Art, Media, and the Evolution of Cultural Dialogue
Through Culturalee, Lee Sharrock has established a distinctive voice within contemporary cultural journalism, one that moves fluidly between art, fashion, film, performance and wider creative discourse. With a career spanning institutions including Institute of Contemporary Arts, leading galleries, international advertising agencies and independent publishing, Sharrock brings a uniquely layered perspective to the evolving relationship between artists, media and public visibility. Her work combines critical insight with genuine curiosity, shaped by decades spent navigating both the commercial and fine art worlds.
As founder and editor of Culturalee, Sharrock has created a platform that resists narrow categorisation, instead embracing an international and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary culture. From the Venice Biennale to conversations surrounding emerging artists, global exhibitions and cross-cultural exchange, her writing consistently reflects an understanding of creativity as something borderless, collaborative and constantly evolving.
In this conversation with The FLUX Review, Lee Sharrock reflects on her journey through the art world, the founding vision behind Culturalee, the changing dynamics between artists and media, and why independent cultural platforms remain vital spaces for discovery, experimentation and meaningful artistic dialogue.
For more information, visit culturalee.art
Can you tell us about your journey into the art world and how your experience across journalism, curation, PR, and creative communications has shaped your perspective today?
My journey has been a long and eventful one, which started off in my birthplace of Norwich as a student studying art foundation, with ambitions to become an artist. At school I was always praised for my talents as an artist and winning art prizes, which left me full of confidence when I started my art foundation course. However, my love of drawing and painting was deemed to be too traditional and ‘unoriginal’ at art school, during a period when conceptual art was King. So I felt a bit deflated by the experience, and after graduating from the course, I decided I wasn’t talented enough to make it as an artist.
So I went to University College London (UCL), where I studied History of Art & Italian, and also spent a year in Italy studying History of art, cinema and architecture at Bologna University. During my time in Italy, I fell in amorato with art, as the experience of seeing so many incredible artworks and buildings in the flesh was unforgettable.
After graduating I got a job at Sotheby’s in the wine department for a few months (and learned a lot about the art of wine from the formidable Serena Sutcliffe) before finding an administrative role in the 19th Century European Paintings department, which taught me so much about the way an auction house functions. The next stage of my career was a mixture of art world and advertising roles.
I went on to work at the ICA as Executive assistant to the director, after applying for an advert in The Guardian, quickly learning that I wasn’t a great PA, as I was more interested in meeting the artists and musicians who were exhibiting and performing at the ICA, but I was good at dealing with artists and VIPs! So I ended up with a role of Special Project Manager and Exec PA, working on some epic events and exhibitions, including Yoko Ono’s ‘Odyssey of a Cockroach’, the Pet Shop Boys performance of Battleship Potemkin in Trafalgar Square and Beck’s Futures.
Later on in my career I was a gallery manager at a small gallery called Laurent Delaye on Savile Row, where I worked with Grayson Perry before he won the Turner Prize and got snapped up by Victoria Miro, and I worked at Timothy Taylor Gallery, starting off front of house and ending up doing the PR for exhibitions with some incredible artists including the formidable Bridget Riley (a truly inspiring woman and incredible artist) and Fiona Rae.
I was captivated by the art world but the pay was terrible, and I was tempted into advertising by the possibility of earning a much better salary, and the idea of working in a glamorous industry. I spent 7 years at Saatchi & Saatchi as Head of Global Creative PR, which involved PR of the New Directors’ Showcase in Cannes, and orchestrating PR campaigns for Saatchi agencies around the world. After that I went freelance and began writing, curating and promoting artists and galleries.
You are the founder and editor of Culturalee. What inspired you to create the platform, and what gap did you feel was missing in contemporary arts coverage?
I wanted to become recognised as an arts writer and began writing for established platforms such as FAD and Artlyst. It was a great way to have my writing published and to attend press previews of major art exhibitions. After writing a lot of articles for free, for websites run by male editors, I decided it was time for a new arts and culture platform founded and edited by a woman. And I wanted to own my content and decide on the editorial direction.
