Jeanetta Blignaut
Co-Founder

Jeanetta has spent more than two decades creating platforms that bring artists and audiences into closer dialogue. From building one of the world’s largest visible collections of Southern African contemporary art for Nando’s, to directing Spier Architectural Arts and producing site-specific works around the globe, her work has consistently focused on expanding the reach and relevance of contemporary practice.

 

She is also the founder of The Creative Block, a project that has enabled hundreds of artists to sustain their practice while offering collectors an accessible entry into the art world. With an academic grounding in art history and a career at the intersection of culture and entrepreneurship, Jeanetta’s contribution to Salon is rooted in her ability to connect the pioneering work of artists with collectors eager to participate in cultural life — building pathways where commerce and creativity reinforce one another.

John Blignaut
Co-Founder

John has spent much of his career at the intersection of creative industries, product development, and business strategy — building ventures that connect bold vision with clear execution. His early background in art and design continues to inform how he approaches the creation of innovative business models that create thoughtful user experiences for both artists and collectors.

 

A defining influence for John has been Ben Okri’s novel Stargazer, which shaped his understanding of artists as pioneers who expand the horizons of our culture. This belief drives his contribution to Salon: shaping the systems, strategies, and experiences that allow artists to focus on their practice while enabling collectors to embark on meaningful collecting journeys.

Curators: Join a Network Redefining Collecting

Salon offers curators the opportunity to shape a contextualised and ongoing collection of emerging art, working directly with artists to guide and select new work. Each exhibition is publicly credited to its curator, offering visibility, recognition, and a platform to build a curatorial voice. We work with curators from around the world and compensate them fairly for their time and expertise.

Laurie Ann Farrell
Founding Curator

Laurie Ann Farrell is an internationally recognized curator, art historian, and writer with more than two decades of experience shaping major institutions and exhibitions across the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. She has held senior curatorial roles at the Dallas Contemporary and the Detroit Institute of Arts, and previously served as Executive Director of Exhibitions at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her curatorial projects have included collaborations with artists such as Marina Abramović, Carrie Mae Weems, Yinka Shonibare, and Kader Attia, as well as groundbreaking exhibitions on contemporary African art.

 

As Salon’s Founding Curator, she plays a pivotal role in guiding our exhibitions and helping to define our curatorial voice. She brings deep experience in nurturing meaningful relationships with artists, and is also charged with connecting Salon to other curators, critics, and academics who contribute to reviewing artist submissions and offering constructive feedback as artists explore new directions in their work.

 

Together with the rest of the team, she is helping to steward Salon’s curatorial vision as the platform grows, ensuring that our exhibitions remain both rigorous and responsive to the evolving conversations of contemporary art.

Galleries: Support Your Roster with New Collectors

Salon strengthens the ecosystem galleries depend on. By offering artists consistent support between major exhibitions, we help sustain focused studio time, long-term development, and financial stability — all of which contribute to stronger work. For galleries, Salon can be a valuable source of well-prepared, curator-reviewed artists and a growing pipeline of engaged new collectors. We’re not here to compete, but to contribute — making it easier for galleries to do what they do best.