If you could live with just one work of art, what would it be?
I am lucky not to have to choose one work, as I already live surrounded by art —at home, because my husband is a painter, and at work, in the museum. My office is currently hung with a pair of enormous 18th-century landscape paintings by Richard Wilson. That will change, but for now I get to spend time with works I wouldn’t otherwise look at so often. Every day, I see something new, simply because I’m there.
Which cultural experience changed the way you see the world?
As a student I spent a year at the Cyprus School of Art. A group of us went by boat to Egypt. We didn’t have a plan, just ideas. We got on buses and trains and made friends with strangers. We exchanged clothes, hair accessories, music—I remember one of us gave a cassette player and tape with Little Fluffy Clouds [by the electronica group The Orb] to someone we met on a train. This was down-to-earth human-to-human cultural exchange, across language barriers, well before I worked in institutions.
Which writer or poet do you return to the most?
I enjoy discovering new writing. I like reading books by colleagues, friends, and peers to learn how they see their fields—recently, Kaywin Feldman’s book on leadership, Maria Balshaw’s on why museums matter, Dick Brodhead’s Speaking of Duke. I also read in a targeted way for projects; for Tracey Emin’s exhibition at YCBA I read her entire bibliography in chronological order, to understand the changing reception of her work. I also broadly read books on human behaviour—recently, Range, on the efficacy of generalists versus specialists, and The Culture Code, on what motivates groups. Understanding ourselves is a prerequisite for understanding others.
What music or other audio are you listening to?
I like NTS Radio, which my husband sometimes has on while he’s painting—it lets me discover unusual instrumental/electronic music and an astonishing range of creativity by contemporary artists I otherwise wouldn’t hear. It’s not unlike going to an art fair or museum—you know you will encounter art, but what you find is unplanned and surprising. Sometimes that openness gives you the richest experience.
What are you watching, listening to or following that you would recommend?
Any episode from [the podcast] Diary of a CEO that touches on something you’re curious about. It’s a deep dive into cutting-edge research—for example I learned about the link between oestrogen and frozen shoulder in women, and about common sleep disruptors.
What is art for?
Art cuts across time and place and takes us out of the ordinary. It reflects our world in ways that are open-ended and non-prescriptive. It teaches us about other cultures and reminds us of the endless possibilities and potential of humans. Creativity is essential to our humanity. That’s why public access to art matters.
• Rina Banerjee: Take me, take me, take me… to the Palace of love, until 13 September; Going Modern: British Art, 1900-1960, until 9 August, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven
