Connecting the Culturally Curious™
We believe arts and culture is vital in shaping individual and collective personality; igniting conversation, incubating local and global ideologies, and binding communities. We are trusted navigators and translators of a complex art world.
We work with the most ambitious of businesses and individuals who want to unearth their cultural DNA to create new conversations with global impact and lasting legacy.
Our mission is to build connections and communities and help individuals, brands and organisations understand the importance and impact of arts, culture and design in our daily lives and commerce.
About The Founder:
London born British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur Katy Wickremesinghe founded KTW consultancy in 2014, following a decade at Freuds. A specialist in the art world eco system and the global luxury brand, corporate and entertainment space, KTW has become the go-to for those looking for navigation, translation, and connection in a layered and complex art market. Katy is committed to future trends in publishing, marketing and PR – utilising the latest techniques and know-how to integrate new models and ways of working across clients. As a result Katy and KTW have placed in the top 10 PR Week Powerbook of Luxury and Leadership 2020, 2021, 2022).
A committed cultural advocate and philanthropist, Katy serves as a V&A Young Patron, a member of Future Contemporaries with The Serpentine and a mentor for AWITA. She also holds prominent advisory board roles including: The Line – London’s first public art walk, and sits on the editorial committee as a cultural advisor for CogX. In December 2020 Katy was appointed the youngest ever Trustee of the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
In 2021 Katy founded The Wick - a cultural content hub which is a navigator of the art world developing "culturally curious audiences" and dynamic specialist content and programming. The Wick is fast becoming known as the voice of culture amplifying and uniting voices of expertise and long-time established experts with new dynamic talent.
Katy is a regular moderator across arts and business, and talks have included: London Tech Club at Sotheby’s NFT’s Uncovered; Kate Bryan interview at Fortnum’s The Art of Love; Goal’s House The Healing Power of Art to mark the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations; Collect Art Fair with Stephen Webster Jewellery as an Art Form; AWITA Strategies in a Time of Crisis; and interviewing key note speaker Misan Harriman at Walpole Luxury Summit 2022.
How we work
Strategic Communications
For individuals and global brands looking to create roadmaps into the art market as well as developing both collector engagement and institutional positioning.
Creating eco-systems and public profile for owners and leaders seeking to resonate in credible meaningful ways in the cultural and news agenda.
Reputation Management
Working with individuals and organisations to unearth and unleash new revenue opportunities as well as act as an extension of the in house team to create meaningful viable roadmaps and team plans.
Business Development
Global Brands
Having amplified and launched hundreds of global brands and destination spaces to market, KTW advises on how to navigate the art world and build authentic relationships and conversations in which to root strong communications strategies.
Expert handlers in identifying, engaging, and connecting key influencers and stakeholders who will advocate for our clients authentically. We are strong negotiators and we work to identify, conceptualise and activate powerful aligned partnerships to enrich our clients’ profile and customers
Partnerships & Connectivity
Audience Development and Delivery
Working with galleries or specialist brand-art projects to develop audiences (IRL and digitally), create experiential and dynamic marketing content with artists enabling impactful PR and multi-channel outputs.
Holding strong relationships across grass-roots, institutional and commercial art world, KTW works regularly to input into content and show strategies across the gallery, exhibition, and curated show arena.
Artists & Curatorial Development
Using rigorous media management experience and intricate guest list curation and management to make your moment or event “famous” and chiming well with the core audience.
Event Exploitation
Testimonials
Clients & Collaborators
The KTW Collective
KTW & The Wick works as a nimble team of expert specialists, client handlers and content producers to deliver best in class work.
The Collective includes:
Martha Mosse General Manager, formerly GM at Sarabande Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation; Matt Hyde, CFO formerly CFO Freuds; Tani Burns Consultant Media Relations with specialist expertise working with galleries, artists and museums; Lydia Higton, Content and Marketing Co-ordinator; Laura Colonnese, Consultant Partnerships & Design Specialist; Harriet Quick, Editor & Journalist, Lucy Scovell Contributing Editor The Wick, formerly Editor of Christie’s Online; Jess Kelham-Hohler Contributor and writer The Wick formerly Content Manager Soho House; Hayley Lleaver Contributing Editor The Wick formerly Editor Vogue Business; Jodine Davies as accounts.
Our matrix consultancy approach sees us harness our network, built over 18 years, to support our in-house talent and enable a wide range of clients to navigate the worlds of art and culture via carefully engineered business strategies. Our world includes Founders, CEOs, Collectors, Museum Directors, Artists, Creators to Cultural game changers. Our access means we are able to combine the expertise of these individuals in ways which are viscerally engaging, intellectually curious, and politically astute to support you and your business. This way of working at KTW, makes the top creative echelon of industry experts your team too.
THE WICK x Interview
Artist Sarah Maple, with curator, arts broadcaster and Head of Collections for Soho House, Kate Bryan in conversation with KTW & The Wick founder, Katy Wickremesinghe.
The Wick x The Design Museum, Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street
The Wick goes behind the scenes for a preview of Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street in collaboration with StockX, open at the Design Museum in London until 24 October 2021. Katy Wickremesinghe meets Tim Marlow OBE, Chief Executive and Director, Ligaya Salazar, Curator and Kish Kash, Cultural Archivist.
Walpole UK's British Luxury Summit 2022 | A Radical New Vision, 23 May 2022
Entrepreneur, activist and founder of WhatWeSee Misan Harriman gave a compelling interview at Walpole’s annual British Luxury Summit 2022 – in conversation with Wick founder, Katy Wickremesinghe. The pair discussed Harriman’s iconic British Vogue Cover, the widely shared Civil Rights images of 2020 Black Lives Matter and what diversity in luxury really means. The conversation explored Harriman’s curatorial role with Tezos, being the biggest collector of African NFT artists, his role as Chair of the Southbank Centre and the new media and collecting space enabling democratisation in the art space.
Connect with KTW London & @TheWickCulture
Navigators of the art world and cultural space, we are a communications, content and development consultancy based in London with a global remit.