E31: How Art Creates Better Places with Marine Tanguy

What happens to a city that treats culture as an afterthought? Founder of MTArt Agency, Marine Tanguy explains why culture is not a luxury but essential urban infrastructure - and why investing in art and artists is one of the smartest decisions cities can make. Marine Tanguy has spent her career demonstrating that public art creates measurable economic, social, and mental health benefits. In this episode, recorded live at SXSW London in Shoreditch, host Tanisha Raffiuddin and Marine get into the real argument: why art is not a cultural luxury but a form of urban infrastructure, what the economics of public art actually look like, how the visual environments of working-class communities are systematically under-resourced, and why the rise of AI makes human creativity more urgent, not less.Marine also shares practical advice for developers, local authorities and city leaders looking to build places people genuinely love.This is a conversation about cities, belonging, and what we owe each other in shared space.TOPICS COVEREDWhy Marine built the world's first talent agency for visual artistsHow public art is valued economically - the academic frameworksThe billboard inequality statistic and what it reveals about cultural accessCities doing culture well: London, Manchester, Liverpool, Sydney, New York, Lyon, ParisPublic art, mental health, and social cohesionThe cost-of-living crisis versus long-term cultural investmentAI, creativity, and the class divide in access to critical thinkingWhat a culturally thriving city looks like in the next ten yearsIf you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe and share.MARINE TANGUYMarine Tanguy is the Founder & CEO of MTArt Agency, the world's first talent agency for visual artists, a Certified B Corporation with offices in London and Paris. She has published academic work on the economic valuation of public art with both Warwick University and UCL, and her first book - The Visual Detox - was published by Penguin. She was appointed a Special Advisor for UN Women UK in 2025.•        MTArt Agency: https://mtart.agencySupport the showTo learn more about host Tanisha Raffiuddin:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tanisharaffiuddin/Website: www.conceptculture.coInstagram: @tanisha.rrTo learn more about Talking Place:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/talking-place-podcastWebsite: www.conceptculture.co/talking-place-podcastInstagram: @talkingplacepodcastBluesky: @talkingplaceTikTok: @talkingplacepodcastTo learn more about Concept Culture:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/concept-culture-ukWebsite: www.conceptculture.coSign Up to Our Newsletter — mailchi.mp/conceptculture/newslettersignup