With Culturalee my aim is to spotlight a variety of art forms, not only fine art, photography and sculpture, but also theatre, film, dance, fashion, food, music, literature and creativity in general. Coming from Saatchi & Saatchi I realised there was a snobbery about arts platforms featuring creative directors or creatives from the ad world. There has always been a link between art and advertising, and many iconic artists – from Dali to Warhol – also create advertising or studied at art school. I feel that there are many different kinds of creativity, from drawing, painting and sculpting, to copywriting or graphic design, writing, culinary art and the art of fashion. I try to celebrate multiple disciplines and talents through Culturalee.
Culturalee places strong emphasis on global cultural dialogue rather than a solely London-centric perspective. Why was that international outlook so important to you from the beginning?
Having travelled extensively as a writer, curator and PR, and lived in Italy when I was at university, I’ve always believed that creativity transcends borders. London is an extraordinary cultural capital, but contemporary culture is shaped by conversations happening all over the world – from Venice and São Paulo to Seoul, Paris, Lagos and Marrakech.
I wanted Culturalee to reflect that wider perspective and to avoid becoming insular. Art and culture are increasingly interconnected internationally, and artists today are often influenced by multiple cultural identities and experiences.
Through travel, biennials and international collaborations, I’ve seen how important cross-cultural exchange is in shaping new ideas and artistic movements. I also think audiences are curious and globally minded now. They want to discover artists, designers, filmmakers and thinkers beyond the traditional centres of the art world.
Having written for publications including Forbes, Artlyst, FAD Magazine, and Creative Review, how does your approach differ when writing for your own platform versus established publications?
When writing for established publications, there is naturally a particular editorial framework, audience and tone to consider, which can actually be very useful as a discipline. Writing for Forbes, for example, often required a broader cultural and business context and an international view. Whereas FAD magazine, for example, has a strong emphasis on visual culture.
With Culturalee, I have much greater creative freedom. I can champion emerging voices alongside internationally recognised names, and I can also explore subjects that sit between disciplines. Plus I can cover all kinds of culture on my own platform – from art, design and photography to music, film, festivals, books, theatre and food. Creative excellence in any of these areas is an art form that should be celebrated.
I’m interested in storytelling and personality as much as criticism, so my interviews tend to be conversational and human rather than overly academic. Having my own platform also allows me to respond quickly to cultural moments or to spotlight artists and creatives simply because I genuinely believe in what they are doing.
As both a curator and a writer, how do you balance critical distance with championing artists and creative talent you genuinely believe in?
I think it’s important to maintain integrity and honesty while also recognising that criticism does not have to be negative to be meaningful. My role is often to contextualise and illuminate an artist’s work rather than to be deliberately adversarial.
As someone who works closely with artists, I understand the vulnerability involved in making creative work public. At the same time, I believe audiences appreciate thoughtful analysis rather than empty praise. I try to approach every project with curiosity and openness, asking whether the work says something authentic, challenges perceptions or creates an emotional response.
Ultimately, I tend to champion artists whose work resonates with me intellectually or emotionally, but I always try to remain balanced and considered in how I write about them.
What qualities do you look for when deciding which artists, exhibitions, or creative projects to spotlight through your writing or curatorial work?
Originality and authenticity are very important to me. I’m drawn to artists and creatives who have a distinctive voice or perspective rather than simply following trends. I’m also interested in people who are deeply committed to their practice and who have something meaningful to communicate, whether politically, emotionally or aesthetically. Sometimes it’s an extraordinary technical ability that captures my attention, and at other times it’s an idea or concept that feels urgent and relevant to contemporary culture.
I also enjoy spotlighting interdisciplinary creatives because I think some of the most exciting innovation happens at the intersection of different fields.
You often travel internationally to cover biennials, exhibitions, and cultural destinations. How does travel influence your curatorial eye and understanding of contemporary culture?
Travel is enormously inspiring because it constantly shifts your perspective. Seeing art within different social, political and architectural contexts changes how you interpret it. Biennials in particular are fascinating because they often reflect the concerns and tensions of a specific moment in time, whether around identity, climate change, migration or technology.
