The Filthy Fox Auction Club — A Two-Woman Show

The Filthy Fox Auction Club, founded by multidisciplinary artist Paula Parole and design manager Alexandra Hochgürtel, is an artist-run auction club initiative based in London.

Inspired by the challenges that emerging artists face in accessing the job market after graduation, Paula and Alexandra wanted to create a platform that would bridge this gap. Over the past two years, Filthy Fox has hosted two pop-up auctions, bringing artists together with first-time buyers, collectors and London's creative community. Their innovative approach has attracted the attention of publishers such as the Financial Times and FAD magazine, while their vibrant Instagram page attracts new followers every day.

In January 2024 - the two-year anniversary of Filthy Fox - we caught up with Paula and Alexandra in the garden of the Estorick Collection in London to talk about the Filthy Fox journey - the challenges, the successes, the future prospects and the foundations needed to support the careers of young artists.

Evelina: Congratulations again on this milestone. As we celebrate the second birthday of Filthy Fox, can you share the memories of the day when you decided to commit to this project?

Alexandra: The first thing which springs to my mind is the day we were brainstorming for a name, wondering what a sexy, approachable and cute name for us would be. We wanted it to resonate with London, and were looking at names of pubs like ‘White Lion’, ‘Rocking horse’ and particularly ‘Snooty Fox’.

Paula: I remember walking around London and seeing this name [Snooty Fox] and thought ‘f*ck this is great, the fox is a great animal and there are so many of them around London.’

A: Every time when I get back home at night, I always see at least one or two foxes. We wanted to start a little movement, every time when you see a fox, you know you can tag us [Filthy Fox] on Instagram.

P: It’s our spirit animal.

A: Since we picked that name, every time I see a fox, we are kind of aligned.

E: How do you think the journey has been so far, considering you've already hosted two events? Could you reflect on the achievements and challenges encountered during these two years?

A: Starting out was extremely difficult as we had limited resources; it’s a two-women show. We had a great playful name, but the rest had to be created from scratch. We had to build a website, think of a functional business model, apply for funding. Doing all these administrative and organisational tasks is a lot of work. We always had help from friends though!

P: The concept was quite hard for people to understand. It's something that didn't really exist before. We had to convince the first bunch of artists – and did it through our network and personal contacts. We went to their studios, talked with them. For the second auction we already had built a reputation and artists already knew who we were.

A: The response to the second auction was really rewarding.

E: You have a very good description on your website about overcoming the inaccessibility of the art market for young artists. Could you elaborate on why you think this market is so inaccessible?

P: Well, because it needs to justify its high prices and its exclusivity. I've experienced firsthand how traditional structures in the art world can be difficult to penetrate. It's often more about who you know than your talent or skills. While I personally benefited from this system, I recognize that many others face barriers to entry.

A: And it is so intimidating for both buyers and artists because the sales process always outsourced to a very untransparent gallery structure. I actually think that the pricing is very detached from the artist. It's strange because in other fields like design or writing, the creators typically set the price for their work. However, for artists, it doesn’t work like that. Why isn't there a more self-sufficient way for artists to learn about pricing and understanding the value of their art? The concept of worth and value in the art market can seem random and challenging for many to grasp.

P: For me the funniest thing is that despite receiving an art education across three different academies, I was never taught how to price my work. Money was never discussed, not even when we asked our tutors for guidance on this matter. This is quite problematic in my view. After all, artists need to learn how to sustain themselves and earn a living from their art once they graduate. Many students feel lost because they are not equipped with the necessary business skills, which also deserve attention in art education.

A: Most of the time when we approach someone fresh out of art school at a graduate show and say, ‘oh, I love this painting. How much do you want for it?’, they mostly do not know what answer to give. They would have a huge lack of confidence and not know how to react to that situation, even though that is something you should be able to do in your career. This lack of confidence is also seen on the part of first-time buyers, who may feel uncertain about how to approach artists and start a conversation about pricing.

P: Yeah, money is hush-hush and it's a difficult one to navigate.

E: It’s so interesting because London has one of the most developed art markets globally, yet emerging artists face difficulties in finding opportunities. What do you think is the solution to this, apart from initiatives like Filthy Fox, of course?

A: I think the answer lies in education, definitely. For instance, design offers more transparency; you can easily find information online about hourly fees for graphic communication. Some of my classmates with commissions asked for advice from tutors on pricing. Sometimes a response will be, ‘You cannot sell that under this value,’ and sometimes they may suggest something different. Being able to discuss pricing with your tutor can make a big difference.

P: Yeah, we had a bit of that when I was at Chelsea College of Arts. We had gallery representatives over talking about the practical side, but I don't think we discussed post-graduation setup enough.

Teaching networking, social media use, setting up your career, and discussing prices would benefit young artists more than just promoting the romantic artist image, which, while valid, can be limiting.

It would also be really beneficial for art students to get connected with curators. For example, we had lots of shows run by the university, always doing the curatorial part ourselves. I loved it, but I think it would have been a great opportunity to pair and connect us with our future network of curation students to have their first praxis experiences.

E: I'm very surprised to hear that, to be honest. I would have imagined much more connections being encouraged.

You also mentioned that many potential buyers feel intimidated and lack clarity on how to proceed. Connecting first-time buyers with emerging artists is part of your mission. What do you believe is causing this lack of communication?

A: Over the years, there's been a perception nurtured that art in museums and galleries is exclusive, with large, white spaces, making it feel out of reach for many. Unless you come from a family of artists or art collectors, you might assume that artworks are only for the wealthy. However, there's a middle ground between pricey artworks and mass-produced posters, which many of us had on our walls. We need to communicate that investing in art isn't just about money; it's about enjoying and cherishing it.

