OUR STORY
About
CasildART is your space to explore contemporary Black art and honour Black stories, experiences, and culture.
CasildART Contemporary CIC is a not-for-profit Black-led organisation founded to foster a more inclusive and supportive creative culture by addressing the lack of representation of Black artists in museums, commercial galleries, and fine art institutions. We aim to raise awareness and increase the visibility of their work, amplify their voices and give freedom to their creative expression.
Connection is at the heart of everything that we do. We aim to bring artworks together with the critical conversations that flourish through and around them, intersecting diverse themes, ideas, and cultures. We invite you to join our community of artists, art collectors, and art lovers and experience the best of contemporary Black art, transforming the way we see the world.
History
Make Art Your Dwelling Place
Founded in 2019 by Sukai Eccleston, CasildART was incorporated as a social enterprise
in 2021. The name originates from Sukai’s grandmother, Casilda Holmes, an inspirational
self-made business woman who cared for Sukai in Jamaica until she was six years old.
Sukai decided to name the organisation after her to honour her memory. She later
discovered that the name ‘Casilda’ has an Arabic root, meaning ‘dwelling place’. This
name evoked feelings of connection to one’s heritage, identity and home, which
encapsulated CasildART’s mission to inspire a sense of belonging.
History
Make Art Your Dwelling Place
Founded in 2019 by Sukai Eccleston, CasildART was incorporated as a social enterprise in 2021. The name originates from Sukai’s grandmother, Casilda Holmes, an inspirational
self-made business woman who cared for Sukai in Jamaica until she was six years old. Sukai decided to name the organisation after her to honour her memory. She later discovered that the name ‘Casilda’ has an Arabic root, meaning ‘dwelling place’. This name evoked feelings of connection to one’s heritage, identity and home, which encapsulated CasildART’s mission to inspire a sense of belonging.
Upholding representation, fostering
conversations and connection
We sell, showcase and promote art by artists with an African or Caribbean background,
platforming the vibrant and rich heritage of Black people. Standing at
the intersection of creativity, culture and community, we host exhibitions and events
designed to celebrate our unique narratives and the joy and beauty of
being Black.We connect emerging and mid-career artists to opportunities to monetise
their work and support their professional development by providing
bespoke artist management and training services.
At CasildART, we provide services to schools, libraries, corporations and other institutions
to host exhibitions and educational programmes. We work with partner organisations to
introduce contemporary Black art to their permanent collections, and organise corporate
exhibitions for national events including Black History Month and International Women’s
Day. All profits from our sales are reinvested to provide funding for exhibitions,
residencies and workshops.
platforming the vibrant and rich heritage of Black people. Standing at
the intersection of creativity, culture and community, we host exhibitions and events
designed to celebrate our unique narratives and the joy and beauty of
being Black.We connect emerging and mid-career artists to opportunities to monetise
their work and support their professional development by providing
bespoke artist management and training services.
At CasildART, we provide services to schools, libraries, corporations and other institutions
to host exhibitions and educational programmes. We work with partner organisations to
introduce contemporary Black art to their permanent collections, and organise corporate
exhibitions for national events including Black History Month and International Women’s
Day. All profits from our sales are reinvested to provide funding for exhibitions,
residencies and workshops.
Upholding representation, fostering conversations and connection
We sell, showcase and promote art by artists with an African or Caribbean background, platforming the vibrant and rich heritage of Black people. Standing at the intersection of creativity, culture and community, we host exhibitions and events
designed to celebrate our unique narratives and the joy and beauty of being Black.We connect emerging and mid-career artists to opportunities to monetise their work and support their professional development by providing bespoke artist management and training services.
At CasildART, we provide services to schools, libraries, corporations and other institutions
to host exhibitions and educational programmes. We work with partner organisations to
introduce contemporary Black art to their permanent collections, and organise corporate
exhibitions for national events including Black History Month and International Women’s
Day. All profits from our sales are reinvested to provide funding for exhibitions, residencies and workshops.
Our Mission
Art is testimony to a life lived.
At CasildART, our work is centred around enacting change, transforming the UK artistic
landscape by inserting Black narratives into the visual culture.
