In 2010, we launched Berlin Art Link online magazine, along with a production company, Berlin Art Link Productions, as an innovative platform to bridge the gap between the contemporary art and culture world and the public sphere.
Based in Berlin but working worldwide, our reputation is built on more than ten years of experience in successfully bringing knowledge to both our readers and clients, enabling discovery and discussion through Berlin Art Link as well as our videos, events, and dynamic arts programming.
Drawing upon our professional backgrounds in events management, marketing, online publishing, and contemporary art and culture, we have expanded our network and knowledge of art scenes throughout North America, Europe, South Asia and the Persian Gulf Region.
As we approached our 10-year anniversary, we considered it time to mark the launch of a new chapter in our production company with a refreshed identity, and thus MONA was born.
MONA continues the spirit and ethos of our foundations, while reflecting our new and expanded range of clients, services, and increasing global projects, as well as our growing and dynamic team.
MONA reinforces our commitment to the highest quality of standards with a passion for making contemporary art and culture accessible to audiences worldwide.
Coming from two distinct professional backgrounds, Monica Salazar and Anna Russ are the co-founders of MONA, previously known as Berlin Art Link Productions, and the co-publishers of the online magazine Berlin Art Link. Before they decided to join forces in 2010, Monica had been working in marketing and events planning and Anna in cultural institutions, museums and archives.
Their concept for MONA originated from a shared interest in bridging their professional experiences with their passion for contemporary art.
Hailing from Texas and now based in Berlin, Monica is an avid traveler with an expansive international network that has led to realizing projects with leading museums, galleries, artists, universities, biennials and art fairs, as well as corporate and private clients around the world.
At the same time, Anna has lived in Berlin for nearly 20 years. Her extensive network and knowledge of the German capital directly contribute to MONA’s deeply rooted presence within the city and have led to significant projects with some of Berlin’s most important contemporary art spaces.
Emily McDermott is a Berlin-based independent writer and editor who focuses on visual art and culture. Her writing has been published by numerous magazines, including Frieze, ArtReview, Artsy, Wallpaper*, New York Magazine’s Vulture, artnet News, Vice’s Garage, and Elle, among others.
She has also worked on editing projects for various institutions, companies and publications such as Spike Art Magazine, David Chipperfield Architects, Art Basel, Mendes Wood DM and LISTE – Art Fair Basel, and was previously the digital art and music editor at Interview magazine in New York.
Grace Franck is an independent cultural producer and communications strategist focused on contemporary art and digital platforms.
Previously, she served as the Guggenheim Museum’s Digital Marketing Manager and later as Director of Mana BSMT at Mana Contemporary to spearhead the launch and development of a new artist space and residency program at the intersection of art and technology.
In 2017, she curated Flatland, featuring work by eighteen artists, presented in Downtown Miami during Miami Art Week.
Alison commissions, edits and publishes regular content for Berlin Art Link, including critical reviews, studio visits, interviews and announcements about contemporary art in Berlin and internationally.
She is also an independent editor, curator, and art & architecture critic, working with various publications including Momus, Artforum, Sleek, Art Margins, Rhizome, Archinect and Artsy. She has also curated a 5-year project in Bergen, Norway, looking at site-specific and public space art interventions supplemented with a theory workshop.
She received her MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London after studying Philosophy as an undergraduate.
Susann Zielinski is a freelance designer based in Berlin. She studied Visual Communication at the Berlin University of the Arts. With her graduation in 2008, she moved to Israel, focusing mostly on analogue photography, but also working in editorial design, music cover design and interior design.
Once back in Berlin in 2011, Susann founded Lilie von Grün, where she is working independently or in close collaboration with other creatives for design agencies, studios, brands, institutions and organisations such as Berlin Art Link or MONA. She co-founded Fabriken in 2013 – a co-working studio for her and 14 other creatives.
In 2015, after Susann’s redesign of Berlin Art Link’s website and identity, the online magazine was nominated for the German Design Award in the category of Excellent Communications Design.
Peter Cairns is a Berlin-based independent filmmaker. For over 15 years, he has specialized in filming, editing, sound recording and image coloring for documentary shorts and feature films, as well as broadcasting and commercial pieces. He has worked with a range of clients, including the BBC, The World Bank and Gucci, among others.
For the last 8 years, he been MONA's main point of contact for videos, working with them from pre-production to filming to post-production to create art-focused content for clients around the world.
