In Conversation with Olga Ferrères, Founder of VOLOO

Based in Singapore, she is the founder of VOLOO — a nomadic art advisory and pop-up gallery that connects Eastern European voices with the Asian art market. Through her exhibitions, Ferrères creates encounters that move beyond commerce, offering intellectual and emotional dialogues between traditions, geographies, and audiences. From presenting bold figurative works at Art Central Hong Kong to introducing Asian collectors to the depth of European practices, her work consistently expands the cultural vocabulary of the art world.

ArtDependence (AD): You are a founder of VOLOO, a nomadic art advisory and pop-up gallery. Can you tell us more about the gallery and the concept behind it?

Olga Ferrères (OF): VOLOO grew out of a desire to build communities around contemporary art without the constraints of a fixed location. The nomadic format allows me to create spaces that respond to context. It also reflects the way I work in Singapore, where I have hosted more than fifty public talks, built new partnerships, and developed formats that make art accessible without simplifying it. VOLOO operates at the intersection of education, curation, and cultural conversation. We don’t place people in front of a white wall hoping they understand we bring them into the dialogue.

AD: Your journey from Moscow to Singapore is quite a shift. How has this multicultural experience shaped your curatorial practice?

OF: The shift reshaped my entire practice. In Moscow I had a long, documented career that included a Forbes award, an intellectual club, many projects in art and philanthropy, museum exhibitions, and wide media coverage. In Singapore, I rebuilt my community in a new cultural environment. The result is a curatorial language that bridges Eastern and Western perspectives at a moment when this dialogue is culturally urgent. I work with the idea that understanding the classical foundations of both traditions makes contemporary art significantly more accessible.

AD: What was the turning point to adapting to Asian visual culture? 

OF: I come from europicentric educational system and my BA in fine arts mainly focused on western art, so my journey here in Singapore started with a shock. I walked into an international gallery and saw, next to Ai Weiwei and Yves Klein, a very commercial, decorative work with Chinese calligraphy on top of Red dragons - the kind of artwork displayed to pay the rent.

And I questioned myself: how do I know which calligraphy is kitsch, and which, like Qi Baishi, is masterpieces worth millions? The real transformation happened later, when I was pregnant and volunteered at Singapore Art Museum’s Biennale. There I encountered the work of Sawangwongse Yawnghwe - and his story stunned me. His grandfather was the first president of independent Burma. After a military coup, his family fled, surviving an assassination attempt. The artist is now based in Netherlands. His work deals with the geopolitics of the Golden Triangle - a region often reduced to “drug production” in the past. Today for millions this is not just a painful history, it’s the living larger phenomena of corruption.

It’s one thing to read about it. It’s another to feel it through an artwork. At that moment my world expanded.

I understood that for many people here, history, trauma, narcotics trade - these are not abstractions. They shape their worldview as strongly as, in Russia, the trauma of political repression, WWII or the cultural weight of classical ballet. This changed how I saw Asian art, and how I teach others to see it.

AD: You've spoken about vulnerability as a strength. Can you share a moment where this was true for you?

OF: Moving to Singapore was a moment of complete vulnerability. I left an established career and started again in a new environment. I had to rebuild trust, visibility, and relevance from zero. It was uncomfortable, but it made my practice stronger. Vulnerability forces clarity. It forces you to articulate what you stand for and who you serve. That clarity shaped everything that came next.

AD: Your "Art History Stand-Up" is an unusual format. Why does it resonate so strongly with audiences?

OF: Because it gives people a way to enter serious ideas through humour without losing intellectual depth. Audiences are tired of academic dryness but also uninterested in shallow entertainment. This format sits between the two. It is demanding but emotionally light. It makes people feel that the art world is finally speaking in a language they can connect with.

AD: Your Instagram memes have huge reach. What role does digital humor play in your mission?

Humor is a teaching tool. It builds connection and trust. It breaks down the sense of elitism that often surrounds contemporary art. When people laugh, their guard drops and they are more receptive. They become open to new ideas and history. My memes often go viral, but the account remains intentionally niche. It attracts people who care about art as meaning, not lifestyle.

AD: What are your plans for your community next year? Are they connected in any way to what’s happening globally in the art world right now?

OF: Yes, very much so. I’ve long wanted to create a series built around what I see as the three most impactful dimensions of Russian art globally: Russian icons, the Russian avant-garde, and non-conformism. And then - ta-da - just a few days ago Sotheby’s in London held its first Russian art sale in three years: 365 lots from private collections, with an Aivazovsky marine painting hitting 4.188 million GBP. 

There’s another story unfolding in real time: a Russian tech investor is trying to secure the rare 1913 Fabergé Winter Egg in Qatar and Saudi Arabia before it reaches Christie's sales in London. The Financial Times called it an attempt “to buy history”. I find the whole situation fascinating. We are literally watching a cultural narrative being reshaped in real time.

This aligns perfectly with something I’ve wanted to do for years: introduce the depth of Russian art to Singapore - to expats, to the local community, and to create a platform for Russian speakers to debate and discover.

AD: Finally, if you could start a movement, what would it be?

OF: A movement that treats art as a language rather than décor. A movement that sees knowledge as a form of freedom hence a luxury. A movement grounded in intelligence, and cultural literacy. 

Main Image: Olga Ferrères, Founder of VOLOO. Image Courtesy of Olga Ferrères