The event took place within the elegant setting of the Marina Rinaldi Townhouse, with the remarkable support of Diletta Bettarini, Regional Manager of Marina Rinaldi (Max Mara), whose involvement lent the evening a distinctive atmosphere – one that moved effortlessly between fashion, art, and contemporary culture. The format was intentionally personal: no stage, no formal divide between speakers and audience. Instead, the evening unfolded as a living, almost personal conversation.

Among the participants were the British multidisciplinary artist Maya Bansal and art collector Barbara Harris, former Director of Elle Asia and designer of sculptural gemstone jewellery. The discussion was moderated by Angelina Cebotari, Director of MA Gallery London and contemporary art advisor. Together, they explored the nature of art, the emotional relationship between viewer and artwork, the intuition of the collector, and the importance of supporting emerging artists.

One of the evening’s central themes was the idea that art should, above all, evoke feeling rather than be viewed solely as an investment. At a time when the contemporary art market is increasingly treated as extension of the financial industry, the conversation repeatedly returned to the deeply personal experience of engaging with art.

“I do not want to look at art in the same way I look at stocks or securities,” Barbara Harris admitted. “To me, that feels like a very sad way of seeing it.”

Barbara described collecting as an intuitive and profoundly personal process. For her, the essential question is never whether a work suits an interior or aligns with market trends. “I would rather throw away a sofa and buy a new one than give up a work I feel connected to,” she remarked. Art, for Barbara, becomes part of everyday life almost in the same way as human relationships: “Someone may be extraordinary, but could you live with them for twenty or thirty years? For me, living with art is exactly the same.”

Particularly moving was Barbara Harris’s reflection on artworks that become part of one’s emotional landscape and private world: “I wake up in the morning, see those two little rabbits from my bed, and immediately know the day will be a good one.”

The conversation also touched on the responsibility collectors hold towards emerging artists. After all, every celebrated artist was once unknown. “An artist’s first recognition begins with one person saying, ‘I’m buying this because I love it,’” Barbara Harris observed.

It was precisely this form of patronage, the speakers noted, that has allowed art to flourish throughout history. Supporting young artists was described not merely as an act of collecting, but as a form of cultural care.

Maya Bansal spoke about artistic vulnerability, experimentation, and the relationship between material and emotion in contemporary art. Her multidisciplinary practice reflects a broader movement in which the boundaries between art, fashion, sculpture, and design are gradually dissolving.

Particularly compelling was the discussion around metal and sculptural form. A material traditionally associated with coldness and industrial rigidity becomes, in the artist’s hands, delicate, emotional, almost alive. This tension between strength and fragility emerged as one of the evening’s defining visual and philosophical threads.

The speakers also highlighted curiosity as an essential part of engaging with art. “If something genuinely interests you, pursue it wholeheartedly,” Barbara said. “Visit exhibitions, attend fairs, discover new artists. That is how a personal perspective is formed.” The participants agreed that truly meaningful collections are born not from calculation, but from emotional resonance, sustained curiosity, and an ongoing inner dialogue with art itself.

Guests of the evening received exclusive gifts, including designer scarves by the digital artist VitaliV created for the event, as well as cosmetics by Almora Botanical. Bespoke cocktails and delicacies were specially made for the occasion by Luisa Ingoglia, Ingenio Business.

Ultimately, the evening became a reflection on the many ways women are reshaping contemporary art today – through creation, collecting, patronage, and the formation of new cultural spaces.

Photos by Maria Russu