Architerior got a quick chat with Nina Johnson, owner and director of a contemporary art gallery in Miami, Florida.

Nina, tell us a bit about the history of your gallery.
We opened as Gallery Diet in 2007, and we represent and exhibit contemporary artists from around the world.

How come you started this gallery?
I began interning in galleries when I was 15 years old, and after living in Boston and New York I moved back to Miami and found that the artists I was interested in weren’t being exhibited here. I founded the space as a way to introduce their practices to the community and create a support structure for the artists I believed in.

Bad Soda / Soft Drunk, Nicolas Lobo’s second solo exhibition at the gallery.

What is the favourite part of your work?
Working with artists and to produce their work. One career highlight was working with Nicolas Lobo to fill the gallery with truck loads of Nexcite, an expired energy drink billed as ‘viagra for women.’

According to you, what is the most difficult thing about running a gallery?
Working with people. It’s the most challenging and rewarding aspect of my job; whether on the side of the collector or artists, I always joke that I am heading back to school to get a psychology degree.

Wrap Your Arms Around Me is a collaborative exhibition of historic and contemporary children’s furniture and design.

How do you find new artists?
Usually on recommendations of artists I have shown previously.

Are there any art styles that inspire you extra much?
Contemporary.

Awol Erizku, I was Going to Call it Your Name, but You Didn’t Let Me, installation view

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