ABOUT US

Neda Mo is an Iranian curator, academic scholar and art consultant based in London, UK. She has a BFA in Sculpture, an MFA in Painting from Tehran University of Fine Arts, and a PhD in Curating Contemporary Art from Middlesex University, London. As a part of her academic career, she also worked as a lecturer in Iran and UK’s art universities.

Neda was the chief curator of Knack Gallery, the executive director of Aaran Projects centre in Tehran and a member of the curatorial team of MAXXI Museum in Rome, Italy. She gained expertise in the field within the last ten years by working on numerous solo and collective projects with international galleries, museums, public and private collections in collaboration with artists and curators worldwide.Neda is also a member of the Paul Mellon Centre, British Art Network, the New Media Society, and Articurate.

Neda uses multiple media types in her curatorial projects, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, art installation, performance and text. Currently, Neda is interested in initiating discussions about socio-political topics to challenge the conventional boundaries  by expanding the field of art.

Born in Napoli, Ugo de Franchis is a certified Professional Coach with an IT background. After pursuing a master’s degree in Political Science, he started working as Account Manager and Channel Manager for corporate IT companies like IBM, McAfee and Polycom, and became an expert in videoconferencing and Cloud solutions. He also has a strong background in the management of cross-functional teams, business development and sales strategy. In 2015, he obtained a Professional Coach certification and started a new path in his life. Since then, he has been passionate about contemporary art.

Throughout his career, Ugo has worked in Glasgow, Dublin, London and is now based in Milan. As an art collector himself, he joined Blue Rhino Art Consultancy in 2019 as a Business Consultant and Partner.

Born in Italy, 1971, Giovanni Mastrangelo is an experienced Brand, Entertainment and Media Advisor as well as an art investor. He graduated from the University of Napoli in Economics and International Trade and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in Audiovisual Management. He worked primarily in the fields of publishing, e-commerce, TV production, cinema production and development in Italy  before joining Disney Media Distribution in 2003. Based in Rome, he was in charge of the Northern Mediterranean markets (Italy, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus). 

Giovanni then moved to Dubai to lead the Emerging Markets Media Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company EMEA. As a General Manager, he was responsible for the commercial strategies for the digital media distribution of The Walt Disney Company’s content, including Pixar and Marvel movies, ABC Studios series, Disney Channel and ABC News programming. In 2014, he was promoted to the role of Country Manager, based in Istanbul, to expand existing operations and create new businesses in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel. 

Now based in Rome, Giovanni will be bringing his strategic oversight to Blue Rhino Art Consultancy. With over 13 years of experience in management, retail, production, distribution and marketing, Giovanni is dedicated to applying his expertise to the development of the arts

Elham Shafaei was born in 1983, Rasht – Iran. She received her B.A Bachelor of Painting (Arts) in Elm o Farhang (Science and Culture) University, Tehran, Iran. In 2010 she moved to Malaysia where she obtained M.A (Fine Arts) in Papermaking and PhD (Fine Arts) in Painting that examined the role of melancholia in creative life. In 2017 she relocated to United Arab Emirates, where she currently resides and pursues her studio practice. She is an international exhibiting artists, curator and art management. Through her curatorial projects she tries to connect artists’ internationally.

Elham is the Co-Founder and Co-Editor at ContemporaryIdentities International Online Art Magazine-Gallery. Lately, she Founded i.e. Art Projects which is an Online Art Foundation to combines the tools of management, marketing and planning with the tools of audience- and community to build bridges between art, artists and audiences. Recently, she has been appointed as Industrial Fellow for the School of Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia. 

Isil is an academic, art consultant and art curator. She conducts interdisciplinary and multicultural research on the transformation of human creativity in connection with technology. Isil is passionate about art brut and digital art which she considers to be at opposite ends of the evolution of human creation. Isil values the political nature of artistic activity as an ability to offer new perspectives and create new worlds. She considers contemporary forms of art as languages to tell elaborate narratives that push perceptions on social phenomena. Isil’s curatorial work is led by philosophy and seeks to unfold the multiple faces of the Other as the locus of political resistance in an age of techno-capitalism.

