From Flickr to Gallery; My First Step Into the Art World
As many of you know, last night was my first gallery show at Gallery Godo, and essentially my first step transitioning from the online art world into the real one. I also experienced my first portfolio review earlier that afternoon, by the curator of a local gallery, who gave many insights into the art world that I had never before considered. It was a thought-provoking day, one which I thought warranted my first blog essay, as I received a lot of information in a short amount of time.
I discovered yesterday that one of the galleries I’ve been interested in welcomed walk-in’s, so I decided to drop by in hopes of getting some much-needed perspective on my portfolio. I had printed off a number of my favorite and most popular flickr images beforehand for such occasions, but felt I needed some guidance as to what I should include in more formal gallery submissions. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of time the curator spent with me on my portfolio, giving me nuanced advice about which images I should display and how, even going so far as to instruct me how to submit my materials, how I should format my website, and who I should speak to in regards to upcoming shows.
Straight off the bat, the curator expressed surprise that I was bringing in photographs for review, as he typically only displays and critiques paintings. As I’ve coming to realize, photography is a relatively new phenomenon in the fine-art world, and to date, most galleries display almost exclusively the work of painters. It’s actually a lovely distinguishing factor, as this seems to be a point of intrigue to be working in such a new medium, especially in the area of self-portraits. While I’ve come to regard self-portraits as a ‘norm’ after being on flickr for so long, it is a very new and unusual concept to the majority of people I’ve come across in the real world. One of the first questions the curator asked was how I created my shots, which I explained was with a remote, tripod and heavy Photoshop manipulation.
Upon reviewing my work, I was very surprised that he didn’t discourage me working in the realm of self-portraits. In fact, he encouraged me to continue using myself as my own model, as he felt I had very specific concepts I was trying to convey and it was best if I created them myself. He cautioned me though, to be specific about which self-portraits I presented in my portfolio as ‘fine-art’. He indicated that the ones which involved me in the story-line in more of an anonymous way, were more along the lines of what he considered fine-art. The images where you can clearly distinguish my identity were less so. He went on to explain that often times collectors are turned off to the idea of the artist representing themselves repeatedly in their own work, as it can seem to be a stroke of ego. He encouraged me to create a clear collection of works to present that were more about the story, and less about me- to make it a bit of a surprise after the fact that I use myself in all the images.
He also added that the fact that I’m a performer should be kept slightly hidden from gallerists viewing my work. He said it would seem I am not a serious gallery-minded artist if I am pursuing both professions simultaneously and would only further the idea that my work is an act of ego. This was an interesting insight, as I have found people tend to be confused by the notion of me being two things at once. While I value both professions equally, it seems I am often limited to one or the other in the minds of those regarding my work.
He also indicated that I needed to be careful about the digital aspects of some images, that the digital elements not be too cold or harsh against my soft processing as it was a conflicting style. He felt some of my work fell into more of a editorial style than fine-art, and that I needed to be careful to make the distinction between the two.
After the meeting was over, I headed over to Godo to experience my first ever gallery opening. It was so exciting to meet some of the wonderful people that have been following my work, as well as spend time with my new friends. It’s a very unusual experience to have people showing up to an event just to see my work mounted on a wall. It’s actually a nice change, because typically my ‘opening nights’ involve a much higher degree of stress in having to perform. I had this weird impulse the whole time people were standing around to somehow entertain them with some theatrics. I was really grateful that I decided to mount the poems beside the images for people to look at and read. It seemed to add a touch of interest to the wall and people were forced to stand and linger a bit longer around the images without me having to sing and dance. 😉
It was an unusual experience to interact with the people looking at my work. My friend Brooke encouraged me to approach people standing at the wall and introduce myself, which some people seemed to appreciate, and others found uncomfortable. It was somewhat nerve-wracking to watch people standing around examining the pieces so closely, bending in close to observe the tiny details and discussing with each other the meaning behind them.
I found myself a little lost for words when the owner asked me to explain my work to a prospective buyer. It was difficult to articulate in words the overall intent of my work, particularly because the set of images I was displaying were pulled from my portfolio spanning the past year. While I have always had the intent of eventually showing my images in a gallery setting, I never created the images with that specific mindset, so they weren’t a part of a common collection. Save for the fact that they are all self-portraits and mostly based on poems, they don’t, for me, share a lot of common ground. The owner approached me afterward and said I needed to get better at explaining my work to people, and that it was important I be more articulate. I was a little frustrated with myself, as every piece I make is very thought through and carefully planned, often taking several months to come to fruition. Something to work on I guess- I am better at expressing these things in writing.
More than anything, the night was a wonderful socializing and networking event, with all kinds of different and interesting people exchanging business cards and eager to collaborate. I love the L.A. art scene thus far merely for the fact all the people who frequent it seem to be highly creative individuals with differing perspectives on the work.
It was a wonderful experience to have my images elevated from my computer screen into a context which demands more serious attention. This introduction into the fine-art world has made me more inspired than ever to go out and create thought-provoking images to expand upon my current body of work.