Dr Kevin Conallen
Please could you tell us a little about yourself and your background - where you were born & educated; were/are your parents/grandparents creative? Did you visit museums and galleries as a child?
I was born in the USA – and raised between New York City and Philadelphia. I went to NYU for my first degree in History of Art and the Columbia University for my MA in Psychology. I moved to London sometime after, and completed a further MA in Classics at The University of London, and then a PhD in Psychology at University College London and The University of Wales, Swansea. Although I didn’t come from a creative family, they were nevertheless supportive of my interest in the arts – giving me the freedom to spend time in museums and the theatre. I’ve had a life-long passion for the arts – which I bring into my work as a psychotherapist and writer.
Did you have an interest in art as a child?
I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested, inspired and transported by the arts. In school I did consider the idea of being and artist and began taking painting and drawing classes, but soon realised that what I wanted from the arts was to look, think and understand. This lead me initially to the study of history of art, art criticism, and then onto art and cultural theory.
How would you describe yourself?
I think of myself as passionate about the things and ideas that interest me, but most especially about the artist and their journey. I’m equally as interested and excited about people’s stories and in trying to understand the human condition, both through psychological modelling, but also through the lens of the artist.
What motivates you?
I’m motivated by people and the way they face up to, and overcome the challenges that both the past and the future present. I’m also motivated by the possibilities in life, “beauty”, and differences.
Do you create art yourself?
Although I don’t actual make art – I feel able to express my creative self by bringing things and people together, creating spaces and occasions that excite, surprise and challenge.
What is your favourite art destination?
My favourite art destination is Venice – both for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Biannale, and the city. Sitting in close second is New York City – partly because of its familiarity, but also because it never stops surprising me.
What is the last exhibition you visited?
I had a busy art day yesterday – enjoying both the absolutely breathtaking “Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child” at the Hayward Gallery, and for the fourth time in as many week, “Surrealism: Beyond Borders” at the Nearby Tate Modern (having transferred from The Metropolitan Museum, in New York City earlier in the year).
Which piece of art would you most like to own?
I would love to own anything by Joseph Cornell (but if I could choose on piece, I might pick “A Parrot for Juan Gris”).
What was the last piece of art you purchased?
I recently bought a photograph – from an edition produced for the Tate by the British/ Afro-Caribbean photographer, Ajamu, “Untitled (Edition, from the Circus Master Series)”, 1997/2021.
Which person (alive or dead) would you most like to have dinner with and why?
I would love to have met and spent time with my art hero, Leonora Carrington. I have been fascinated by her, her work and her life since I first read one of her short stories called the “Debutante”, after which I went on a quest to read and look at everything she has produced. She had an inner strength, and a compulsion to paint and make, which has inspired me and left be breathless.
What types of books do you read/listen to?
I tend to be drawn to fiction – much of it European (and in translation). I like story telling that challenges the reader, while reinventing the narrative. I like writers who reveal themselves in their work – my favourite writers include Jean Genet, James Joyce, Mercè Rodordea and Mario Llosa Vargas.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee – preferably strong!
What is the most important thing to know about you?
I’m always interested – in ideas, people, and the things that fill all of our lives.
Please tell us one unexpected thing about yourself.
I spent four years living in a mud hut in West Africa!
Final thoughts…
I thought I’d finish with one of my favourite quotes from the artist Leonora Carrington.
“The task of the right eye is to peer into the telescope, while the left eye peers into the microscope.”
― from “Down Below”