Interview with Emilia Börjesson
Emilia Börjesson,
Founder of Placemeant
Swedish native Emilia Börjesson is the founder of Placemeant, an art and brand consultancy that operates at the intersection between art, culture, and brands.
They specialize in helping artists reach their audiences through positioning, brand building, art dealing and full-service representation, all with a social-first digital approach—something Emilia is uniquely positioned to do, with her background in, fashion, marketing and PR, working with Carine Roitfeld and trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, to name a few. Based in New York, Emilia and Placemeant represent artists located in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Sweden, and consult both private and commercial clients worldwide. Prior to moving to New York to pursue studies at Parsons School of Design, Emilia lived and worked in Sweden, Hong Kong and London.
In Conversation with Emilia Börjesson by Ty Bishop. Portraits by Gabriela Epelboim.
I would love to hear more about your background. How did you get started working with artists?
Growing up going to museums, galleries and watching all kinds of art movies, exposed me to a world that I quickly would discover I had the necessity to be constantly in touch with, therefore when creating Placemeant, I understood that art was not only an interest, but my calling. From that moment my determination and passion towards pursuing a career in the art industry began to evolve very organically. While consulting with brands I saw that artists today also need help to grow, sell and market their personal brands in innovative ways. It is not just about traditional gallery representation anymore, the evolution of the digital era offers a great opportunity to the current generation to reinvent and implement new fundamentals of selling, create visibility and raise awareness around artists and their work. There is also a new audience that don’t necessarily go to art fairs or galleries, instead, they purchase art through Instagram, digital platforms and word of mouth. This market is rapidly growing and I was drawn to the business opportunity I saw coming up, dealing art and creating awareness targeting this new generation of buyers.
HEIDI LANINO,
ORANGE GESTURE II, 2021
Placemeant was founded as a communications agency and brand consultancy that’s been running 5 years strong. Where do artists fit in with your practice?
Placemeant operates at the intersection between art, culture, and brands, specializing in helping artists reach their audiences through positioning, brand building, art dealing and full-service representation, all with a social-first digital approach. Through strategic “placemeants”, we connect the dots for emerging and established artists through meaningful partnerships, collaborations, content development as well as physical and digital experiences. We also help art collectors, brands, and businesses through our services in curation, positioning, art advising and brand consulting.
“Social first” is a big part of the opportunities that you create. Can you explain why a social-first mentality matters and why it’s important for artists?
We are living in a social-first world. But “social first” doesn’t mean “social exclusively” - it’s just that the lines between the digital and physical world are blurred and we tend to carry one into the other more seamlessly than we’ve ever done before. We expect the services we use and experiences we take part in to do the same. For instance, making it possible to buy art via a direct message on an artist’s Instagram page, or designing a physical experience with consideration for how it can be extended into social and digital platforms by those who attend.
JESSALYN BROOKS,
LOYAL FOOL, 2019
There is an incredible opportunity for artists in this mindset. You now have unprecedented control and power to decide what message and conversation you want to create around your art — and an opportunity to form a deeper and quicker connection with your audience that just wasn’t possible before. Some of the artists I work with even find that valuable for their evolution as artists. And it also helps us design more meaningful experiences when we are more tuned into the audience’s needs and desires.
What was it like to start your own platform? What was your motivation for starting Placemeant?
After working with a variety of brands and fields in New York, I started getting approached to consult on different projects, from there the idea of Placemeant was born. I felt the urge to create a consultancy where I could connect my knowledge and resources on the same platform. It was indeed a challenge to get started, especially being a foreigner in NYC. The one thing I learned fast is – “if there is a will there is always a way”. Like in any business there are always ups and downs, but I strongly believe that failures are there to point us in the right direction. Starting Placemeant in 2016 was the beginning of the most exciting journey yet that continues to offer me the privilege to be part of an ecosystem where talent and elevated experiences are my daily reality, always giving me a great sense of inspiration and excitement.
Do you have any advice for emerging artists?
I think one of the greatest challenges emerging artists face is juggling the roles of being both an artist and entrepreneur. Being able to engage directly with buyers means that they can engage with you too, so you’ll need a plan for how you’re going to manage the requests and ideally channel the demand in a way that builds both you and your audience. If you’re not sure how, I think asking for support and help is a good place to start.
And remember, like any great challenge, it’s also a great opportunity: If you, as an artist, can optimize the digital tools at hand and combine it with a killer business strategy and community management, I believe that the sky is your limit.
