Elizabeth Fazzare: How did you begin to build your own collection?

Joshua Pulman: Growing up in South Texas, my family spent a lot of time going to galleries and local artist studios, which are a lot different than in New York and a lot of fun. This really inspired me to learn about art, and I’ve thankfully been in the position to start building my own collection over the past few years. Launching Silver Art Projects has also had a significant impact on my collecting interests. I am lucky to discover exciting new artists each year through our residency program. The aim of Silver Art is to challenge existing models of arts patronage that perpetuate a culture of inequality in which artists not represented by large galleries enter a cycle of disadvantage by not receiving business support. Instead, Silver Art helps artists not only build thriving practices but also offers them a platform to promote and sell their work.

EF: What was the first piece you purchased?

JP: My first work was actually a poster from an Alexander Calder exhibition at the 1st edition of the Biennale of Ceramics from the 1960s. I was studying the show at the time in school, so when I came across the poster, I had to have it. My grandma and I were browsing a dealer’s warehouse in San Antonio, and she noticed it out of the corner of her eye, hiding under a glass tabletop.

EF: Do you have a defining theme to your collection? 

JP: Themes of authenticity and identity drive my collection. Whether the subject matter is about gender, sexuality, race or adversity, if an artwork makes me think about another person’s triumphs or struggles while being authentic, I’m eager to collect it. One recent example is a work by Jared Owens titled #4 of #111. Jared, whom I met at Silver Art Projects artist residency, creates artworks that address mass incarceration.

EF: What designers/artists are inspiring you right now?

JP: Tourmaline has inspired me even before she joined Silver Art Project’s residency at the World Trade Center a few years ago as a mentor. Tourmaline’s artwork epitomizes their ethereal perspective on the world, which is all about living our most joyful lives by being our most authentic selves. 

EF: What current collecting trends are on your radar, if any?

JP: Right now I am really enjoying depictions of tender scenes of love, romance and joy by artists like Louis Fratino or Dale Lewis. Specifically, Sitting on your lap (2019) by Louis Fratino is one of my all-time favorites in this subject matter.

EF: Does the marketplace help your discovery?

JP:As a relatively new collector in my twenties, galleries can be difficult to navigate. I always prefer to meet the artist in person. This is obviously why a project like Silver Art Projects holds such great appeal to me. Our residency program not only offers artists unique opportunities to create work, grow networks and establish a professional creative career, it also offers a platform for collectors to discover new artists outside traditional models that can sometimes feel opaque and unwelcoming. We recently launched a new online platform for even more visitors to discover work by artists-in-residence. Since COVID began, I have found online tools particularly useful in discovering new artists.

EF: In terms of discovering new artists/designers, what are your trusted methods?

JP: Instagram is a useful tool but can be overwhelming. Meeting artists in their studios and discussing their works in progress in-person is probably my favorite and most trusted method. It really allows you to have the time to see an artist develop their practice and get to know them in an intimate setting, when works are raw and ideas are being worked through. I really feel you can see someone’s talent most clearly in the studio.

EF: What is the next piece on your radar?

JP: I recently saw the group exhibition "Winner Takes All" at Marianne Boesky Gallery, curated by Amoako Boafo and Larry Ossei-Mensah, and fell in love with a work by the Brazilian artist Zéh Palito. He creates these brightly colored paintings with figures that just mesmerize.

EF: What is the last piece you purchased?

JP: I mostly recently purchased an artwork by the Brooklyn-based artist Destiny Belgrave called Waterbearer. The work depicts a Black figure holding a watermelon, as sort of an offering. The artist told me she views the figure through an ambiguous ancestral lens and that the watermelon is something being offered as a gift, reminiscent of her grandmother and summers at her house where she would give out fresh slices of watermelon from a huge whole one she bought at the market.

EF: What is the one piece that got away?

JP: An artwork by Hai-Hsin Huang, who is based in Taipei. The work featured a traditional family gathered around a lazy Susan eating dinner, and everyone was on their cell phone. It reminded me of a lot of good memories in Hong Kong and unfortunately, the work sold before I could ask about it.