Visiting the Venice Biennale for the Vernissage days recently reinforced my belief that the art world is the last space that allows freedom of speech and voices form all over the world to express themselves in response to social, Cultural, political or environmental issues.
Travelling also reminds you that there is no single narrative within contemporary art. Different regions have entirely different artistic histories, priorities and aesthetics. Experiencing new places, food, languages and traditions inevitably feeds into how I think about creativity and storytelling. It keeps my perspective fresh and prevents me from becoming too fixed in one particular viewpoint.
In your view, how has the relationship between artists, media, and public visibility changed over the past decade?
Social media and digital platforms have transformed visibility completely. Artists no longer have to rely solely on galleries, critics or institutions to build an audience, which has democratised access in many ways.
At the same time, the pressure to constantly produce content and maintain an online presence can be exhausting and distracting for artists. Visibility has become tied to algorithms and attention spans, which can sometimes prioritise spectacle over substance.
I also think audiences now want greater access to artists’ personalities and processes, not just the finished work. Interviews, studio visits and behind-the-scenes content have become increasingly important in shaping public engagement.
Many emerging artists struggle with visibility and positioning. What advice would you give artists trying to build meaningful presence rather than simply chasing exposure?
I would encourage artists to focus first on developing a strong and authentic body of work rather than becoming overly consumed by social media metrics or trends. Visibility without substance rarely has longevity.
It’s also important to build genuine relationships within the creative community – with curators, writers, fellow artists and collectors – rather than viewing everything transactionally. Some of the most meaningful opportunities emerge organically through conversations and collaborations.
Patience is essential as well. Careers in the arts are rarely linear, and success often arrives gradually over time through persistence and consistency.
You have worked across both the commercial and fine art worlds. Do you think the boundaries between these spaces are becoming more fluid?
Absolutely. Those boundaries have been dissolving for quite some time. Luxury brands increasingly collaborate with artists – look at Yinka Ilori’s recent collaboration with Veuve Clicquot at Design Week Milan as an example – while many artists embrace commercial partnerships without seeing them as compromising their integrity.
Historically, art and commerce have always been interconnected to some extent. Artists from Dali to Warhol and Damien Hirst understood the power of branding and media visibility. What has changed is that there is now far less stigma attached to moving between creative industries.
I think younger generations are also much more comfortable working across multiple disciplines and platforms simultaneously.
What role do you believe independent platforms like Culturalee and The FLUX Review play in supporting the next generation of artists and cultural thinkers?
Independent platforms are incredibly important because they can take risks and champion voices that larger institutions or mainstream publications may overlook. They often provide early visibility for emerging artists and create space for experimentation and dialogue.
They also help diversify cultural conversations by offering alternative perspectives and editorial independence. In a media landscape increasingly driven by algorithms and commercial pressures, independent platforms can still prioritise passion, curiosity and discovery.
Are there particular artists, movements, or conversations happening right now that you feel deserve far more attention?
I think there are many exciting conversations happening around interdisciplinary practice, particularly artists working between digital culture, film, performance, fashion and installation.
I’m also very interested in artists exploring themes of identity, ecology, society and technology in nuanced ways, rather than simply reacting to trends. There are incredible artists emerging from regions that have historically been underrepresented in the Western art world, and I think we are beginning to see a broader and more inclusive cultural dialogue emerge internationally.
At the same time, I believe craft and technical mastery deserve renewed appreciation alongside conceptual innovation.
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about – whether for Culturalee, your curatorial projects, or the wider cultural landscape?
I’m excited about continuing to expand Culturalee internationally and developing more collaborations across art, fashion, film and creative industries. I have invited a few writers to contribute pieces about Venice Biennale, as I am keen to spotlight new voices. I’m also increasingly interested in curating projects that bring together multiple disciplines and encourage unexpected conversations.
More broadly, I think we are entering a fascinating cultural period where traditional boundaries between mediums are disappearing. Artists and creatives are experimenting in entirely new ways, often combining physical and digital experiences, and audiences are becoming more open to immersive and interdisciplinary forms of storytelling.
For me, the most exciting aspect of culture is its constant evolution – there is always something new to discover, question or celebrate.
