Sotheby’s Institute Alumnae Reframe Separation Through 5-Minute Bedtime Stories

AL: I first met Maria in spring 2023 at her Fitzrovia show, Five Minutes of Bad Time Stories. I liked the show and Maria’s practice; it felt very honest, authentic, and thoughtful. We remained in touch, and at some point, I mentored Maria on her artistic career progression.

When I went to work for myself at Landerlander, Maria offered me the chance to collaborate on the launch of her book, which grew from that very first Fitzrovia show.

MG: Anastasia and I first met through a mutual friend, and she later attended my exhibition Five Minutes of Bad Time Stories in 2023. At that moment, I didn’t yet know the project would become a book. That opportunity came later, when Skira proposed the publication.

We stayed in touch, and in the summer of 2025, I joined her personal mentoring program. Around that time, she mentioned she was leaving the communications agency where she was working. It felt like the right moment to invite her to collaborate on the book and support its PR.

Our roles were clear and complementary: I focused on the artistic and conceptual direction, while Anastasia handled communication strategy, especially for the UK and European markets.

The book uses fairytale structures to reframe divorce through a feminist lens. How did you both interpret this approach, and what impact do you hope it has on readers?

AL: As a philologist, I am very immersed in Morphology of the Folktale, the seminal work of Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp. Maria taps into his findings to reframe existing divorce narratives through a feminist lens. She breaks apart the familiar tropes of a fairytale — something boys and girls are raised with from childhood — the stories that plant the idea of a happily-ever-after script, of a docile, beautiful princess who doesn’t say much but remains lovely and charming, and of a prince who gets to choose between many pretty faces.

Ultimately, she makes the princess the true protagonist of the tale — the heroine’s journey is what interests her most. All this resonates with me as a feminist, as a married woman, and as a mother to a young girl. As someone who hopes for a better future for my daughter, I love Maria’s message to women: don’t be afraid to change your life; you are stronger than you think, and only you know what is good for you.

MG: For me, using fairytale structures felt completely natural. When I began the project, I conducted eleven in-depth interviews with women from different social backgrounds about their experiences of separation and divorce. Once all the interviews were completed, I realized there was one element that connected every story: each woman told me she had not been prepared for the divorce.

That made me think about the unconscious. Why do powerful, accomplished women still feel unprepared? I turned to the stories we grow up with. Our identities are shaped by stories — this is how the mind absorbs information. As children, we are raised on fairytales, yet there are none about divorce. Fairytales always end with “they lived happily ever after.” There is no narrative framework for endings.

That was the moment I understood I needed to work with the structure of fairytales. I decided to rewrite these twelve real stories as modern bedtime tales and called the project 5-Minute Bedtime Stories. The simplicity of the fairytale form allows it to speak directly to the subconscious.

Even though this is an artist’s book, the stories themselves are ultimately supportive. The heroines are strong, the arcs are positive, and I hope that any woman going through separation or divorce can find reassurance, recognition, and a sense of inner strength in these pages.

Artist books often sit at the intersection of literature and visual culture — how do you see this format influencing contemporary art discourse?

AL: I think it’s a brilliant entry point into the art world. It’s a familiar and accessible object, which has historically been a portal to art. From Sophie Calle’s narrative photo-books such as Suite Vénitienne, to Louise Bourgeois’s intimate textile books, to Annette Messager’s stitched and annotated image-albums, art history is full of moments when the book becomes a portable exhibition. In the late Soviet context, artists such as Erik Bulatov, Viktor Pivovarov, Ilya Kabakov, and others worked as children’s book illustrators because it was one of the few relatively uncensored spaces.

In Maria’s case, the artist book helps her hold together and amplify the narrative, research interviews, and images of her artworks in one continuous gesture, so that sculpture, text, and feminist analysis speak at the same volume. In 5-Minute Bedtime Stories, we find a space where divorce is treated as authorship rather than failure, and where women’s voices are the primary source. This is one of the ways that artist books shift contemporary discourse: by elevating lived experience and hybrid forms of knowledge to a part of art history.

MG: Artist books definitely sit at the intersection of literature and visual culture. For me, that hybrid form is incredibly liberating. An artist’s book allows narrative, image, memory, and emotion to coexist on equal terms — without the hierarchy that often appears in more traditional formats.

When I was creating 5-Minute Bedtime Stories, I was very inspired by artists and writers who work in this in-between space. Sophie Calle, for example, is a major reference for me — the way she uses text, image, and personal narrative creates an intimate yet conceptual language. I was also moved by Annie Ernaux and her book L’usage de la photo, made with Marc Marie. The combination of photographs and fragmented text, the traces of intimacy, the scattered clothes — there is so much fragility and humanity in that work.

