The Association of Women Art Dealers would like to welcome new Global Chapter Member Zeynep Yuksel of Artate. Opened in 2018, Artate is an online gallery for the next generation of art collectors. Artate was founded with two aims; supporting talented artists in the early stages of their careers and making art buying as easy and accessible as possible.

We wanted to get to know Zeynep a little better and asked her the following questions.

What’s your professional background?

I grew up in Turkey, I went to high school in Switzerland, and after graduating I moved back to Istanbul and studied Business. I then went to Paris where I continued my studies in History of Art. During and after Paris, I worked in different art fields, including public and private art enterprises. 

What inspired you to take the leap and start your own business?

I have always been fascinated by different cultures and history. When I found Artate in 2018, I wanted work in a gallery, but not a traditional one, I am an avid art collector and I found it was quite challenging to discover emerging artists if you do not know where to look. So I combined my education in business and art to start Artate, to connect both entities, the emerging artists and new collectors.

What does your business offer, in terms of goods and services? 

Artate is an online space for young art collectors. Artate is more than just an online gallery, we are aiming to create a community for everyone especially for the next generation of art lovers. Everything is digitalized right now, I believe as an online gallery we are one step further to change things in the art world.

What excites you about having joined the Association of Women Art Dealers?

I am excited to be part of the Association of Women Art Dealers. As a woman business founder, I believe we need to support each other more than anyone. AWAD is a great platform where collaboratively minded people gather together and share their experiences. 

Especially during this time, AWAD’s meetings are happening through Zoom and each week there is a new topic they discuss and it’s a great opportunity to hear different viewpoints. 

What brings you joy in your work?

I feel very lucky that my job allows me to be creative on a daily basis. Being creative, generating ideas, seeing results and working with emerging artists excites me.

If you were a work of art, what piece would you be (and why)?

If I was a work of art I would be Barbara Hepworth’s Squares with Two Circles. She is one of my favorite women artists.  She has influenced countless artists, designers, architects and performers.  “I think every person looking at a sculpture should use his own body. You can’t look at a sculpture if you’re going to stand stiff as a ramrod and stare at it. With a sculpture you must walk around it, bend towards it, touch it, walk away from it,” she says.