The Globetrotting Welsh Gallerist | Mr Porter
Photography by Mr Paul Hempstead | Styling by Ms Rhoni Bryan
The words “rootless existence” may not be appealing to the contented anti-jet set safely nestled within their gated communities and 30-year mortgages. But for a self- and oft-described “tumbleweed” such as the gallerist Mr Alex Tieghi-Walker, the moniker is very much a badge of honour. Though the perennial nomad may have pinballed around the globe, calling places including Wales, Italy, India, Argentina, Berkeley and Los Angeles home, Tieghi-Walker has not ascribed to the pejorative notion of a wanderer. In fact, this rolling stone turned curator is far from lost, having established a strong and steadfast foundation that is anchored by a deep love of craftsmanship and imbued with the eclectic cultural influences he has picked up along the way.
“In general, I’ve always been quite adventurous,” says Tieghi-Walker from his recently acquired New York apartment. “I’m from an adventurous family. My mum spent her childhood travelling around. My grandparents spent their childhoods travelling around. I spent my childhood travelling around. I’ve always been surrounded by this idea of going somewhere as being exciting. It’s never been scary.”
For a man who seems to be in perpetual motion, Tieghi-Walker has carved out an enviable and singular niche within the shifting worlds of art, commerce and cuisine. His non-linear approach to his life and career has led him to stints as a writer, editor, proto-creative director at a vineyard in Northern California, supper club host and ultimately the founder of Tiwa Select, “a gallery and platform celebrating the ever-evolving culture of craft, and the unexpectedness of the handmade.”
“I wear clothes that I think are pretty practical during the day, but also look good at night”
He has established himself as an advocate of self-taught artists, revelling in the imperfections of the handmade and resourcefulness of repurposing found objects.
“I’ve translated that passion into a business,” Tieghi-Walker says. “People respond well to the humanness of the types of artists I work with. I’m less interested in doing big, flashy white-box type shows with works that sell for loads of money. I’m a lot more interested in the quieter side of the art world, people creating based on their interests and personal history, telling their story through what they’re making. Not to say that other artists don’t do that, but just keeping it a little bit more tender and human by working with artists who perhaps haven’t been given the platform that they’ve deserved, or even wanted, in the past.”