The current climate in the art world is one that is changing faster than ever before. Between the rise of social media, internet shopping, A.I. image generators and everyday costs, artists have more hurdles to contend with, often leading to less time in which to make actual art. Thankfully, there are still beacons of hope to help creatives steer towards calmer shores. One such beacon is Poetic Tiger Gallery. Founded by Aunia Kahn and Michael de Vena, Poetic Tiger Gallery is more than just a gallery. It is an ever-evolving space with an ‘artist-first’ approach, moving away from many traditional gallery practices in order to best support artists’ professional development. Aunia and Michael are no strangers to the art world: both artists, avid collectors, curators and previous gallery owners, they’ve honed all their experiences into Poetic Tiger Gallery.
I interviewed them to learn more.
Interview with Aunia Kahn of Poetic Tiger Gallery
Both you and your gallery partner, Michael de Vena, have a rich history as core individuals in the art world, as artists, curators, collectors and previous gallery owners. You’ve also curated book projects across various galleries to coincide with events! Can you give us more of an insight into your lives in the arts?
Michael and I met at my first gallery opening in 2013, became life partners in 2014, and eventually business partners at Poetic Tiger Gallery. Art began as a necessity, not passion—that was Michael’s territory. When illness forced me toward creativity, a mentor saw potential and pushed me to submit slides to my first juried show in 2004. That accidental beginning changed everything. Before galleries, I was just an artist making art for survival. I never had some grand artistic calling—that was always Michael’s domain with his commercial work and passionate pursuits. For me, in 2004, illness pushed me into creativity as a lifeline which started my career in the arts.
After a few years of exhibiting art in galleries, I realized one of my passions was curation, conversation, and collaboration. My first curated show, ‘Darkest Dreams, Lighted Way’ (2008), gathered 18 national artists exploring mental health through creativity. Watching them pour their hearts into this was transformative.
After creating my first 78-card tarot deck in 2004, I kept hearing artists say they’d love to try but it was ‘too much work.’ This sparked the Lowbrow Tarot Project—one card per artist. Thousands applied for just 23 slots, and I had to turn away some amazing talent. The 2010 La Luz De Jesus exhibition featured artists like Kris Kuksi, Laurie Lipton, Carrie Ann Baade, Daniel Martin Diaz, Jennybird Alcantara, and Chris Mars, producing both a collectible art book and functional deck.
This project inspired me to curate more local shows as well as more international shows like “Moon Goddess” at Modern Eden Gallery featuring artists like Tom Bagshaw, Miss Mindy, Casey Weldon, and Edith Lebeau and “Tarot Under Oath” at Last Rites Gallery featuring artists like Sarah Joncas, Jaw Cooper, Jasmin Worth, and Dilka Bear.
During these years, my health quietly deteriorated. I couldn’t attend shows I curated and ended up on a feeding tube in 2012. Art collecting became my lifeline during this isolation—a way to stay connected to beauty and wonder when the world felt unreachable. After six months of gaining strength but no diagnosis, I attacked my bucket list, which pushed me to open my first gallery in 2013. We hosted numerous group and solo exhibitions including “Lowbrow Tarot II” with artists like Scott Radke, Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Charlie Immer, Naoto Hattori, Yoko d’Holbachie, Peca, Bob Doucette, and Simona Candini.
This was when I met Michael—fell in love with his work, then him. A full-time artist since 2009, he’d moved from painting to commercial illustration, then back to personal work in LA galleries by 2010. He relocated to St. Louis for me in 2015 and we moved west together in 2016.
In 2018, my health crashed. I needed blood transfusions and had to close the gallery. After 20 years undiagnosed, I finally received a diagnosis in 2018 and 2020. I waited almost five years before reopening, needing to ensure stability and heal properly. Now Michael’s my partner in both business and life, and we’re passionate collectors together. The incredible welcome back from artists, collectors, and partners like Beautiful Bizarre feels like a sweet homecoming.
It must feel so enriching to be running a gallery again after your hiatus. Now, I know that you have done extensive research into the current market and how it is evolving, which has guided your recent decision to move Poetic Tiger gallery to online and pop-up as of August 2025. How will this move further support your artists and collectors?
Being healthy enough to reopen has been a dream come true. We’re adapting to major market shifts that began during my first gallery (2013-2018) and accelerated post-COVID as businesses moved into unexplored digital spaces.
We value physical galleries and seeing art in person, but collectors increasingly buy online sight-unseen. Working with 50%+ international artists means navigating escalating shipping costs, customs delays, postal damage from understaffing, and complex fees—all upfront costs before work arrives. As an artist for 20 years, I know these challenges come with gallery participation, but the mounting barriers concern everyone.
To test our theory, we offered artists a choice for June: 50/50 split for physical exhibition or 60/40 for online-only. When only 5 of 30 pieces arrived, we realized artists chose the path of least resistance—avoiding logistical stress, not just seeking higher commissions.
The market has spoken: 59% of collectors buy online in 2024 (growing annually), our roster is 50%+ international, and shipping logistics are increasingly challenging. Our online and pop-up model maximizes value and satisfaction for everyone. Artists keep 70% versus 50% and get paid much quicker, while collectors enjoy instant fulfillment instead of waiting for 30-45 days to receive their artwork.
Many galleries fear sharing collector information, worried artists will bypass them. We don’t believe in artificial scarcity—collectors who want to buy directly from artists will do so regardless. Our approach has strengthened rather than weakened our collector and artist relationships, fostering partnership over control.
The artist-first approach
Your actions most certainly support your statement that Poetic Tiger Gallery is a “progressive online gallery focused on an artist-first approach”! Are there any other ways that you are accomplishing this?
