Arts To Hearts Podcast

Fifteen years ago, Ryan Stanier started cold-calling estate agents across London asking if he could borrow their empty shops for free.

Most ignored him. One handed him the keys.

That tiny pop-up became ArtBeat, then The Other Art Fair, one of the world’s biggest artist-led fair movements, spanning London, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Sydney, Chicago, Melbourne, and beyond.

But after more than a decade working closely with artists, Ryan kept hearing the same thing:

Art fairs were becoming too expensive.

Booth fees, shipping, framing, travel, marketing, logistics artists were taking enormous financial risks just to be visible.

So, he decided to rebuild the model.

In this episode, Ryan Stanier founder of The Other Art Fair and Fair Play opens up about the changing art world and the realities artists face behind visibility, pricing, and creative survival.

We cover:
The empty London storefront that started everything
Why the art world believed artists “weren’t good at business”
The biggest mistakes artists make at fairs
Why artists struggle to talk about pricing
The heartbreaking thing Ryan still sees at exhibitions
Why Fair Play removed booth fees completely
The emotional connection between artists and collectors
Why visibility in the art world still feels inaccessible
How social media changed the art industry
The artist Ryan still keeps on his wall years later

Whether you’re an emerging artist, a collector, or someone trying to understand how the art world really works behind the scenes, this episode is a rare look at the systems shaping creative careers today.

Pull up a chair. this conversation might change how you think about the art world.

For Episode 3 of Season 6, Charuka Arora, founder of Arts to Hearts Project, had a deeply meaningful conversation with none other than Ryan Stanier the founder behind The Other Art Fair and Fair Play.
For years, Ryan has been working towards one powerful idea: making the art world feel more accessible, supportive, and human for artists. From starting with small pop-up exhibitions in empty London spaces to building one of the world’s biggest artist-led fair movements, his journey has completely reshaped how artists connect with audiences globally.
In this episode, Ryan opens up about the realities behind building artist-first platforms, the frustrations within the traditional art world, the pressure artists constantly navigate, and why he believes the systems around artists still need to change.
From building The Other Art Fair to launching Fair Play, this conversation explores creativity, visibility, burnout, risk-taking, art fairs, and the emotional realities of building a life in the arts.
It’s thoughtful, personal, honest, and filled with conversations artists rarely get to hear out loud.
And honestly… this might change the way you think about art fairs forever.
Season 6 Episode 3 drops tomorrow. Stay tuned.

In this solo episode of the Arts to Hearts Podcast, Charuka Arora, Founder of the Arts to Hearts Project pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to make an Arts to Hearts book.

From the six-month timeline behind every release, to running open calls, jury processes, and curating both emerging and established artists, Charuka walks through the full publishing journey. She also gets honest about the mess: the factory mix-up that turned a soft-cover magazine into a hard-cover sample, the 4-step proofing process her small team relies on to catch errors, and the 300+ artist interviews they handle every single month.

If you've ever wondered what goes into building a contemporary art publication from scratch including the parts no one shows you this one's for you.

What does it really take to turn an Instagram blog into internationally loved art books, magazines, and a creative platform artist around the world connect with?
In Season 6, Episode 2 of the Arts to Hearts Podcast, founder Charuka Arora takes us behind every Arts to Hearts book, including the one that completely went wrong.
From creative risks and unexpected mistakes to the pressure of building meaningful projects from scratch, this episode dives into the messy, emotional, and unseen side of running a platform dedicated to supporting women in the arts.
We’re talking behind-the-scenes realities, working with artists worldwide, publishing art books people genuinely treasure, and the lessons nobody sees behind the final beautiful product.
If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens behind creative projects like these, you won’t want to miss this conversation.
Season 6 Episode 2 drops tomorrow, May 26. Don’t forget to tune in for the full behind-the-scenes episode.

In 1999, a man walked into Battersea Park with an idea the art world thought was embarrassing: put price tags on art. The galleries hated it. The critics rolled their eyes. He did it anyway.
Twenty-five years later, that idea is called Affordable Art Fair 19 fairs across 16 cities, nearly 4 million visitors, over $780 million worth of art sold, and an entire generation of artists who got their first sale through it.
In this episode, Will Ramsay, founder of Affordable Art Fair and Ramsay Fairs sits down with Charuka for one of the most practical conversations we've ever had about the business of being an artist.
We cover:
The banker friend whose embarrassment sparked an empire
The four types of art buyers walking past your booth (and which one most artists ignore)
Why selling art online doesn't really work and what does
How to price your work across international markets
The $5K–$10K mistake most first-time exhibitors make
How to approach a gallery without feeling desperate
Red dots, empty walls, and the small tricks that create energy on a stand
The Indian artist (Riya Mahajan) hiding in Will's garden right now
Whether you've never sold a piece of art or you're already exhibiting internationally, this conversation gives you a framework you can actually use.
Pull up a notebook. This one's a masterclass.