Olivier Chow is a cultural entrepreneur, founder and director of Foreign Agent, an art gallery dedicated to contemporary African art and culture, based in Lausanne. In his previous life, he worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a delegate, field and protection coordinator, deputy head of delegation and advisor on torture. He has a PhD in art history on the aesthetics of cruelty from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and has published in peer-reviewed publications such as Tate Papers and The International Review of the Red Cross (IRRC).