eye that selected it. Over the years, that eye, shaped by experience, subtly influences what we can perceive.
For Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque, founder of The Art Design Project, that formation began outside the gallery. Before becoming a gallerist, he spent more than a decade in furniture and interior design, a field grounded in materials, proportion, texture, and the relationships among objects in a room.
The boundary between fine and applied art has always been more porous than institutions suggest. The Bauhaus deliberately dissolved it, training students to treat a chair, a textile, and a painting as related problems of form. A designer's eye teaches the same lesson: an object is never experienced in isolation. It is encountered at a certain height, in a certain light, at a certain distance from a person moving through space.
An Eye Shaped by Design and Photography
Arcila-Duque's subsequent years in New York, including time spent learning from an established photography collector, added a complementary discipline. Collecting photography trains attention to quieter variables: the quality of a print, the tonal range of black-and-white, and the logic linking one image to an entire body of work. Together, these experiences produce a curator who weighs both the individual piece and its place within a broader visual narrative, able to sense how objects might speak to one another long before they share a wall.
From Looking to Understanding
Arcila-Duque's curatorial vision is influenced by his Colombian roots and international journey, offering a perspective that transcends specific movements or regions. He emphasizes the importance of personally engaging with artists and viewing their work in person, a dedication evident in his travels to 25 countries in 2024 and another 15 in 2025. This approach is crucial in a market that increasingly relies on trends, algorithms, and established networks to determine visibility. While a compelling image can attract attention, a studio visit provides deeper insights into an artist's consistent practice, long-term development, conceptual foundation, and the environment that fosters their work.
These qualities distinguish a memorable work from a truly meaningful artist. Evaluating them takes time, awareness, and a readiness to look beyond the popular promotion. They also transform how representation functions. When a gallerist understands the artist behind the work, curation becomes a continual relationship instead of just a transaction, allowing collectors to gain that depth of insight. This creates a vision that is both personal and broad: rooted in individual judgment but constantly evolving through new artists and perspectives.
A Different Kind of Gallery Experience
At The Art Design Project, this philosophy manifests physically. The gallery is set in a former restaurant within an Art Deco building in Miami Beach, just steps from the convention center at the core of the city's international art scene. Its appointment-only policy fosters a private, house-like ambiance, intentionally contrasting with the busy, spectacle-driven environment of major art fairs.
This discussion goes beyond judging if a piece fits a specific wall. Collectors are encouraged to explore an artist's overall practice, consider how a compelling black-and-white photograph interacts with a modern mixed-media sculpture, and learn what initially attracted the curator to each piece. Arcila-Duque's background in design enriches conversations about scale, light, and atmosphere, while his connections with artists help ground these ideas in the context of their work.
Collecting Begins with Conversation
A roster of around 70 artists working across various mediums supports collectors at all levels. Beginners can explore new directions and grow more confident in their taste, while seasoned collectors can find pieces that introduce fresh, unexpected elements to their collections. The gallery's online portfolio and its offerings on 1stDibs expand this discovery beyond Miami Beach. Nonetheless, the core idea stays the same: meaningful collecting starts with an informed conversation.
A gallerist's most significant impact isn't reflected in the number of artists they represent or artworks they have exhibited. Instead, it lies in the perspective they enable. Driven by intentionality, travel, and long-standing relationships with artists, Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque's vision is both deeply personal and globally inclusive.
The most enduring collections are never just put together; they are found gradually through curiosity, talk, and an open mind. At The Art Design Project, this discovery starts with dialogue. We encourage you to schedule a private curatorial consultation to find works, ideas, and artists that resonate with you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Picerne
Contemporary Art Writer & Art Advisor
Alex Picerne is an art advisory and gallery management professional with eight years of experience in the art industry. As former Gallery Director at The Art Design Project, she developed an appreciation for the stories behind artworks, the artists who create them, and the curatorial perspectives that shape a collection.
Her experience at Kevin Barry Art Advisory and The RealReal further expanded her perspective on art consulting, luxury markets, visual storytelling, and the ways art is presented and interpreted. Now contributing to The Art Design Project’s gallery blog, Alex draws on this diverse background to explore contemporary art, curatorial vision, and the personal and professional trajectories that shape artistic practice. Through research-driven writing, she aims to offer readers a deeper understanding of the ideas, people, and perspectives influencing the contemporary art world.
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