Towards-exhibition thoughts
From Chelsea Wiki
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[edit] Why Exhibit?
- exhibiting enables you to engage with the audience for art
- to see your work in a different context; exhibiting sometimes enables you to evaluate your artwork more clearly
- to meet people (other artists/curators etc) to get feedback on your work, and join a supportive social network
- to advertise yourself to others
- to gain cultural capital (it's all about exhibiting...partying, building a supportive network, creating a critical context for you artwork, etc)
[edit] What kind of exhibition?
- Is a gallery the appropriate context for your work?
- If you make films, photographs or performances what about cinemas, or outdoors, or on-line, or in a magazine?
- do you want to work site specifically. And if so, where? What might be the appropriate location -social networks, software, marketing, public spaces,etc
- what type of approach to art works would you like to encourage? Passive, participatory, thoughtful or orgiastic? How will you achieve this?
In terms of a title or an attitude, will you; (not sure I know what this means?)
- make new work to a specific idea, e.g. narratives of the city
- find a common thread in the work you make and emphasis that in the title and press-release
- just get your friends in and show under a non-targeting title
- take a different approach to those listed above
[edit] Where?
- Where would you imagine is the best place for your work to be encountered?
- How does the space/place/network operate?
if you are interested in galleries, you could look under directory of spaces for some suggestions
[edit] Audience
- The people you want to aim for are your peer group. These are the most useful resource that you have.
In term of engaging an audience you may like to conside the following:
- Have a party [private view] with free [sponsored] alchohol
- organise a discussion/seminar/talk/workshop/event to coincide with you exhibition
- network with other [local] events, communities and exhibitions
- press release/flyer - whatever you do, keep this simple and engaging
- mailing list - put your show on this site. Don't bother with purloined mailing lists with the likes of Nicholas Serota on them. They are very unlikely to come.
- Invite card - consider whether you really need one of these. an e-card or a photocopied flyer might do the job just as well.
Be realistic, the audience for contemporary art is relatively small and fickle. Collaborating, sharing resources and working with your audience is much more enjoyable than hiring a space, installing an exhibition and hoping people turn up to look at it.
How to get an exhibition
Write a proposal. This is as much for yourself as anyone else. It's an effective way to find out wether your plan is really a plan or a muddle.
[edit] Proposal
[edit] How to write a proposal
You should research the space/place/network before you make a proposal - this will also include meeting people!
If they have met you they are more likely to say yes to you. If you build in precisely HOW you'd use the space, that's even better. In brief - be precise - you need to convey the following information:
- Who is in the show (you need to be careful in considering how many)
- What works will be in the show (wall based work, video, floor based work..)
- What's the title of the show
- How long will the show be on for
- What will make this show better / more coherent than other show ideas
Think about what you can offer the gallery. What sort of work does the space usually tend to favour (you'll have to go to a few of their shows in advance to know this...)
Here is a proposal assembled for east, an open exhibition by people using the wiki last year: EAST 05
[edit] Proposal format
Each artist should have a one-page statement / proposal of what they will exhibit and a run down of previous shows nationality etc (a brief CV). Also perhaps an image of their work. This doesn't have to be the work that will be in the show but should give an indication of the type of thing they should expect.
If you submit on email be considerate about how many megs you are sending. Don't crash their server.
Be concrete as to what you would actually DO - how will the works relate to one another - who will come and see it...
If anyone has a proposal that worked it'd be good to post it somwhere on this site so that other people can get an idea of what to do...
[edit] CV
Seeing a particular CV is of no use to you, because it'll be a list of someone else's residencies and exhibitions, but in essence any CV should have:
- name
- address, contact details etc
- DOB
- education - when where what
- group exhibitions (when where title) (group exhibitions are more important that solos for you right now)
- solo exhibitions (when where title of show)
- projects/residencies/awards
(one example of a CV is Abigail Reynolds' - there are many others out there online if you browse artist's pages)
The CV is pretty much always with a statement.
[edit] Statement
Most people's statements are just horrible because they are over complicated... because making work is really complicated.
The statement should set out roughly what sorts of things you try to address in your practice. You'll be re-writing this for years. Start now!
I would put mine here, but it's dreadful. You can find loads of statements in catalogues and online, in fact you could look at the staff at Chelsea's statements and see what a mess they make.
here is one from Edwina Ashton
- To develop drawings and films exploring fantastical characters which pursue a sombre, and restrained scepticism alongside, hysterical excitement and aesthetic self reflection. To consider and develop expression and 'character' through scenarios and scripts exploring overstatement, action and inaction and the difficulties of communication. To see how these effect and relate to sentimentality, subjectivity and character. These drawings and films would adopt a skittish disregard towards solutions found and so reflect on the conformities of performing, events and evading seriousness.
Look at artists you like and see how they do it. Try to do it in 100 words though, or noone will read it...
