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CHANEL Connects, the flagship arts and culture podcast, returns for Season 4. The new season was recorded on location at the Venice Biennale, the world’s most influential exhibition of art. Through a series of intimate conversations, leading artists, curators and thinkers explore the currents of culture today. Presented by Yana Peel, Global Head of Arts and Culture, with editor Penny Martin.
For episode 1 of CHANEL Connects, Andrew Durbin, Editor-in-Chief of Frieze magazine, connects with Kimberly Drew, author, critic and Curatorial Director at Pace Gallery. Together, they discuss the evolution of art in the digital age and explore how the artworld can invite more people in.
Recorded at Venice’s Conservatorio di Musica, episode 2 explores the power of sound. Actress Vicky Krieps, star of Phantom Thread, connects with the artist and sound artist Andrea Mancini and Every Island art collective, who are presenting work at the Luxembourg Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale. Together, they connect on the art of getting lost in the music.
For episode 3 of CHANEL Connects, two remarkable women from the international gallery scene connect. Sadie Coles, founder of Sadie Coles HQ, has shaped the art world for decades. She meets rising star Angelina Volk, founder of EMALIN gallery. Together at the Venice Biennale, Sadie and Angelina discuss how working with artists is a life-long romance.
For episode 4 of CHANEL Connects, artist Julien Creuzet connects with Tate Modern curator Alvin Li. Julien reflects on what it means to be the first French-Caribbean artist to represent France at the Venice Biennale, and reveals how his exhibition, which was supported by the CHANEL Culture Fund, is inspired by his childhood on the island of Martinique.
For episode 5 of CHANEL Connects, the South African artist William Kentridge meets with the renowned curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, his long-term creative partner. In Venice’s Conservatorio di Musica, these giants of the art world discuss how William’s exhibition at the Venice Biennale was born from their ongoing artistic partnership.
Episode 6 of CHANEL Connects asks—what makes a great artist? Two distinguished curators meet to discuss. Simon Castets, Director of Strategic Initiatives at LUMA Arles in France, and Courtney J. Martin, Executive Director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in New York, explore how the Venice Biennale shapes the international art scene.
From the island city of Venice, episode 7 of CHANEL Connects brings together two contemporary artists from islands uniquely impacted by climate change. Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir, a conceptual artist representing Iceland at the Venice Biennale, speaks with Trevor Yeung, representing Hong Kong. Together they ask: can art inspire action on the climate crisis?
For episode 8 of CHANEL Connects, the celebrated designers Michael Rock and Irma Boom reflect on Venice’s pivotal role in the history of art. Michael is the co-founder of 2x4 in New York, while Irma has designed more than 300 books across her career. They explore how, more than 500 years ago, Venice revolutionised publishing—a legacy that continues to inspire artists today.
Penny Martin is the founder-editor of the award-winning magazine The Gentlewoman. Her previous roles as an academic and curator include chair of fashion imagery at University of the Arts London, editor-in-chief of SHOWstudio.com and curator at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television. Penny is a board member of Cromwell Place and works between London and the East Neuk of Fife.
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