At the Intersections: Annka Kultys Reflecting on Twenty Years of Connections and an Unconventional Journey
Curiosity has been the constant thread throughout my life. It has led me across disciplines, cultures and industries—from mathematics and finance to fashion, and contemporary art.
At the Intersections
Curiosity has been the constant thread throughout my life. It has led me across disciplines, cultures and industries—from mathematics and finance to luxury, fashion and contemporary art. At first glance, these worlds may seem unrelated, yet for me they have always formed part of the same journey: understanding systems, recognising patterns, making sense of complexity, and building meaningful connections.
Mathematics shaped the way I think, teaching me to look for the hidden structures beneath complexity and to appreciate the elegance of a language capable of interpreting abstract worlds with extraordinary precision. It taught me that beauty often lies not in what is immediately visible, but in the invisible patterns that reveal order, meaning and coherence within complexity.
Finance became my professional starting point. In private banking in Geneva, I advised clients on wealth management and portfolio restructuring before moving into gold hedging at one of the world’s leading precious metals refineries. These early experiences introduced me to the complexities of global financial markets, but more importantly they taught me that every financial decision is ultimately a human one, shaped by trust, ambition and a long-term vision.
International business development opened a new chapter, managing markets across Europe and the Middle East within the Swiss watch industry before moving to Paris to lead the international expansion of a French footwear brand beyond France. Working across continents, I came to understand that successful business extends far beyond products or commercial strategy. It is about people, trust and storytelling; about understanding cultural contexts while navigating international trade and regulatory frameworks. Those years taught me that markets may be global, but business remains profoundly human.
Throughout that first decade, a pattern was quietly emerging. I realised that my role was never simply to sell products or execute strategies. I was always creating connections: between companies and markets, between cultures, between ideas and opportunities. Whether in finance, luxury or fashion, I found myself helping organisations imagine possibilities that did not yet exist.
Throughout those years, art remained my constant. Alongside every professional role, I devoted my spare time to reading, visiting museums, galleries, biennales and art fairs around the world. Long before art became my profession, it had already become my way of understanding the world.
Pursuing Art & Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, followed by a Master’s in Contemporary Art, was not a rupture but the natural continuation of that lifelong curiosity. It allowed me to unite analytical thinking with cultural practice and gave intellectual expression to a passion that had accompanied me for many years. I became increasingly fascinated by artists’ ways of thinking and their visions of the world, particularly those whose work engages with technology to question the systems, assumptions and structures that shape contemporary life. It felt less like changing careers than finally discovering the language I had been searching for all along.
Founding the gallery was not simply the next step in my career; it was the moment when everything I had learned—in mathematics, finance, international business and years immersed in art—finally converged into a practice that felt entirely my own. It brought together analytical thinking and intuition, entrepreneurship and cultural practice, curiosity and conviction.
In 2015, I founded ANNKA KULTYS GALLERY in London. From its inception, the gallery has been dedicated to artists working at the forefront of media art, digital culture and, more recently, artificial intelligence. More than an exhibition space, I conceived it as a laboratory for experimentation, discovery and dialogue—reimagining how art is presented, experienced and collected. It is an ecosystem of intersections, where artists, curators, technologists, philosophers and audiences come together to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and imagine new futures.
Alongside the gallery, teaching gradually became an essential part of my practice. Working with institutions including Goldsmiths, the Courtauld Institute of Art, the University of the Arts London and the University of Cambridge has reinforced my conviction that knowledge is never static. I have always believed that knowledge acquires its greatest value when it is shared. Every seminar, every conversation and every encounter becomes an opportunity not only to exchange ideas but also to question my own assumptions. Teaching has never felt separate from curating; both begin with curiosity and a willingness to ask questions.
If there is a single thread running through everything I have done, it is the desire to connect disciplines that are often kept apart. Mathematics and art. Finance and culture. Technology and philosophy. Commerce and critical thinking. I have always been fascinated by what happens at these intersections, where new ideas emerge because different worlds begin speaking to one another.
Perhaps this is the real story of my twenty-year career. It is not a sequence of professions, but a continuous exploration of how ideas travel across disciplines, how innovation grows through collaboration, and how curiosity can become a lifelong method for understanding—and shaping—the world.
Looking back, every transition that once seemed unexpected now reveals itself as part of the same story: one driven by curiosity, guided by connection, and sustained by a belief that the most meaningful discoveries emerge at the intersections—where disciplines, cultures and people meet.
Annka Kultys, August 2026