“I’ve never really wanted to be in any place other than exactly where I am right now”

Raised in the Midwest with a Bahá’í-guided detachment toward material culture, Hikari Yokoyama has honed her sense of impartiality as a consultant within the contemporary art world. Whether connecting brands for collaboration, building companies such as Paddle8—the online auction house she co-founded—or serving on the board of Women for Women International, Hikari excels at bringing projects to life.

How do you describe what you do for a living?

I’ve always been a bridge person. In art school, I realized very quickly that I wasn’t yearning to say something through my own work—that I didn’t have to make work—I preferred learning what others had to say. I’m interested in figuring out ways to present ideas to different audiences, often through the medium of art. While ...