During our auctions, most of the artists were present so that first-time buyers could have conversations with them. It was a relaxed setting – it created the comfort and environment for buyers to say, ‘okay, today is the day I'm going to buy my first piece of art’.

P: Yeah, what's really helpful is that we curate a selection of artists we believe in. This helps people who are new to art and overwhelmed by the options. Even if they visit graduation shows, they might not know what to buy or which artists to choose. We're familiar with this world and enjoy selecting artists we think are cool.

E: It's also really cool that you have a performance before each auction.

P: I think that's where Filthy Fox should be headed. We aim to support artists of all kinds, including performance artists. We want to encourage the dialogue between artists of all kinds and our client base - apart from a purely "commercial interest" of a traditional auction.

E: How do you ensure the auctions are accessible to a wide audience, including those who might feel intimidated by this type of events?

P: We use Instagram for communication, which is a very accessible and free platform, plus our language is pretty comprehensible with the use of visuals and emojis.

A: We start at £50 and have rejected pieces costing over £5,000, as they would be too inaccessible for our audience. So if you're in London with just £50 in your pocket, you can still bid on a piece of art from us.

E: What criteria do you consider when choosing an artist to showcase?

P: Our main criteria is that the artists are students at or recent graduates of London art schools. Although we came across many cool artists from other schools in the UK, we had to draw a line and decided to specialise on London-based artists.

A: Initially, the selection was from Paula’s existing network and mutual friends. For the second auction, we relied on this network of 14 artists who also brought in their own contacts. We often found artists at graduate shows and on Instagram as well.

P: We also considered what works our buyers would be interested in, especially first-time buyers. While our selected artists’ works are not commercial, we chose pieces that have broader appeal, focusing mostly on wall works as they sell better.

E: How has the response been to your Instagram-Live auctions, especially from people based outside London?

A: Initially, people needed time to understand the concept, but in the second year, about 20 to 30% of the pieces were sold via Instagram. We even had instances of Instagram bidders competing with each other and with bidders in the room. There's a risk in verifying accounts quickly during a live auction, but so far, we've been lucky. Opening up to an audience outside the room is the most accessible approach.

P: We had buyers from Italy, Germany, France, Latin America—a very diverse mix.

E: I imagine it's also quite hard to manage live – you have people both on-site and on Instagram.

 A: There’s also a risk of the Internet connection problems. But we always said as a huge disclaimer that if you really want a piece, either come and sit in the room or ask somebody to bid for you. So that is also a possibility. We had a few bids in the room from people that weren’t physically present.

P: Sometimes there were two bids in the room and on Instagram at the same time, with the one in the room receiving priority.

It was very rewarding to see people return for the second auction. We didn't know many of them as the network grew and people continued to invite their friends. We had to actually turn people down during the second time because we were overrun. For the next edition, we need a bigger space. If you know a place, hit us up! Write this in your interview (laughs).

A: We are hugely reliant on collaborations because we don't make a lot of money, we give everything back to the artist. But that makes it also sometimes tough for us; there are amazing spaces in London, but have you ever tried to rent a room here? It's so expensive.

P: We have to always find ways around it. So far, we’ve had great PR and after our second auction we received great feedback and managed to break even.

E: Now that you mentioned the need of a bigger space, what are your future plans, and what can we expect from Filthy Fox?

A: We're planning our third auction for which we need to talk with collaborators. We’ve been thinking to create merchandise and put out newsletters to nourish the relationship with community that we now have. Hopefully, we’ll make auctions more regular, not just once a year, and make Filthy Fox a player in London's art scene.

E: How do you envision the long-term impact of Filthy Fox on emerging artists’ careers?

A: That's a good question. You know what would be amazing? In 10 years, the artists we selected last year have gained influence and a reputation in this [art] world. That would be beneficial for everyone. Ideally, in 10 years, we would have a much stronger and larger community. If we think big, it would be nice to expand also in other cities. Right now, it has to be London focused because that is our expertise, but to be able to realise that goal one day would be amazing.

P: I think we'd have auctions more often, maybe every season like traditional auction houses, twice a year at least. We'd probably expand online, creating an online gallery. The event organization and community-building are a huge part for our business. Personally, we enjoy this aspect and would love to organize more events and parties to connect people.

A: I think we should continue staying true to this ‘pop up’, ‘filthy’ element and nourishing a more accessible art scene. Maybe even attracting attention of gallerists, making them come to our events and discover new interesting artists. I think that is also somewhere we want to get and promote the exchange between different layers of the art scene.

P: We don't want to be in competition with galleries; we want to work hand in hand with them. We are trying to select artists which we like and present them to a wider audience so they get the reach within a bigger network. Maybe some galleries will think, ‘huh, cool’ and invite artists to do their first solo show.

E: What advice would you give to artists at the beginning of their careers?

P: Network – make work, and net-work.

A: Make the most out of going to gallery show openings; there are so many of them happening every day.

P: Yeah, but you can also waste your time there. It's important to do it 50-50. You also need to go to the studio and make work.

A: Definitely! It's not that artists need to become socialites, but visiting galleries can be a major source of inspiration, and it’s surprising how rarely some artists visit them.

P: And use Instagram!

E: And what advice would you give to people who are thinking to start acquiring art?

P: Start now while it's cheap! Most of the artist we featured last year have already had solo shows and we take a lot of pride in observing their rise. But in any case, you should always buy if you genuinely like the piece and never because you think it's a good investment.

A: I also believe that for first-time buyers, the investment isn't as painful since they don't have to dig as deep into their pockets. We want to make collecting art a fun and enjoyable experience and want future art collectors to find joy in their purchases and cherish the pieces they buy.

Visit The Filthy Fox Auction Club website and follow their Instagram page for the latest updates.