Artist books also broaden contemporary art discourse by challenging the hierarchy of mediums. They put text, image, and concept on equal footing and create a more intimate form of spectatorship — slow, tactile, personal. The format travels beyond the white cube and opens a dialogue between visual art, literature, and lived experience. In that sense, artist books don’t just present stories; they expand the ways we think about art and how it reaches its audience.

How did your experience at Sotheby’s Institute shape your thinking about art as a tool for storytelling and social change?

AL: Throughout the MA in Art Business we looked at how art can act as a megaphone for social change, from feminist institutional critique to projects around migration and loss. Seeing how art can reframe questions of power, gender, and care taught me to look at storytelling in art as a structural tool, not just a stylistic device.

That is exactly how I think about 5-Minute Bedtime Stories: it’s a project that uses a familiar format — the bedtime book — to open up difficult conversations about divorce, the collapse of one’s beliefs, and the opportunity to be yourself without complying with society’s demands in a way that is accessible, sarcastic, and ultimately very supportive.

MG: My career shift into art started during my studies at Sotheby’s Institute. What influenced me most was studying 20th-century art — the moment when art freed itself from commissions and from the obligation to produce “beauty.” Aesthetics moved toward decorative and applied arts, and artists gained the space to address social, political, and personal realities directly.

This understanding shaped how I think about contemporary practice. Art today doesn’t simply depict the world; it intervenes in it and becomes part of broader social change.

Were there specific moments during your studies that sparked ideas or confidence to pursue projects like this?

AL: I enjoyed the elective on curating contemporary art taught by Marcus Verhagen, where he showed us how many narratives can unfold from a single exhibition. Tutorial sessions with Gareth Fletcher were a constant source of inspiration: he encouraged me to think beyond the obvious and to use this one transformative year to explore the art world as fully as I could.

MG: One of the moments that shaped me during my studies was the contemporary art course taught by Flavia Frigeri, who is now the Curatorial and Collections Director at the National Portrait Gallery in London. I appreciated the clarity and structure of her teaching — especially the way she connected Post-War art with contemporary practice and pushed us to analyze key works critically.

Her feedback was precise and to the point, and those classes gave me a solid framework for thinking. They helped me understand that my approach and perspective could develop into a project like 5-Minute Bedtime Stories.

How can students make the most of their time at Sotheby’s Institute to build networks and develop entrepreneurial skills?

AL: I love that the Institute wants the students to be in charge of their learning; everyone’s journey becomes truly unique, and each student gets the MA they’ve shaped themselves. This requires a very “grown-up” mindset, but, as Gareth Fletcher always told us: “You’ve taken a year of your busy lives to try something new. Use this time to the fullest, experiment, and try new things while you’re at it.”

I did the MA in Art Business to pivot my career in communications into a completely new market and geography, and it’s been incredibly helpful — turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made in life.

MG: I studied at Sotheby’s Institute during the pandemic and the alumni community has been extremely valuable for me. I attend alumni events in London, Paris, and even during Art Basel, those have been the real places where networking happens. You simply have to show up, speak to people, and build relationships — that is where the long-term value is.

As for entrepreneurial skills, the Art and Business course gave me a clear understanding of how the art market functions: how value is created, how monetization works, and where the financial structures sit. Even as a practicing artist, that knowledge is practical and necessary.

What advice or tips would you give to Sotheby’s Institute applicants?

AL: Ask a lot of questions, starting with yourself. Why do I want this MA? Do I need it for my career, or am I doing it for pleasure? All answers are valid, but the outcomes will be very different. Be proactive; research a lot, plan well. You’ll have a very busy agenda with lectures, seminars, trips, and reading weeks; with lots of writing, editing, and networking.

No matter how busy you are, go to previews, see art, meet gallerists, collectors, dealers, journalists, and critics — and get to know your peers. These are the people you’ll be bumping into for the rest of your art world career, so you’d better get a good start on these relationships.

MG: My main advice is to be prepared for a very intensive and immersive program. It requires a lot of work, but it also gives a level of depth that is essential if you want to operate professionally in the art world. Without that depth, it’s very easy to see who understands the field and who doesn’t — two questions are usually enough.

Sotheby’s Institute provides a solid foundation: a structured way of thinking, a clear understanding of how the art world functions, and the ability to navigate different parts of it. What the Institute gives you is the necessary intellectual grounding to choose the direction you want, and to enter that part of the art world with confidence and competence.