Everything must be viewed through the artist’s lens first. When we genuinely support artists, we authentically serve collectors—it’s interconnected. Galleries wouldn’t exist without artists, not the other way around. Artists pour their souls into work yet face routine exploitation, while our gallery friends and partners operate ethically, many galleries don’t.
Artists are painting (creating) their souls. Sure, some chase likes and fame, but most we work with, create from pure compulsion—they’d make art even if no one was watching. As artists for 20 years, we understand artists’ immense value and want to protect their interests, shield them from predators, and show them that without them—we are absolutely nothing.
This drives our online, pop-up model that lowers entry barriers. Traditional galleries rely on established sellers to cover overhead, eliminating many emerging artist opportunities. Our model lets us take bigger risks and follow our hearts boldly. Just because work doesn’t sell doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be shared. Not everything with merit needs monetary outcomes to deserve love and visibility. Sales benefit everyone, but aren’t the only measure of importance.
We agree with that sentiment! And certainly, the holistic approach is often fundamental to achieving the best results. Can you share more about your upcoming plans to support artists’ professional development?
Artists are consistently exploited in this industry. While every artist desires to refine their craft and pursue professional opportunities, navigating this complex ecosystem requires learning systems that no one explains upfront. The art world operates without standardization—what works for one gallery or professional may be entirely wrong for another, and discovering one’s authentic voice becomes increasingly difficult when artists may not even recognize they haven’t found it yet.
This vulnerability feeds predators who exploit artists’ desire for recognition and success. The landscape is littered with flashy schemes promising “$100,000 annually” or “old master secrets” for instant success. Building a sustainable art career is deeply nuanced—there’s no universal formula, yet these exploitative and destructive programs profit from desperate artists.
Our approach centers on market research, providing substantive educational content through thoughtful blogs on critical industry topics, and hosting the Curated Muse Podcast. We prioritize transparency in all our operations and maintain direct, honest relationships with our artists.
Having had this time to reflect on your previous experiences on the gallery scene, are there any other methods of operation that you are doing a little differently this time round?
When we launched years ago, artists depended on galleries for career advancement—few had leveraged social media for independent success. As the art world evolved, many began bypassing galleries entirely, self-representing through direct sales and platforms like Patreon. This artistic autonomy is remarkable, and many successful self-representing artists still collaborate with galleries strategically.
However, numerous artists haven’t achieved this level of independence and continue relying on galleries for essential support systems. The gallery-artist dynamic has fundamentally shifted. Previously, an imbalanced power structure existed, with galleries controlling access to collectors and career trajectories. Today, progressive galleries like ours reject antiquated hierarchies and operate as true partnerships, recognizing artists as collaborators rather than dependents.
Indeed, you have already supported so many artists and it’s fundamentally important that we build a new age of collaboration between all of us working within the art world, keeping artists at the heart of it. With thousands of incredible artists across all genres out there, how do you decide which artists to work with?
The global art landscape overflows with exceptional talent—ideally we’d collaborate with every compelling artist we encounter. We just love art, it’s our thing. However, we must be strategic in curatorial decisions while remaining flexible and open.
While our core focus centers on new contemporary, representational, and narrative work, we resist rigid categorical boundaries. We embrace the idea that there are no natural divides between art types, exploring diverse genres—surrealism, folk art, outsider art, fiber art, wearable art, established movements, and emerging practices.
Contemporary artistic practice increasingly embraces genre fluidity, like cross-pollination in music today, and this boundary-dissolving approach resonates deeply with our philosophy. We champion art that communicates through story, regardless of medium or style, prioritizing powerful storytelling over adherence to prescribed categories.
Our exhibition program operates through invitations for group and solo exhibitions which are typically booked out 2 years in advance, with artist relationships developing organically over time. We cultivate connections through meaningful dialogue, recommendations from trusted colleagues, galleries, artists and other institutions within our network, comprehensive review of artists’ bodies of work, and—critically—our assessment of how artists conduct themselves both professionally and personally within the art community.
We maintain an open submission portal year-round and periodically issue targeted calls for work aligned with specific themes, events, or causes we’re championing.
Victoriana group exhibition
Now to wrap up, I’d also like to talk about Victoriana, which you will be exhibiting from August 9 – 30. This is something that you are also planning to revisit as an annual event. What was the inspiration behind creating an exhibition specifically focused on the Victorian era and its influence on contemporary art?
The inaugural Victoriana exhibition launched years ago as a one-time show. While curating our 2025-2027 programming, we witnessed the enduring enthusiasm it generated—making its 2025 return an obvious choice. Discovering an exhibition concept worthy of annual presentation is rare and exciting for any gallery.
The Victorian era, known for its ornate aesthetic, fascination with the occult, and complex social structures, provides rich source material for today’s artists. This exhibition demonstrates how contemporary creators continue to find inspiration in the period’s distinctive blend of refinement and mystery, creating works that speak to both historical fascination and modern sensibilities.
Victoriana features contemporary works that re-imagine Victorian culture through exploring elaborate period dress, mysterious grimoires, and intricate social rituals. The exhibition transforms 19th-century elegance and mystique into compelling modern art, inviting viewers into a world where historical fascination meets contemporary vision.
I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me, Aunia. What is the best way for interested individuals to learn more about Poetic Tiger Gallery and its future shows?
Our heartfelt gratitude to Natalia and the entire Beautiful Bizarre team for this opportunity to share our story, and to our incredible community of artists, collectors, and supporters who make everything we do possible. Your belief in our vision fuels our passion every day. To learn more about Poetic Tiger Gallery, explore our current Victoriana exhibition, discover our featured artists, or stay updated on upcoming exhibitions, visit the links below.
