Author | Lightnews

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 4d

Sharing in my newsletter this week, the latest instalment of my Agony Art column for Plaster Magazine.

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#BlackbirdRook #PlasterMagazine #AgonyArt #ArtWorld #PerformanceArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtWriting #ArtCriticism #ArtAdvice #CollectingArt #ArtCollector

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 11d

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

The Art of the Con: Selling “Investment” Art

The Diary of an Art Advisor

open.substack.com

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 11d

Behind the glossy façade of “investment galleries” lies an industry of illusion - where décor masquerades as art, auction results are staged, and collectors are sold stories instead of substance.

blackbirdrook.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

#ArtMarket
#ArtAdvisor
#ContemporaryArt
#CollectingArt

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 18d

What’s really going on inside an artist’s head when the studio door closes?

blackbirdrook.substack.com/p/inside-the...

#ArtAdvisory #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollectors #ArtistsProcess #StudioLife #ArtWriting #PaintingToday #ArtMarket #ArtThinking #BehindTheCanvas #ModernPainting #BlackbirdRook

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 23d

artadvisorygroupltd.com/aag-course/

AAG Course

artadvisorygroupltd.com

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 24d

Professional practice isn’t an optional extra, it’s part of sustaining a life in art. This 4-part online course helps artists demystify the art world. How to get your work seen and build a career.
[email protected]
#ArtWorld #contemporaryart #ProfessionalPractice #ArtistSupport

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 24d

From her studio window, Fiona Finnegan returns again and again to the outline of Black Mountain, its form shifting beneath cloud and light.

www.artsy.net/viewing-room...

#BlackMountain #ArtCollectors #ContemporaryPainting #FionaFinnegan #DreamlikeArt #StudioView

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 25d

For those interested in collecting art, this Masterclass Guide lays out how to build a serious collection.
It’s an exhaustive look at the process, along with risk tiers, pricing clarity, case studies, and practical tools.
blackbirdrook.substack.com/p/behind-the...

#collectors #contemporaryart

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · 26d

Ever read an art press release and felt your brain whisper “really?”

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#ArtWorld #PressRelease #ContemporaryArt #ArtAdvisor #ArtMarket #GalleryLife #ArtCollecting #ArtCriticism #ArtLingo #RedFlags #SoftGrip #BlackbirdRook

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 26

Patrick Davies + Blackbird Rook will be showing at Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair (13-16 Nov) 2025.
Get 25% off tickets now
woolwichcontemporaryprintfair.artsvp.com/120487?link=...

#WCPF25 #WoolwichContemporaryPrintFair #ContemporaryPrintmaking #LimitedEditionPrints #patrickdavies #BlackbirdRook

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 23

Being an artist isn’t about inspiration - it’s about persistence. The Bear gets this right: failure, chaos, recalibration, the joy when it works. Read the new Blackbird Rook newsletter.
blackbirdrook.substack.com/p/being-an-a...
#BlackbirdRook #TheBear #ArtLife #StudioNotes #CreativeProcess

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 16

For years I’ve been asked the same question: how do you know what to buy?
The answer isn’t a single tip, it’s a method. My new long-form guide lays that method out - the tools I use daily with collectors. The guide is now live for subscribers on Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

Behind-the-Scenes: How I Curate for Collectors

The Diary of an Art Advisor - Blackbird Rook (Paid Edition)

open.substack.com

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 16

The Death of the Plot?
Has contemporary art traded story for vibe?

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#BlackbirdRook #DiaryOfAnArtAdvisor #ArtAndContent #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollectors #ArtWriting #ArtWorld #ArtDebate #NarrativeArt #ArtAsVibe #ArtAdvisor #ArtMarket

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 15

Messy Proofs - a Viewing Room

#MessyProofs #LucyStein #MattSheridanSmith #PrzemekMatecki #JanRattia #BiancaBeck #MichaelaMeise #JeraldIeans #CarloDAnselmi #CarlaSantana #ContemporaryArt #ArtExhibition

www.artsy.net/viewing-room...

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 11

Blackbird Rook presents…
FIONA FINNEGAN
Last Days of Summer
September 11 – October 22, 2025

www.artsy.net/show/blackbi...

#FionaFinnegan #LastDaysOfSummer #BlackbirdRook #ContemporaryPainting #ContemporaryArt #ArtExhibition #NewExhibition #horror #FolkHorror #Cinematic

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 10

Coming soon…

#FionaFinnegan #LastDaysOfSummer #BlackbirdRook #ContemporaryPainting #ContemporaryArt #ArtExhibition #NewExhibition #horror #FolkHorror #Cinematic

open.spotify.com/playlist/2FE...

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 9

Tangled in the art world from every angle, I found myself asking: who first pulled me into contemporary art?

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#BlackbirdRook #ArtCollecting #ContemporaryArt #PhilipGuston #EllenBerkenblit #FionaFinnegan #ArtWorld

Not That Kind of Animal

The Diary of an Art Advisor

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Blackbird Rook

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 2

Behind the Scenes: How I Curate for Collectors.
A paid Masterclass.
Access. Balance. Context. Case studies. Real strategies.
Subscribe to the Substack here:
open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#BlackbirdRook #ArtAdvisory #CollectingArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtAdvising #Substack #ArtCollector

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 8

The art world feels opaque. This course makes it clear.
4 Zoom sessions with AAG and Blackbird Rook (Oct–Nov) on pricing, pitching, opportunities.
£200 + VAT. Limited spaces.
👉 [email protected]
#contemporaryart

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 3

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#BlackbirdRook #ArtAdvisory #CollectingArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtAdvising #Substack #ArtCollector

Behind-the-Scenes: How I Curate for Collectors

The Diary of an Art Advisor - Blackbird Rook (Paid Edition)

open.substack.com

1

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Sep 2

Behind the Scenes: How I Curate for Collectors.
A paid Masterclass.
Access. Balance. Context. Case studies. Real strategies.
Subscribe to the Substack here:
open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#BlackbirdRook #ArtAdvisory #CollectingArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtAdvising #Substack #ArtCollector

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Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Aug 31

The last few days of MAGPIE’S EYE - curated by Laura Bygrave and Alex Crocker
Viewing by appointment.
www.artsy.net/show/blackbi...
#LauraBygrave #ColourBlindPaintingWorkshop #AlexCrocker #grantfoster #DidoHallett #AdamHolmesDavies #PaulHousey #MollyMartin #TahminaNegmat #LauraWormell

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Aug 25

Two TV shows in 1970s Britain imagined collapse in utterly different ways: The Good Life turned it into comedy and lifestyle choice; Survivors into ordeal and necessity.

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#collapse #utopia #dystopia #thegoodlife #survivors #pastpotentialfutures #blackbirdrook

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Aug 23

Alison Blickle’s Cult of Artemis is a pivotal tondo where myth, ritual & contemporary femininity converge. Two women appear mid-ceremony, skin inscribed - bodies as sacred manuscripts.
www.artsy.net/show/blackbi...

#AlisonBlickle #CultOfArtemis #AnatomiaHumanaII #ContemporaryPainting

Blackbird Rook @blackbirdrook.bsky.social · Aug 18

Once, “good taste” meant a polite painting above the mantle. Today, the centre of gravity has shifted.

open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#EastMeetsWest #NextGenCollectors #CulturalShift #KCulture #ArtWorld #GlobalStyle #NextGenCulture #KDrama #Manga #GlobalCollectors #FutureCulture