The London Art Fair Best Stand Award, sponsored by Arcarta, was awarded to Izena Gallery for their outstanding presentation, which perfectly embodied the fair’s ethos of creativity and accessibility.

Judged on best creative promotion of the artists’ work on show, best visual impact and creative use of space, and accessibility of the art for UK audiences, Izena impressed with their thoughtful curation.

Dedicated to supporting emerging artists and makers locally and globally — particularly in London, Ibiza, and Mexico City — Izena nurtures diverse creative practices, from sculpture and painting to handmade furniture and hand-bound books. Their presentation reflected their focus on community, connection, and spirit, making them a very worthy recipient of this recognition and award.

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We caught up with Stella after she won the award to learn more about her process working with artists and her advice for young curators. Here is the full conversation between Lucia Nuñez, our Business Development Associate, and Stella Smith, the founder of Izena.

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Lucia:
Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit more about Galleries Izena.

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Stella:
So my name is Stella Smith and I’m a 25-year-old from London. I also grew up in Ibiza, and I was really fortunate to travel quite a lot as a child. So I’ve kind of grown up in a house that’s quite a cabinet of curiosities, which inspired me to be a curator and work with artists across a diversity of media.

I started as a curator because I went to UCL and studied art history and philosophy, but all of my friends were at the Slade, Goldsmiths, and Chelsea. I was really fortunate to fall into an incredible creative network. When I graduated, I just wanted to work with my friends and help manifest cool creative projects. So that was kind of the inspiration behind it.

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Lucia:
That’s very cool, very interesting. So we’re here at the London Arts Fair and you won the Best Stand Award - congratulations on that! Could you tell us about your artist selection and how you ended up creating the stand?

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Stella:
Yeah, sure. A lady called Becca Pelly-Fry curated the platform area that I’m in, and the theme of the platform is all about harmony and nature.

I wanted to explore that through the lens of magical realism. My “holy trinity” is fun, cool, and interesting, and I wanted the stand to look coherent.

I have six artists here today. If I were to pick one of them, there’s a sculptor named Luke Hamel Cooke who is based in London. His dad was also a sculptor, so it kind of runs in the family. He works with this principle called “facies” which are fictional projections of how plants might evolve in the future, but they’re based on real plant geometries. I find that really interesting.

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Lucia:
I just love that. They’re so clean and fascinating. I think the colours from your stand really caught my eye. Congratulations again on the stand.

You told us before why you started Galleries Izena, but now that you work with young artists, do you have any advice for emerging artists or young gallerists?

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Stella:
Yeah, I think one of the most important things is to surround yourself with people who inspire you and to stay true to whatever your vision is. That vision might evolve over time, and I think it should, but just keep doing what feels right for you.

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Lucia:
That’s great advice. My last question—what’s next for Galleries Izena? Do you have any exciting projects or exhibitions coming up that we should check out?

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Stella:
Yes! I’ve got one opening on the 6th of March. It’s called The Archive of Lost Wonders, which I’m co-creating with a dear friend, Noor De Falco. It’s going to be a kind of cabinet of curiosities and a play on a faux museum.

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Lucia:
That sounds amazing. We’ll all be there for sure. Well, thank you very much, and good luck with the rest of your week!

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Stella:
Thank you so much!

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You can find out more about Stella's work with Izena at izena.co.uk.

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