How did your show go Jasper?

Contemporary and Old Art Reviews

How did your show go Jasper?

Postby jasperjoffe » Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:47 am

You hear this question all the time when you have a show on. Perhaps people are just being politely interested/making conversation. I think they are asking what material benefits you have reaped from your exhibition, such as paintings sold, new shows generated, reviews received. As an artist who I am, I am always wanting more (perhaps this is because I am a consumer in a capitalist society but let's not get into that) so I temper my inner enormous disappointed expectations with something which I think people want to hear, like very well, a great success, really good. Sometimes inquisitive/rude people ask how many paintings you have sold, what are you doing next etc, legitimate questions perhaps, and then you are pinned down to quantitative reality.

Imagine if people asked you whether you thought your paintings (or other art stuff) were any good, whether the show had changed your ideas about your work, or they even started a discussion about the meaning/effect/beauty/failure of your hard won artworks. Perhaps if this was the primary dialogue casually generated by shows then we would be in a better art world where the value of what you achieved was measured by engagement as opposed to commerce. Sure I know this sounds like a loser concept for failed artists but think about who the winners are of us always having to sell ourselves. All artists have to lose is the poverty of their expectations, what success that would be.

BTW, my show is going really well, and today is the last day.
http://www.jasperjoffe.com
jasperjoffe
Site Admin
 
Posts: 768
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:53 pm

Re: How did your show go Jasper?

Postby CAP » Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:03 am

It is terribly hard when you work so long and hard on stuff and then get absolutely zilch critical response. I mean ultimately, even an hysterical slagging is better than being ignored. Not because 'all publicity is good publicity' but because at least someone took the trouble to even rubbish you.

I've got a show coming up in August at a tiny and obscure gallery (you at least have Schachter, who have some standing) and it will be my first solo show in 12 years so it's hard not to project some sort of expectations on it, but the sobering reality is that the whole art world seems to be in dire straits. From what I can see NO ONE is selling. Well maybe the Chinese, but I think even they are starting to get nervous. They have their own inflation bubble ready to burst etc. So I can have exactly zero expectations of sales, which wouldn't bother me too much since the things won't be selling for very much in any case (the dealers - not my - stipulations!) if I could just attract a curator or critic to at least carry things forward in some slight way. But that's not on the cards either. And to really make me feel good the few old colleagues I once had, have given me the cold shoulder! Well it has been a while. The whole idea of a preview or opening is looking pretty embarrassing actually.

As far as the critics/curators go, the only real option left me is to write a killer statement for the catalogue. Beat them at their own game. That's what I'm working on now.


Coincidentally (I suppose) your show seems to finish the same day as your sister's @ C&R in NYC.... :o
Last edited by CAP on Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
CAP
 
Posts: 1081
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:38 am
Location: Off-world

Re: How did your show go Jasper?

Postby jasperjoffe » Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:36 pm

Good luck CAP with your show.

A few things I learnt from mine were: I paint brightly, my work very variable, my reactions to it change each day, and that I am still not sure.
jasperjoffe
Site Admin
 
Posts: 768
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:53 pm

Re: How did your show go Jasper?

Postby CAP » Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:39 pm

BTW: I particularly liked the portrait of Gaddafi. I suppose in a few years no one will remember just another African tyrant (who remembers Idi Amin these days, for instance?) but the portrait will live on as a portrait or caricature of a mean and ruthless man.

The caricature tip could be given more leeway methinks....

:)
User avatar
CAP
 
Posts: 1081
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:38 am
Location: Off-world


Return to Art Reviews

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests

cron