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Postcard
design: Dan Walter |
Curatorial Proposal: Original Proposal
This project is an experiment in curating that aims to question certain aspects of contemporary art culture, to promote a dialogue and discussion rather than present a definitive position. The concept initially places much of the control of the actual exhibition into the hands of fate, and then, later, into the hands of the artists. Conceptually, the exhibition addresses the practical difficulties of breaking into the art world, the conceived notion of success as an artist, and the role of the established system as arbiter of taste and trend. This experiment also emphasizes the game-like environment of the art world, one in which chance or timing plays a role in who is shown where.
On
a random, unannounced day the exhibition coordinators will invite the first three
artists who submit their work, unsolicited, either to the Curator or to the Artists
File, to participate in the exhibition. The only parameters for selection are
that the artists cannot be represented by a commercial gallery and they must live
in the New York area.
Operating on a level playing field, the artists and exhibition coordinators
will collaborate to organize the show. Potential thematic and conceptual threads
may emerge from these collaborative discussions, or gridlock could set in, resulting
in an exhibition with no central driving force.
The
outcome of this experiment will depend primarily on one variable: the artists
and their interaction with each other and the exhibition coordinators. Any number
of hypotheses or scenarios may be suggested in advance, but the final outcome
is, on some level, left to chance.
Curatorial Proposal: Process and Conclusions
From a number of dates thrown into a hat, we chose Friday, January 21st as the day to select the artists for this project. On that day Artists Space received two submissions; the third arrived after the weekend. The artists were informed of their selection by telephone, and then given an in-depth description of the project. After a few days, all three artists agreed to participate. Our five-member group met once a week for a month leading up to the opening of the exhibition. Each meeting was audio-taped, transcribed, edited and posted on the Artists Space website.
A few factors made the process of collaboration particularly interesting: the dependence on a random group of artists, the necessity of working together as both curators and artists, and the short time-frame in which this process occurred. During the resulting discussions, the group maintained an open dialogue, touching upon areas of concern such as logistical details, project concepts, and general curatorial and artistic practice.
In keeping with the original spirit of the project, everyone felt the final exhibition should convey the ideas and group process involved. Furthermore, the group decided to collaborate on new pieces to exhibit along with their individual work. This exhibition is the physical manifestation of all of the above; the quotes were selected by the group from our transcribed discussions.
Artists:
Silja Addy, Katherine Desmond, and Chambliss Giobbi
Exhibition Coordinators: Tara McDowell and Letha Wilson
Transcripts of all meetings and conversations related to this project are published on Artists Space website at www.artistsspace.org/exhibitions/proposal.html
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Artists
Space, New York City, New York www.artistsspace.org |