5 Things We Learned... Lolita Cros

Born in Paris, Lolita Cros is an independent curator living and working in New York City. She is known for creating projects and exhibitions that combine work by both established and emerging artists. I met Lolita at The Wing, where she was the in-house curator and art consultant from 2017 to 2019. Her passion for art and its dynamic storytelling is electric: she loves talking about artists and I enjoyed swapping tales about our experiences in non-traditional art curating.

With each of her projects, she proposes an alternative venue that asks the viewer to revisit their expectations and look at the work through a new and unique lens. Lolita has exhibited works in various spaces such as a Chinese restaurant in the Financial District, a rooftop in Brooklyn, a 26' truck parked in Chelsea, and events in Miami Art Basel. In 2016, Lolita started organizing and moderating a series of talks with established artists like Peter McGough (from McDermott & McGough), Duane Michals, Peter Saul and Tina Barney. In 2017, she founded The Salon, a permanent exhibition with rotating artworks featured in women’s club The Wing. Acting as sole curator and consultant for all nine of their US and international spaces, Cros worked with over 120 artists among which Marilyn Minter, the estate of Nancy Spero, Jenny Holzer, and Senga Nengudi to name a few. Cros’s exhibitions and talks have been featured in Artnet, Artnews, The Evening Standard, SF Chronicle, Garage, W Magazine and Vogue, among others.

Here are 5 Things We Learned about Lolita.

What made you...you?

My family, my 2 parents, and my 3 brothers.

When are you happiest?

When I’m cuddling with my dog; when I sit on the beach; when I just finish an installation, take a step back and can finally appreciate the exhibition I spent so much energy putting on.

Would you rather have a muse or be a muse?

I’m not a creative person and don’t know what I would do with a muse…look at them? I’d prefer to be a muse, that way I can sit down and watch them do.

Who do you admire?

I admire people who have never worried about time, about where things are going and how they happen. I admire people who just do.

What is important?

To be kind.