- Champion. Harnessing the power of representation, we represent Black British, Caribbean
and African artists to showcase the diversity of contemporary Black art. We aim to increase
awareness and visibility by providing a platform for artists to sell their work, creating
tangible opportunities for them to make a sustainable living from their practice. - Change. By celebrating and promoting Black art, we are building an ecosystem that will
make the UK’s visual culture a more inclusive, welcoming and equitable space. We
encourage dynamic discussions that draw people together, engaging in lively conversations
about the stories and experiences that unite us. - Connect. We recognise the transformative power of art to move and inspire diverse
audiences. Our work with libraries, corporations and community organisations engages
and encourages participation in Black visual culture that excites and challenges audiences. - Nurture. We aim to inspire young people to pursue a career in the cultural sector,
increasing accessibility to the arts and fostering the belief that creative career pathways are
viable, profitable and rewarding. In turn, we are building a network of interconnected
creators including curators, writers and archivists to support and bolster Black creatives.
Stay Connected. Join Our Community.
Our Mission
Art is testimony to a life lived.
At CasildART, our work is centred around enacting change, transforming the UK artistic landscape by inserting Black narratives into the visual culture.
- Champion. Harnessing the power of representation, we represent Black British, Caribbean and African artists to showcase the diversity of contemporary Black art. We aim to increase awareness and visibility by providing a platform for artists to sell their work, creating
tangible opportunities for them to make a sustainable living from their practice. - Change. By celebrating and promoting Black art, we are building an ecosystem that will make the UK’s visual culture a more inclusive, welcoming and equitable space. We encourage dynamic discussions that draw people together, engaging in lively conversations about the stories and experiences that unite us.
- Connect. We recognise the transformative power of art to move and inspire diverse audiences. Our work with libraries, corporations and community organisations engages and encourages participation in Black visual culture that excites and challenges audiences.
- Nurture. We aim to inspire young people to pursue a career in the cultural sector, increasing accessibility to the arts and fostering the belief that creative career pathways are viable, profitable and rewarding. In turn, we are building a network of interconnected creators including curators, writers and archivists to support and bolster Black creatives.
Stay Connected. Join Our Community.
Our team
SUKAI ECCLESTON
CEO & FOUNDER
Sukai Eccleston has worked across broadcast media, film and TV licensing and digital marketing. She understands the power of representation through the visual arts, but also how to monetise art through various channels and online marketplaces. Sukai advises and assists new and emerging artists on how to navigate contractual agreements and manage their careers, and offers consultancy services to arts organisations on curation and event-planning. Sukai’s curatorial practice is centred on celebrating the joy and beauty she sees within Black people and finding disruptive ways to showcase contemporary Black art to wide and diverse audiences.
HEATHER GOODMAN
DIRECTOR
Heather Goodman is an award-winning theatre director specialising in new writing, radio drama producer and BBC trained producer/director with extensive experience in television arts documentaries. Currently, she works part-time as a Researcher for Green Door, a Film/TV production company, and is studying for her PhD at Birkbeck University on the subject of Cosmological Disruptions.
JAQUILINE CROOKS
CONSULTANT
Jacqueline Crooks has twenty-five years of experience managing charities and community groups and developing support services for BME communities. She has experience across governance, fundraising, safeguarding, volunteer management, monitoring and evaluation, and project development and delivery.
Our team
SUKAI ECCLESTON
CEO & FOUNDER
Sukai Eccleston has worked across broadcast media, film and TV licensing and digital marketing. She understands the power of representation through the visual arts, but also how to monetise art through various channels and online marketplaces. Sukai advises and assists new and emerging artists on how to navigate contractual agreements and manage their careers, and offers consultancy services to arts organisations on curation and event-planning. Sukai’s curatorial practice is centred on celebrating the joy and beauty she sees within Black people and finding disruptive ways to showcase contemporary Black art to wide and diverse audiences.
HEATHER GOODMAN
DIRECTOR
Heather Goodman is an award-winning theatre director specialising in new writing, radio drama producer and BBC trained producer/director with extensive experience in television arts documentaries. Currently, she works part-time as a Researcher for Green Door, a Film/TV production company, and is studying for her PhD at Birkbeck University on the subject of Cosmological Disruptions.
JAQUILINE CROOKS
CONSULTANT
Jacqueline Crooks has twenty-five years of experience managing charities and community groups and developing support services for BME communities. She has experience across governance, fundraising, safeguarding, volunteer management, monitoring and evaluation, and project development and delivery.
Advisory Board
IFEOMA DIKE
BOARD
Nigerian-born Ifeoma Dike is an experienced psychologist who earned an MSc in Cognitive Neuropsychology at Oxford Brooks University. She aspired to use art as a therapeutic intervention for mental health, which inspired her to forge a new career trajectory in the artworld as an advisor, curator, culture activist and producer. She established IDD UK as a one-stop source to help individual, private, and corporate art buyers and collectors in their quest for great art, and has collaborated with various artists and partnered with over 40 galleries across the globe. Ifeoma is an ardent believer that business and philanthropy can happen simultaneously. Using her platform to support up and coming artists in outside established areas and locations continues to be a primary focus.
