Yana Peel plans deeper engagement between London’s Serpentine Galleries and Asia
Yana Peel’s connections to Hong Kong may presage a bigger involvement of the London-based Serpentine Galleries in Asia
“I’m definitely a techno-optimist,” Yana Peel abruptly says. “I’m just incredibly excited about the opportunities that will require us to think in new ways. I’m excited about the possibility of machines and humans across different industries.”
A jarring statement from an art gallery CEO, but an apt one coming from Yana Peel, a well-noted champion of technology and debate.
Aside from her full-time duties at Serpentine Galleries, Peel still heads up Intelligence Squared, Outset Contemporary Art Fund and sits on various boards, including that of Hong Kong’s Para Site.
Famous names from art and beyond peppered the conversation – Hans Ulrich Obrist, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Bloomberg and the late Zaha Hadid. It was Bloomberg who, as chair of Serpentine’s board, invited Peel to join the Serpentine board many years ago. “My relationship with the Serpentine has spanned 15 years as a supporter and friend. Two years ago, I was invited to the ‘hot’ seat,” Peel beams with pride. And is the seat still hot? “Oh yes, very hot.”
In typical British fashion, we start talking about the weather. “I missed the four seasons. In Hong Kong, you have hot, wet, wet and wet,” laughs Peel, who lives in Bayswater with her husband, Stephen Peel, and their two kids. In a way, the move to London was a homecoming of sorts for Peel.
A daughter of Russian immigrants, Yana Peel comes from a long line of high achievers – or survivors. One of her grandmothers made it through the Siege of Leningrad, while the other became the first female law student in the city. She grew up immersed in Russian culture and studied Russian literature at McGill University in Toronto.
