Curating with Intuition: TIFXB on Her Art Fair Debut and Curatorial Vision
Tif XB in CDMX Feb 2024 for the fairs.
Tiffany Wong, aka TIFXB (b.1994, Hong Kong), is a New York-based independent curator. Fueled by community, she was previously the director of Marvin Gardens, a Ridgewood-based gallery well-known for championing emerging voices. Being neighbors with the gallery, Tiffany and I became acquainted over the years, and as she prepares for her upcoming show at Future Fair, I get a chance to speak with her about her upcoming projects and her time at Marvin Gardens.
Anoushka Bhalla: Your curatorial practice mirrors that of an artist— can you speak more about your process and interests?
TIFXB: My curatorial approach is like a web with interconnected elements rather than just a straight line. I don't like formulaic approaches, it's just boring to me, so I'm constantly searching and experimenting, pushing back against the obvious easy answers, even if they work. It is similar to cooking without a recipe—you look around at what you have, trust your instincts, and make something unique to that moment and to you.
I actually think of myself as an artist first, even though I'm not creating work right now. Curation is the research part of my artistic process, but it’s non-traditional in that it's intuitive and intentionally unstructured. I find myself drawn to the unfamiliar, often circling back to things I didn't understand initially. What's interesting is that these challenges usually lead to the most rewarding connections.
Paree Rohera, Perils of Marble (2025). Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 20 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist.
AB: Congratulations on your debut booth at Future Fair! I understand you’re collaborating with Indian artist Paree Rohera. Can you tell me how this show came about?
TIFXB: I've attended Future Fair for the last few years and have been drawn to their platform’s focus on emerging voices—it felt like a bold way to debut, and the timing felt perfect for launching this new chapter after leaving Marvin Gardens last fall. Paree Rohera came into my orbit about a year ago, and I'd been waiting for the right project to collaborate with her on. As she's graduating from her BFA at RISD this May, it seemed like an ideal moment to help launch her career while I'm embarking on a new phase myself. Although my approach is often fluid, there's intention behind it—bringing people together at the right place and right time creates something powerful. We're both stepping into something new together, which makes this collaboration especially meaningful.
I want to talk briefly about Paree because I think she has this rare combination of raw talent and huge potential that's truly exciting to witness at this stage of her career. There's a striking maturity in how she approaches both concept and technique. With my background in illustration, I was immediately drawn to how striking her images are—what captivates me is the intimacy gradient in her pieces—the longer you look, the more detail and depth emerge, pulling you deeper into her world. She's able to truly create pieces that are a meditation, a portrait of internal states made visible. Like how she translates claustrophobia into figures depicted in enclosed spaces, and the anxiety of being perceived in certain ways—like with hair literally crawling across the face, consuming the figure in this visceral, unsettling way. Everything in her compositions feels deliberately placed yet organic, creating tension that resonates long after you've stopped looking.
Artists & Recipes curated by TIFXB.
AB: You recently curated Trevor Warren’s solo at Field Projects. What inspired you to work with him and the gallery?
TIFXB: Meeting with Trevor last fall, right before my Hong Kong trip, was serendipitous—I caught him in the midst of what felt like an exciting breakthrough in his work. When I returned to the US and visited his studio again, I found myself telling him on the spot, "I don't have a space yet, don't know when or where, but I'd love to collaborate and show your work." Remarkably, just minutes later, as I settled into my Uber, William Chan from Field Projects called. William is an insanely funny and genuinely great person—as an artist himself, he's dedicated to supporting other artists and social causes he believes in, which I admire. Field Projects, being this small, focused space in the heart of Chelsea, provided the perfect venue for Trevor's work. What draws me to Trevor's practice is how he embodies what I've always imagined an artist to be—that archetype of someone constantly exploring, refining and pushing themselves into unknown territories. His search is methodical, well-developed, and executed with remarkable precision – and I think it's important to give people their flowers when they are brave enough to pursue their vision.
AB: You were the director of Marvin Gardens for 3 years, where you curated 42 exhibitions, countless artists, and managed 3 spaces (including one in collaboration with CHART). Tell me about your experience—It must be exhilarating managing so much programming at once.
TIFXB: It was absolutely a rollercoaster—the perfect combination of fun and stressful. I wanted to do it, so I put myself fully into it. What's interesting is that it was actually my first approach back into the art world, and I have this undying gratitude to Anthony Miler, the gallerist, for letting me take the reins. I think what he built was truly special: a gallery by the artist, for the artist—focused on the technicality of art making. You can see that in Anthony's practice as well, this careful obsession with how art is made. In terms of my experience, because it was just Anthony and me, I had the opportunity to learn all aspects of running a gallery from programming to sales.
The programming at Marvin usually will start with a list of artists that Anthony and I accumulated. We'll do studio visits and see what can be slotted into the schedule being mindful of coinciding shows being somewhat compatible. For example, in 2022, I curated a solo show with Janine Iverson. Her works are about the language of painting, heavy with the brushstrokes—And next to it, there was a two person show with Tom Henry and Wallace Dibble, whose works were also about language and visual codes. Tom painted isolated landscapes from his commute, almost like photographic documentation, and cropped in an elusive way. Whereas, Wallace Dibble's showed her dew drop paintings which had an abstract background, and were paired with trompe-l'oeil droplets with hidden text. In a sense, although the works were very different, the show was speaking about language, communication and decoding.
Courtesy of TIFXB.
AB: What were some of the highlights from your time at Marvin Gardens?
TIFXB: The community! Let me paint the picture: tucked away in graffiti-laden buildings with no obvious entry. Once every 5 weeks, the wide sidewalk, 3 gallery spaces, the loading dock, and the brewery across the street filled with artists, families, neighbors, engaged collectors—all converging to see and talk about art. You can't explain how amazing it was in words—if you were lucky enough to experience it, you will know what I mean.
Another standout moment was last year's programming for "Choose Your Fighter ii !" I invited two experimental noise groups, Dog and Masaaki, to perform during Elisa Soliven preternatural sculpture show in R&R, an outdoor fast and furious collaboration between Tribeca's CHART Gallery and Marvin Gardens.
And last, but not least, if I can have a third highlight. The closing bakeoff for Abby Lloyd's "Artists in Recipes." Artists in the show, as well as anyone who wanted to, could participate. I don't remember how many contestants there were, but four long tables were brimming with absurd interpretations of cake.
AB: Apart from your booth at Future Fair, what else have you been up to, and what are you thinking of next?
TIFXB: I've been project managing for multi-disciplinary artist Jo Shane, helping prepare for her upcoming solo exhibition at Blade Study. Beyond that? You'll find out when the next things happen at Real-Time. In all honesty, though, I'm waiting for this month to be over so I can go to the spa, catch up with friends, finish settling into my new apartment, and spend more time with my dog-ter, Broadway.
Edited by Xuezhu Jenny Wang