EDO NDEKE
BOARD
Edo Ndeke was the Co-Founder and Commercial
Director of the Demif Gallery. He was in charge of the
day-to-day operational running of the business, which
included managing the gallery’s business strategy and
the overall responsibility for the successful planning,
design, execution and monitoring of project
operations and client services. The Demif Gallery is an
online art gallery built with passion and dedicated to
art lovers and collectors. Located in England, they sell
artwork from cream-of-the-crop emerging talent from
the UK and around the world.
Director of the Demif Gallery. He was in charge of the
day-to-day operational running of the business, which
included managing the gallery’s business strategy and
the overall responsibility for the successful planning,
design, execution and monitoring of project
operations and client services. The Demif Gallery is an
online art gallery built with passion and dedicated to
art lovers and collectors. Located in England, they sell
artwork from cream-of-the-crop emerging talent from
the UK and around the world.
IFEOMA DIKE
BOARD
Nigerian-born Ifeoma Dike is an experienced psychologist who earned an MSc in Cognitive Neuropsychology at Oxford Brooks University. She aspired to use art as a therapeutic intervention for mental health, which inspired her to forge a new career trajectory in the artworld as an advisor, curator, culture activist and producer. She established IDD UK as a one-stop source to help individual, private, and corporate art buyers and collectors in their quest for great art, and has collaborated with various artists and partnered with over 40 galleries across the globe. Ifeoma is an ardent believer that business and philanthropy can happen simultaneously. Using her platform to support up and coming artists in outside established areas and locations continues to be a primary focus.
EDO NDEKE
BOARD
Edo Ndeke was the Co-Founder and Commercial
Director of the Demif Gallery. He was in charge of the
day-to-day operational running of the business, which
included managing the gallery’s business strategy and
the overall responsibility for the successful planning,
design, execution and monitoring of project
operations and client services. The Demif Gallery is an
online art gallery built with passion and dedicated to
art lovers and collectors. Located in England, they sell
artwork from cream-of-the-crop emerging talent from
the UK and around the world.
Director of the Demif Gallery. He was in charge of the
day-to-day operational running of the business, which
included managing the gallery’s business strategy and
the overall responsibility for the successful planning,
design, execution and monitoring of project
operations and client services. The Demif Gallery is an
online art gallery built with passion and dedicated to
art lovers and collectors. Located in England, they sell
artwork from cream-of-the-crop emerging talent from
the UK and around the world.
GALIA WELLS
BOARD
Galia has over 15 years of experience in the financial services for companies such as Deloitte and Morgan Stanley, working in sustainable investing for EBRD and she has recently joined the PwC Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting team. She is a fellow of the UCLA Santander W50 Women Leadership programme and an alumni of London Business School. Originally from Kazakhstan, she now lives in London with her antique dealer husband Nicholas, seven year old son Simon and her cavapoo Apple.
YASIN ALIMAM
BOARD
Yasin joins CasildART with a deep passion for the
arts; he is personally an avid collector of urban art
and has seen firsthand the obstacles that Black
artists face in gaining awareness and recognition
in the industry. Yasin has over a decade of experience in Private Equity and Infrastructure and has been involved in the financing of major infrastructure developments such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel. He is the Founder and Chief Patch Officer at HotPatch, a platform dedicated to simplifying access to space for creatives and professionals across industries, as well as helping business and space operators monetise their underused space as an asset.
GALIA WELLS
BOARD
Galia has over 15 years of experience in the financial services for companies such as Deloitte and Morgan Stanley, working in sustainable investing for EBRD and she has recently joined the PwC Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting team. She is a fellow of the UCLA Santander W50 Women Leadership programme and an alumni of London Business School. Originally from Kazakhstan, she now lives in London with her antique dealer husband Nicholas, seven year old son Simon and her cavapoo Apple.
YASIN ALIMAM
BOARD
Yasin joins CasildART with a deep passion for the
arts; he is personally an avid collector of urban art
and has seen firsthand the obstacles that Black
artists face in gaining awareness and recognition
in the industry. Yasin has over a decade of experience in Private Equity and Infrastructure and has been involved in the financing of major infrastructure developments such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel. He is the Founder and Chief Patch Officer at HotPatch, a platform dedicated to simplifying access to space for creatives and professionals across industries, as well as helping business and space operators monetise their underused space as an asset.
Address
32 Connaught Street
Connaught Village
London
W2 2AF
Company
Customer
Contact Us
info@casildart.com
CasildART © 2024