What are you up to now? Lee Cavaliere

Meet Lee, the Fine Art grad who traded the Brampton Road studio armchair for a jet-setting career as the Artistic Director of the VOLTA Art Fair. From dodging "proper work" after graduation to visiting 20 countries last year alone, Lee’s life today is a whirlwind of international travel, sci-fi obsession, and DIY T-shirt printing. 

Now based in London with partner Yves, Lee balances a busy global art career with a treadmill desk and a strict "no bulls**t" attitude to the art world. Read on for memories of loud Cumbrian death metal, why art is actually about the boring stuff, and the hilarious piece of advice Lee would give to his student self! 

What do you miss most about being a student? 

The community, it was nice to be in Carlisle, it's a small city and everyone was maximum a 20-minute walk away. I enjoyed the opportunity to concentrate fully on projects and let the mind run free. 

What was your favourite place on campus? 

The armchair in our studio. 

How does your life now compare to what your 21-year-old self imagined? 

Weirdly, I think I always had in mind to work in the commercial art sector, as a gallery director/curator. I've done those things now, and worked in museums as well, so the natural progression is working with art fairs. 

What’s the most useful thing you learnt at uni you still use today? 

Be curious and keep it simple. As my tutor Robert Williams told me in one of our first tutorials: 'art is about the finding out. It's often about the 'boring stuff'. Basically, don't try to be so profound and pretentious! 

What’s the one song that takes you back to uni days? 

Probably some awful death metal nonsense from a band from Cockermouth. 

Current job title 

Artistic Director, VOLTA Art Fair 

Briefly explain what you do in your job... 

I direct an international art fair in Basel. We have 78 galleries coming from over 30 different countries, showing artists from all over the world. We have a talks programme, tours, etc and it's a big event. I have oversight of all aspects of the fair, I choose the galleries and help them select the work to show, deal with the layout and curation, and work on programming and publicity with the Operations and Marketing managers. We are a small team, and they're all amazing at what they do! 

What does a typical day look like? 

It depends, I have a lot of different hats to wear. Much of the work is talking with galleries, getting to know them and their artists, figuring out how to bring everything together. I travel to art fairs and events all over the world to meet new galleries, discover new work and talk with potential partners and sponsors.  
 
At the moment it's a lot of desk work, so I have a standing desk with a treadmill! 

How did you get from graduation to where you are today? 

I had a stubborn reluctance to go into 'proper' work for years after college, so did a lot of part-time and self-driven stuff including curating shows, residency programmes, spates in the film and music industry, and a lot of travel (pretentiously I called these ‘mobile residencies’, and they included places like the US, North Africa and Xinjiang, North West China). Making a living in the arts is not easy, and even at Tate (a national art gallery in London) I was not earning enough really. But the experience was incredibly useful and I worked with many of my art world heroes to bring their work to life.  
 
My job now involves all the things I enjoy, working with artists and galleries to bring things together, coordinating large-scale shows, and a LOT of travel (20 countries last year...!). 

What are you currently reading, watching, or obsessed with? 

I always have a load of books on the go at once but my current favourite is 'Around the World in 80 Trains' by Monisha Rajesh. I love a travel book and this one is just brilliant. Otherwise, obsessions still include a frankly embarrassing amount of sci fi. I print my own T-shirts. Seriously. 

Give us your Cumbria top tips... 

I do visit Cumbria whenever I can, I love the Lakes and lived in Borrowdale for a bit. I can recommend the bar of the Mary Mount Hotel in Borrowdale for a wonderful garden on the Lake. 

What's your idea of a great weekend? 

Ideally it involves a lot of time outside, walking in woods and getting a big pub lunch. I am trying not to let travel impose on the weekends, as it has a habit of doing, particularly long-haul. I try to be lazy and catch up with friends. 

What are you most proud of? 

I think the work I've done and the life I've chosen for myself have helped me develop into someone who is actually useful for the art world. I understand the market, the international pressures on artists and galleries, and have a bulls**t-free attitude that people like and which helps them. I think I had all my pretentious language and insecurity burned out of me in the fires of working in museums and commercial art galleries. It's a community, not a competition, and I feel I'm good at bringing people together and initiating lasting connections. 

What words of wisdom would you give your student self? 

Get a haircut. 

Find out more about Lee’s work here: www.voltaartfairs.com 

Follow Lee on Instagram HERE.