Behind Almost Seen: The Conversation That Shaped the Collaboration
When we experience an exhibition, we usually encounter the finished work.
We see the artworks, read the curatorial note and perhaps attend a conversation with the artists. But there is a whole process that happens before an exhibition reaches us. There are conversations, ideas, decisions, unexpected turns and, sometimes, a lot of figuring things out along the way.
Our recent Almost Seen session offered a glimpse into that process.
Instead of focusing only on the finished exhibition, we brought together its two curators, Vikas Garg of Artlune and Princess Ifedolapo Onikoyi of ArtFroFest, to talk about how the collaboration began, why they chose to work together and what they discovered along the way.
It started with a shared belief in artists
Artlune and ArtFroFest come from different geographical and cultural contexts, but there is common ground in why they work with artists.
Princess spoke about ArtFroFest's work with African and diaspora artists and the importance of creating greater visibility, access and career opportunities. Supporting artists, for her, also means helping them find ways to sustain their creative practice.
Vikas' experience with Artlune began from a similar concern.
After studying fine art, he saw first-hand how difficult it could be for artists to find opportunities. He also watched friends move away from their artistic practices and into corporate jobs because they needed financial stability.
That experience became part of the foundation for Artlune.
As the conversation developed, one idea stood out: talent isn't necessarily the problem. The support around that talent often is.
As Vikas put it, there is "no shortage of talent", but there is a shortage of the infrastructure around it: access, context, trust, opportunities and encouragement.
From a LinkedIn message to a real collaboration
So, how did Artlune and ArtFroFest actually meet?
It started rather simply.
Vikas reached out to Princess on LinkedIn. They began talking, realised they had similar ways of thinking and decided to meet when Vikas was in Paris.
Their first meeting happened on a rainy day while Princess was preparing for another event. What was meant to be a relatively short meeting turned into a much longer conversation.
They discovered that although they were working from different parts of the world, they were thinking about many of the same things.
Eventually, the question became: what could they create together?
Why these two artists?
The initial idea was to bring artists from the two organisations into conversation.
But there was no intention to find two artists who looked or worked exactly alike.
In fact, Vikas wanted the opposite.
He spoke about how exhibitions can sometimes bring together artists working on similar themes, creating what he described as an "echo". Different works can end up repeating the same ideas.
For Almost Seen, the aim was to see what could happen when two very different practices were placed alongside one another.
That led to Sheli Gupta and Diafrel.
Sheli's work explores female subjectivity, vulnerability, memory, desire and identity. Diafrel works with reclaimed and discarded materials and engages with ecological concerns.
Their practices are different. Their materials are different. Their starting points are different.
And that difference is precisely what makes their conversation interesting.
The collaboration wasn't trying to make the two practices look the same. It was about seeing what connections could emerge between them.
The exhibition developed through conversation
Interestingly, Almost Seen wasn't completely defined from the beginning.
Some of the initial ideas didn't quite fit both artists' practices. Instead of forcing the original direction, Vikas and Princess continued talking, questioning and refining the idea.
With every conversation, they gained more clarity about what they were actually trying to create.
Princess also described the exhibition as something that can be approached through different lenses — through material, story and the artist's vision.
There isn't necessarily one straight path through the exhibition.
You can look at the materials. You can think about the stories. You can consider the artists' different contexts. And you may notice something different each time.
What happens when collaboration isn't the difficult part?
We also asked about the challenges of working together. Interestingly, the biggest challenge wasn't disagreement. It was timing.
Both Vikas and Princess had other projects, exhibitions and responsibilities happening at the same time. Responses sometimes took time, and meetings had to work around busy schedules.
But there was an important element of trust.
They understood that a delayed response didn't mean a lack of commitment. Both already knew they were working towards the same goal.
For Vikas, one of the things he valued most was Princess's dedication to what she does. When there is genuine passion, patience and commitment behind the work, collaboration becomes much easier.
It also brought up an important point: enthusiasm may help you start something, but persistence and discipline are what help you carry it through.
Collaboration can open doors you can't open alone
The conversation eventually moved beyond Almost Seen.
For Princess, the collaboration was also a step towards creating stronger connections across the Global South.
It opened possibilities for artists and audiences to encounter work from different geographical and cultural contexts.
For Vikas, this could be the beginning of a longer exchange between artists, audiences and collectors across regions.
And perhaps that is one of the most valuable things a collaboration can do. It can take you somewhere you may not have reached alone.
An artist can encounter a new audience. A collector can discover a practice from another region. An organisation can learn from another way of working.
The exhibition becomes one part of a much larger exchange.
Can virtual spaces make art more accessible?
Towards the end of the conversation, the audience raised another important question: does experiencing art virtually feel different from experiencing it physically?
Both agreed that seeing art in person has its own value. But they also highlighted what virtual spaces can make possible.
For someone who feels uncomfortable walking into a gallery, a virtual exhibition can provide a gentler starting point.
You can explore from home. You can take your time. You can read, watch, listen and learn without feeling that you need to already understand the art world.
Princess described this as a way for people to gradually build their curiosity and confidence.
Vikas added that digital spaces can reduce some of the accessibility barriers created by geography and physical spaces.
Virtual experiences don't necessarily have to replace physical ones.
They can simply give people another way in.
And perhaps that brings us back to Almost Seen
Towards the end of the session, Princess shared a simple thought about the exhibition:
"What you see is not always what you think it is."
Vikas built on that idea, reminding us that there is often something underneath what we immediately see.
Perhaps that is also what this collaboration was trying to create.
Not an exhibition where everything is explained immediately, but one that encourages us to slow down and look again.
To notice the differences between two artistic practices.
To think about what gets overlooked.
To consider what remains hidden, whether it is a material, a feeling, an experience or an idea.
And sometimes, when we take that extra moment to look, we begin to see something that was there all along.
That is perhaps the real story behind Almost Seen: not just two artists brought together for an exhibition, but two organisations finding common ground across different contexts and creating a space for new conversations to begin.
Almost Seen is currently available to explore online, with the exhibition running until 13 September 2026.
Visit the exhibition here