Isil obtained a PhD degree on the subject of international cooperation through art from Nagoya University in Japan. She has been working in the art industry in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Far East. Since 2021, Isil has been based in London. 

Born in Antalya, Turkey, Ilayda is a Graphic Designer and an Art Director. She has completed her high school education in NS, Canada and following that; relocated to Milan,Italy, where she has graduated from NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) with a BA in Graphic Design & Art Direction, with full marks and a specialization in Art Direction.

Following her degree, she has worked in Dubai,UAE as a Senior Graphic Designer in the marketing field and now, is a Freelance Graphic Designer and Art Director that works globally. With her keen interest in contemporary and modern art and her belief in the fact that underrepresented artists from minority groups should be supported, she is happy to be a part of the Blue Rhino team.

At Bogazici University, Mihriban is pursuing a history degree while also finishing her associate’s in radio and television programming. She participated in specific courses and certificate programs on cinema due to her interest in fine arts and film, and she enjoys spending time with paint and brushes. She uses photography as another means of expressing her passion of the arts. She began an internship with the Blue Rhino after gaining experience as a digital content editor, and she is pleased to continue her career with the Blue Rhino since she had chance to be intertwined with modern art while deepening her design and art knowledge.

Jean is a senior university student with international learning experiences in Tokyo and London. She gained an open and interdisplinary academic mindset from liberal arts studies, ranging from politics and history to literature and visual arts. While East Asian film studies takes up the most parts of her courses back in Waseda University, her focus is more on practicing museology in arts and anthropology at UCL by engaging herself in both essay writing and creative projects. She has a love for music as a hobby, granted the chance to perform at prestigious performance spaces, including school society’s term concert at college bars and classical choir singing at Royal Albert Hall.

Debora is a graduate of Art History from the Complutense University of Madrid. Following
this, she studied several Contemporary Art courses focused on diverse curatorial practices,
including environment, gender and decolonisation issues. Prospectively, Debora will study a
Master’s degree in curatorial and collection practices. Currently, she is volunteering in
Camden Arts Centre along with her work at Blue Rhino gallery, both with the intention of
broadening her experience in Contemporary Art.

Rishika Sahgal is currently studying Fine Arts Mixed Media at the University of Westminster. She is also the Course Representative in her Uni . Rishika has many months of customer service experience, including management and handled social media  for an esteemed organisation. Last year, she worked as a volunteer at London Design Biennale representing the artwork of a Finish artist and also works as a volunteer at Camden Art Centre. Her career interests lie in art business, curation or owning an art gallery , with an emphasis on broadening accessibility to abstract art.

Born in Russia in 1990, Alisa Lisovskaia has been practicing and studying art. Alisa graduated from BA and MA programs in Russian Universities, RSUH and MSU, specializing in foreign languages, European history and art. She completed two internships at Bologna and Ruhr Universities. Being an exhibition coordinator and curator, Alisa has worked for more than 5 years in leading Moscow museums. In 2019, Alisa moved to the United States where she worked for the SAIC in Chicago, then moved to New York where she was accepted onto the Sotheby’s Institute of Art MA program, Art Business. Alisa collaborates with Russian magazines by publishing articles about the global art market.  

Born in Iraqi-Kurdistan, Ahwa grew up in Scotland before moving to London where she now lives and works as an illustrator, editor, and assistant coordinator for Blue Rhino Art Consultancy. After obtaining her undergraduate degree in Illustration & Visual Media at LCC, she then went on to study MA Philosophy, specialising in aesthetics. By combining both her interests in art and philosophy, she conceptually and creatively explores how critical theory and contemporary art practice intertwine. Ahwa is deeply interested in finding a niche between the cross-pollination of cultures, ideas, and abilities that has shaped her practice today.

Nazli Naserifard is an Iranian artist who works for Blue Rhino Art Consultancy as a graphic designer.

Meysam Oliyaei is a graphic designer who lives and works in Iran. Upon creating the Blue Rhino logo design, Meysam works for Blue Rhino Art Consultancy as a graphic designer.