Tell us about your business: What do you do? What is your unique selling point/ competitive advantage compare to other galleries?
Valentina Fois – La Scatola Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that exhibits the work of young emerging artists from all over the world, many exhibiting for the first time. We have a large space of approximately 300 square feet that enables us to show large scale sculpture and site-specific installations. Our focus on sculpture makes us unique, and provides exposure
to young artists working on this medium whose work cannot not be accommodated by most contemporary galleries where space is limited.
What inspired you to start a gallery?
I’m Italian. When growing up in Rome, I was surrounded by art, but also antiquity, so my eye always searched for the new and contemporary. I was always personally interested in art and design and then started a career in fashion design. Fashion was exciting in the beginning, but the fast pace and the long hours caught up with me. I started to look for more meaning in my career. I decided to pursue my first passion, art, in a way that could help young artists develop and flourish. That’s what led me to set up the Gallery.
What would you say has been your most memorable experience while developing your business?
Conceiving La Scatola has been a huge experience that made me mature beyond my years. Its been an exciting journey, through building the identity – from developing its mission to designing the logo – selecting and signing up artists, installing shows and building relationships with collectors and the greater art community.
What were the most successful projects?
Each project is different. Because we show a lot of site-specific work, artists’ own interaction with the gallery space produces unique work. I’m always intrigued by what the artists produce based on our initial brief. Our show last December though was special because it marked our first anniversary. We had a group show of 22 artists. We had a big celebration on opening night of the show. It made me reflect on a tough, but a very rewarding year personally where we built strong relationships with our artists.
What are the main challenges maintaining your business and how are you overcoming them?
The art market in London is very vibrant but also very competitive. There are a lot of shows taking place in countless galleries and museums at the same time, all vying for attention by the media, the collectors and art lovers. Most of our artists don’t have much recognition yet, so we have to spend a lot more time and effort to promote our exhibitions compared to galleries showing established artists. I have to look for every opportunity to promote the artists, not just the conventional ways, but online, and social media and through collaborations with other curators, galleries, art schools and the arts media.
Tell us about DO’s and DON’Ts when running the company?
Don’t ever take anything for granted, you have to keep working hard to keep the Gallery top of mind with art lovers and art professionals Do collaborate with people with different experiences than you, which will keep you learning new things.
Why did you choose Shoreditch to run your business? 
Shoreditch has a vibrant creative scene where art, music and fashion cross-pollinate each other. There are great restaurants and bars. You constantly meet people that share ideas and collaborate with each other. Although its becoming increasingly commercial and corporate, Shoreditch still carries a lot of weight for a gallery to establish itself in the London art map.
What are your favorite places in Shoreditch? (Where do you hang-out/ dining/ going out?)
When I try to woo collectors or treat my artists, I take them to L’ANIMA beside the Gallery. They have generously supported our openings. On the weekends Campania on Columbia Road takes me back to Italy. I also like to catch a movie at the Rio Cinema in Dalston.
What does the future have in store for Shoreditch?
A lot of artists and galleries have moved to South London where rents are cheaper. To keep its creative edge Shoreditch has to support independent businesses and collaborate with each other in a tightly-knit community to attract more talent and entrepreneurs to the area.
La Scatola – Represented Artists
Stephane Blumer , Jukhee Kwon , Steven Morgana , Tal Regev , Sarah Tew , David Paredes
