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Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

Parcels thrown at gates. Jobs quietly disappearing. A country mistaking the performance of success for the substance of a good life.
open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#futureofwork #aiandculture #britishlife #artandwork #aspiration #blackbirdrook

December 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

I’m trying to make sense of what happens when the political centre caves in - and what that does to art.

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

#contemporaryart #artandpolitics #populism #brexit #culturewars #artcriticism #blackbirdrook #artcollecting #artworld #ukpolitics

December 8, 2025 at 4:59 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

Collecting Contemporary Art ebook – a record of early Blackbird Rook placements and the conversations between artist, collector and advisor that shaped them.
blackbirdrook.com/store?catego...

#collectingcontemporaryart #contemporaryart #artadvisor #artadvisory #artcollecting #artcollector

December 4, 2025 at 4:32 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

This week’s piece looks at the uncanny - not the gothic, but the quiet wrongness threaded through contemporary life.

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

#contemporaryart #artwriting #artcollector #blackbirdrook #uncanny #davidlynch #strangerthings #parasite #midsommar #artworld #collectingart

December 1, 2025 at 9:39 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

Bump in the Night - curated by Nicola Bealing for Blackbird Rook.

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

#contemparyart #bumpinthenight #contemporarypainting

November 27, 2025 at 8:40 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

Outside the Studio teaches legibility, momentum, pricing without self-sabotage. It’s the unwritten curriculum every artist needs once the work leaves the room.
open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#artistguide #professionalpractice #contemporaryart #studiolife #emergingartist #artcareer

November 25, 2025 at 12:39 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

Outside the Studio asks what really happens when the work leaves the studio. I’ve put near thirty years of practice into a clear, practical guide. Read it here:

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

#professionalpractice #artcareer #contemporaryart #blackbirdrook #studiopractice

November 24, 2025 at 9:31 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

Private view - Tuesday 18th, 6–8pm at General Assembly, 12 St George Street, Mayfair.

What Remains of the Day - Marilyn Hallam and Ellie McGarry In Dialogue

Email [email protected] to confirm attendance.

#marilynhallam #elliemcgarry #generalassemblygallery

November 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

I’ve been thinking about how much of the art world now resembles luxury retail. Have a look and tell me if I’ve pushed it too far, or not far enough.
open.substack.com/pub/blackbir...

#artadvisory #blackbirdrook #diaryofanartadvisor #contemporaryart #artmarket #artcollecting #artcollector

November 17, 2025 at 10:39 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

What Remains of the Day.

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

#BlackbirdRook #MarilynHallam #EllieMacGarry #InDialogue #GeneralAssembly #WoolwichContemporaryPrintFair #PatrickDaviesContemporaryArt #LiamFallon #JimCheatle #PeterLamb #JoelWerring #EdmondBrooksBeckman #JohnVirtue #GillianGarnica

November 11, 2025 at 9:40 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

The Collector’s Guide to Contemporary Art - Part Two
If you’d like to read Part Two in full, subscribe to Blackbird Rook Substack.

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

#contemporaryart #collectingart #artcollection

November 3, 2025 at 1:42 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

The Long Life of a Painting - How to See a Century Ahead. What makes a painting last?

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

#BlackbirdRook #DiaryOfAnArtAdvisor #ArtAdvisory #ArtCollecting #ContemporaryArt #Painting #ArtMarket #ArtInvesting #ArtHistory #Caravaggio #Manet #CollectorsGuide

October 28, 2025 at 8:34 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

October 21, 2025 at 1:58 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

October 14, 2025 at 11:29 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

October 7, 2025 at 3:42 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

October 2, 2025 at 6:56 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

October 1, 2025 at 7:04 PM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

October 1, 2025 at 6:51 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

September 30, 2025 at 10:29 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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

September 26, 2025 at 8:56 AM

Blackbird Rook

@blackbirdrook.bsky.social

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