Milan Josepa is a member of Young Collectors Circle and works as a psychomotor therapist for various schools and organizations in Nijmegen in the Netherlands. He is a great lover of music and art and mainly collects photography.

"I always approach an artwork or exhibition from the heart. I like to see what a work does to me emotionally. If I feel something, I can make an initial connection with it and open my heart. I’m also intrigued when it evokes an unpleasant emotion, this gives entry for research and self-reflection. It can also be the case that I don't feel anything at all: this is both difficult and interesting, because I consider art to be an important entry point to our feelings. When I delve more into the background of an artist or an exhibition, these feelings can change again.

Everything I have in my home is a representation of a search for myself. Do I recognize myself in the artist or the story behind it? With a black father and a white mother, I like to represent the black and the white, but also the male and the female and everything in between. For instance, I have collected a work that features Muhammad Ali and another with Angela Davis. Elizaveta's edited photographs have something sensual and pop art-like and Campbell Addy plays a lot with gender, ethnicity and nationality in his work. I am consciously supporting women artists, queer artists and artists of color."

"When I really want something, I actually save up for it. Sometimes I take on extra work to buy art."

"I am a huge fan of William Klein. His work is so inspiring and authoritative. I first saw it in 2013 during an exhibition at Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam. I was still a student at that time and not into buying art yet. When I finally bought my first work by Klein, I decided to start collecting the whole series right away, and I succeeded in that. When I really want something I actually save up for it. Sometimes I take on extra work to buy art. It is enlightening to work for such a goal.

I buy most of my artworks online and have a number of sites that I check regularly. I often try to get there early, before it becomes a hype. I do this not as an investment but simply because there is a limit to what I can spend on an artwork. Friends often say, "Oh Milan, are you sure that's a wise idea?”, but I just know I won't get a chance after that. I also often wait until famous artists release a (special) edition that I can afford. I then spend months immersing myself in an artist's work. William Klein, for instance, did smaller collaborations and released a signed camera together with an art print. I like to look for collectors' items like that."

"I got a bit carried away and have piles of artworks that still need to be framed and hung. I was wondering if other Young Collectors have any advice for hanging lots of different works alongside each other. It really is a challenge to create a nice composition with attention to color and subject matter."

Young Collectors Circle is a non-profit community-based platform, dedicated to supporting the arts. Based in Amsterdam, they organize various events throughout the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as some online content including masterclasses on how art is made and interpreted. For internationals living in the Netherlands and Belgium, Young Collectors Circle is a great way to discover the local art scene. For members outside of the Netherlands, they regularly organize meetups worldwide during art fairs and events such as Frieze London & New York, Art Basel & Art Basel Miami Beach, ARCO MADRID and the Venice Biennale.