Robert Diament

So I've been following you for a long time because quite a few of your artists are either artists that Russell Tovey and myself might have spoken to.

I know we've known Youssef Nabil, for example, who's an amazing photographer and he even like paints on photos.

And I think Russell actually had his portrait taken by Youssef maybe in like 2006 or something or 2005, like a long, long time ago.

And I used to hang out with Youssef in New York back then, like just before I met Russell actually.

So that was one of the first things that like bonded our friendship.

And more recently, we've interviewed like Ava Jospan and Amoako Boafo.

And I'm such a big fan also of Salah Elmore, the amazing painter that I just saw in Zona Mako.

And yeah, I really respect everything that you've been building and doing.

How did your interest in being a gallerist begin?

Yeah, exactly.

And in 2012, you actually opened your initial gallery, which was under a different title.

It was called MIA.

And it was in Seattle at the time.

And the unique angle in a way for your program, for your introduction of your gallery was underrepresented regions.

And

particularly Africa and the Middle East and really focusing on African kind of diaspora artists or African artists, which like you're saying at the time really weren't getting seen or shown.

But you yourself had this kind of amazing way of storytelling.

I heard that, you know, alongside marketing and your kind of business studies in a way, you were a really great communicator and that you came from a family of great women communicators and that that in itself is a strength.

I know, but I love that.

I think it's such an interesting thing.