FAD website announced the exhibition of Ashley Bickerton in White Cube in London.What a great artist. He hasn't got a website (doesn't need to..) but if you're interested you can go to this site: www.lehmannmaupin.com/#/artists/ashley-bickerton/It gives a good impression of his work.
Almost every week I receive emails from galleries all over the world, telling me what wonderful art I make and 'offering' me an exhibition. Sometimes a solo, sometimes a group exhibition. None of them are original in their manner of approaching and I recognize them immediately... the so called 'vanity galleries'.
Avanity galleryis a place where an artist can hire space by the ft2/m2. It doesn't matter if your art is good, bad, ugly or not original at all.. the only thing that matters is that the gallery owner gets the money for the walls and space. This way the gallery already covers its costs and often they even already have profit without selling anything. It has nothing to do with love for art, or being passionate about it. If the gallery sells one of the art works the artist has to pay commission on top of the rent.
A goodgallery presents a varied or specialized collection of art, and works with a permanent group of artists in whom they believe, completed with emerging artists that they've 'discovered'. Sometimes during an exhibition nothing is sold, or it takes some time before it starts rolling. This is the risk that a gallery has to take and that is why they do not accept just any artist who walks in. The gallery has to fall in love with the work AND the artist. The work should not be competitive with the artwork of the artists the gallery already represent and it should complete the excisting collection. An artist should be loyal to the galleries he works with. When the gallery sells a piece of art, the artist pays commission to the gallery. In fact a gallery and an artist are business partners and need each other. The artist does what he's best in: creating wonderful and unique art. The gallery specializes in representing the artists work in the best possible way. 1+1 = 3
In my opinion vanity galleries do not benefit the art world nor the artists nor the art lovers.People who just get acquainted with art can be confused. By entering a gallery, they cannot see if the gallery is a serious one, or a vanity gallery. If you're an art lover and you're experienced, you can immediately recognize a vanity gallery. Most of the time, what is shown is not the best art in the world. In fact, what is shown, is art made by people who can afford to pay to exhibit OR by artists who really do create good art but don't know yet that this is not the right track to follow. They already invest a lot in their canvas, paint, website, studio rent, transport of the paintings etc... So it's not appropriate to pay to exhibit on top of all that.
I advise emerging artists not to do business with vanity galleries. It doesn't help you to get any further.
In April 2008 I payed a visit to the best exhibition I've ever seen in my life (up till now) in the Guggenheim Museum in New York. This was my first encounter with The Guggenheim in New York, which is a fantastic piece of art of its own. The exhibition inside was breathtaking. It was the 'I want to believe' retrospective travelling exhibition of one of the greatest contemporary artists (in my opinion) in the world Cai Guo-Qiang. What a fantastic versatile and innovative artist he is. The ingenuity of his art made me shiver and gave me sensations I've never felt before visiting an exhibition. I felt very fortunate to be able to experience this.
If you want to look him up:
www.caiguoqiang.com
Currently his 'I want to believe' travelling exhibition can be seen in the Guggenheim in Bilbao. If you're able to visit his art one time, you should... it's like with all good art... you get absorbed by it when you see it for real! It hits you to the bone.
Two other great artists, but in my opinion absolutely not to be compared with Cai Guo Qiang are: www.joshkeyes.net and www.ryoheihase.com Very original art and of great quality.
Monkdogz Urban Art Gallerypresents a new exhibition of 4 of their artists. Several works of Steve Reinhart, BatisCampillo, Bob Hogge and myself will be exhibited as from tomorrow Monday, March 16, in midtown Manhattan, 150 East 52nd Street, New York City. This show will run until mid June 2009. www.monkdogz.com
2008 has been a crazy year for me with lots of exhibitions. In the fall I had about 9 exhibitions, one following the other, with overlap. I worked my ass of... Could not think of anything else than my paintings and art, art, art. Got absorbed by it... and I love it! But now it's time for reflection and a few steps back.. probably only for a short period... I know myself very well ;-) I keep on painting (can't do without it), but I'm giving myself a bit more space and also I'm experimenting a lot now.
I think it's about time to publish this blog, and not keep it for myself anymore. So in my next newsletter I'll announce it.
My life breathes art and I cannot imagine living without it.Everything I see, hear, smell, feel, and think is immerged with art.To me it seems like I have a filter in my head. Every observation through any sense automatically has to pass that filter first... eager as I am to explore and archive everything I can, to use later on in one of my art works. I never have a day off... I cannot help it. But I like it!!!! so you don't hear me complain.
I often laugh at myself, because I get overwhelmed every time again and again. By the colors of the changing of the seasons, by nature, architecture, cinematographic movies, documentaries on National Geographic about nature, mother earth etc... Music (I've got my preferences) does the same with me. It hits me in my soul. Literature that is written so beautifully, with so much love that you cannot contain it.
I astonish myself by getting surprised time after time... don't I ever get used to it??? Shouldn't I? I hope I don't, because I really enjoy it!
I'm still doing well in creating and selling art (through the galleries I work with). But I'm sure I will also be confronted with the consequences of the world wide economic crisis.Of course this crisis has its impact on art sales all over the world.It even has its impact on making art too, but that can have a possitive effect, depending on the artist.Crisis and poverty make creative!
I think it's the same as in a lot of other sections.... The strongest/best will survive. Regrettably there's also money involved. If you've got enough, you do not have to worry and/or work your ass off. You will survive anyway... but that has nothing to do with the quality and uniqueness of the art you create or sell.
The last decade we've been overloaded with art. Everyone is an artist these days... at least that's what they claim to be. And if you're a famous actor, deejay or tv-personality and you start to create art, your name is your brand and you sell. Even if the art is bad.
I find this quite disturbing. My vision on art is that you have to fall in love with a piece of art.. not with the name of the artist who created it. That comes second (when you discover that you'd like to have more of the artists work because you adore it). Maybe now (and as long as the crisis lasts) is the time to make the difference and show what you are worth as an artist, but also as a gallery owner.
During the last years I visited a lot of art fairs, musea and galleries to broaden my horizon. I read everything I can about contemporary art, exhibitions etc.. in magazines, books and on art websites from all over the world. Unfortunately I must conclude that there are a lot of copycats. Not exact copies, but stealing styles... Most of the time the 'artists' who work like that are not the best ones. They do not have enough imagination of themselves. Of course, when you're a student and you need to learn the techniques, you look at wellknown contemporary artists and the range of famous historical artists. You learn a lot by trying to peer with them. But in order to become a real artist you have to develop yourself and create your own unique style. Not one that already has been done by a lot of other 'artists'.
Sadly I often run into this not-unique-art.... a lot of galleries who try to play it safe, offer their clients those "ready-to-eat chunks"/"consumption-art", and the 'brand' art of already famous actors/singers/tv-personalities. Persons who were (often) never trained as a visual artist or even have the talent for it. You can say: 'but that's what the people want'.... on the other hand.. it's what the galleries show and if there is nothing else to choose from... ??
But... there are no solid rules about what is art and what is not, and who am I to judge ones taste? So... the more I try to analyze this and seek for answers, the more I realize that there are no right solutions.In the end it's all about money... anyway... most of the time it is! I'm glad there are still people who really go for the piece of art itself.
Economic crisis or not, I think it's best to do your own thing, on your own way but with an open vision and all of your heart. That way you can never have regrets, even when you don't make it as an artist or as a gallery owner. You can never say that you never tried...
