Conversation with Bernadine Bröcker Wieder
CEO of Arcual
Bernadine Bröcker Wieder, CEO Arcual. Photographed at home in London by Jolly Thompson, 2023.
If you could change one thing about the art world, what would it be?
The art world can be hierarchical in many ways, but I think we are beginning to see that shift. At Arcual, for example, we work as a team first, before job title; everyone adds value to our highly collaborative projects and brings the best out of each-other's skill set. Then, as a company, we are offering digital tools that are designed to empower everyone in the art ecosystem - artists, galleries, and collectors - creating a more fair and transparent art world.
What has been the most important lesson you've learned on your career journey?
My experiences building ventures at the intersection of art and technology have highlighted to me the importance of keeping things simple, of making sure your audience understands what your product can offer them. This is especially important in our world today, which has a lot of noise, and people's attention spans are short!
What artist or art world organisation do you think more people should know about?
There are so many! But I’ll mention Operator.LA - an artistic duo that I met at the Art + Tech Summit in Hong Kong in 2019 and have been impressed by their work ever since. I’ve collected some of their NFT work, but the truth is they are mainly installation artists that comment on our world, technology, privacy and algorithms. I love art that helps us think about societal problems, and they do just that.
What is your favourite art world space (gallery, museum, etc.) that you keep coming back to?
The Museum of London; it is a gem which covers the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. It will be relocating to a brilliant new location in West Smithfield in 2026. I used to go to Smithfields Market for their Christmas Eve meat auction, and it is amazing to think that it will be a “24 hour museum” so soon.