Interviews with industry professionals:an artist and a curator - Essay Example

Interviews with Industry Professionals: An Artist and a Curator Discussing the best ways in which to break into a professional career with an artist is like pulling taffy with a poltergeist. One is never quite sure how the statements made about an art career are going to be relevant to creating an actual future as an artist. There is no direct path, nor is there a specific series of steps that will ensure success. The problem with finding others to appreciate one’s art is that art is subject to a great many different social contingencies that are near impossible to predict. Art is subject to the fashion of the moment, the economic climate, the point of view of the critics who are at work, and that little light at the end of the tunnel that always seems so far away when trying to reach out for it. In other words, becoming a successful artist has no formula, nor any formal framework in which to find success. However, a successful artist can provide insight into the way in which a philosophy about art must be constructed in order to create success. In order to be successful, the art must be seen, therefore goals must be set that allow work to be created for exhibitions. In discussing this aspect of being a professional artist, an interview with (her name here) has provided an interesting look into her point of view on how she has made a public name for herself as an artist. In addition an interview with Ms Cineros, a curator for Iniva, provides further exploration of how to achieve goals as a professional artist. These two interviews allow both sides of an art career, the creative and the business side to be explored for insight into the tools and actions required in becoming a professional artist. In conducting an interview with a professional artist, it was possible to construct a sense of her belief about what is required for an artist to succeed. This artist has been practicing art for 12 years, her true devotion to the work starting at the age of twenty. She said that she used to be a dancer, her artistry found in the expressional use of her body, but at the age of twenty she found that her dancing no longer satisfied her as it once had. She expressed that she “decided at the age of 20 that I was no longer dancing for the love of it!“. She looked for another medium through which she could express herself and remembered the satisfaction that she had felt when her mother had introduced her to watercolours. She reminisced about her youth, saying she had spent hours at the kitchen table creating works of art with her watercolours and paper, and in that memory she found the avenue of creative inspiration that she had been looking to find. She states that “I remembered that this was the very nature of myself and began to paint again”. When asked about how many exhibitions she had done, she stated that she wasn’t sure but thought it was between 20 and 25. The most important part of participating in exhibitions, she believed, was to “set goals and deadlines for the benefit of the work”. In regard to the success or failure of her exhibitions, she said that she had both. She believes that her successes can only be measured with the existence of her failures. One cannot exist without the other. In discussing her highest educational achievement through her art she stated that being selected for the Artist of the Day at Flowers Central was her greatest achievement. She said she had also been awarded several awards, included a few from SKC and the Eversheds Prize for Painting 2005 at Chelsea College of Art and Design. In discussing her work, she stated that all of her experiences had been a source of education. Her biggest challenge was to get her work seen, but she did not elaborate on how she managed to accomplish this goal. When asked about which organizations she had contacted in pursuit of her career, she only listed Creative Foundation, where she also stated that she keeps her studio. The work itself expresses grief and sexuality; emotions that she believes were expressed by those who have viewed her work. She draws upon aspects of her own life in order to create her works of art. She describes herself as a “painter who installs sculptural painting” and when asked about the themes that she explores, she stated that she searches “predominantly the human condition and my main themes run alongside ideas of sex and death. Each painting usually stems from a personal experience. In asking the artist about her responses to my work, her opinions were primarily based upon an exercise of helping me to look, not to her opinion, but to my own. This response led me to look, as if through her eyes, at how a young artist must present herself in order to find public appreciation for her work. When I asked her what she thought of my paintings and if they had potential to create an influence, her response was “Do you? Self belief is vital, I do think your work is bound up in culture and this is very intriguing for a viewer”. When asked where she though I could find success, she stated that she thought I could do well with collectors, craft markets, and in commercial galleries. Some aspects of the interview revealed some things about being an artist that she did not expressly state. She was educated at Chelsea College of Art and Design, with her greatest inspiration being a professor from the school named Mo Throp. Therefore, the first step is the education that an artist needs in order to create success. The other statement that she made about being an artist was to continue to make the art. When this is coupled with the importance of setting goals and deadlines for one’s work, it is clear that the act of treating the work with the respect of efforts towards setting clear structures is important towards creating success. The most important aspect of being an artist is not getting lost in the emotions of the work to a point where the work is not accomplished. In keeping the creative expression flowing outward, rather than letting it flow back in and complicating the process, the artist can create a series of work that has the value of purposeful effort. In a discussion with Ms Cineros, a curator at Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts), about how an artist can best find their work hanging in a professional gallery, a continuation of the vagueness experienced with the (artist’s name) seemed to follow me into this interview as well. This vagueness is typical of how most artists, and those in the business of art, tend to respond to questions concerning success within an artistic profession. The most common answer is always based upon having the work exposed to the right people at the right time. While there are many things that an artist can do to get their work seen, it is getting it seen by someone who has the power and authority to elevate it into a level of success that is beyond the average that is the key to true success. According to the Iniva website, the mission of the Iniva is to allow for the display of contemporary artists who reflect cultural diversity. Their mission statement states that “Iniva engages with new ideas and emerging debates in the contemporary visual arts, reflecting in particular the cultural diversity of contemporary society. We work with artists, curators, creative producers, writers and the public to explore the vitality of visual culture” (Iniva). Exhibitions currently sponsored by the gallery for the first quarter of 2011 include work done by Rabih Mroue, a mixed exhibition with the theme of Damage Done, which presents objects from recent student protests, work by Sheela Gowda, and an exhibition of items from the archive that express the contributions that Iniva has made to contemporary international art and to art history. The discussion with Ms Cinero has led to several conclusions about having work that is shown in the gallery. The most important part of having pieces shown in the gallery is creating work that is appropriate to the goals of the gallery. This does not mean creating work that will fit into the gallery, but creating work and then assessing whether the gallery is a good place in which to present the work to the public. The most important aspect of getting work into a gallery is in creating a relationship with the gallery, through both social and business spheres, in order to have one’s work seen by those who have the power to offer a place in an exhibition. This can include sending images of the work to the gallery and interacting with the gallery in ways that can help to make meaningful connections. The most important point that was stressed, however, is that the work must come first, with the ability to set goals and show the work wherever possible being the secondary, but still vital aspect of finding success. While creativity is difficult to frame through business oriented goals and deadlines, in order to be successful, an artist must maintain goals and a schedule in order to successfully produce work that can be shown at exhibitions and other venues. Success is attained through actively pursuing success, but this does not guarantee that the work will meet the challenges of success. Artists have a stereotypical presence of being tortured, starving, and productive slaves to their emotions. However, in contemporary society, a professional artist must approach art through the process of organized, goal-oriented planning, separating his professional and creative minds in order to successfully navigate both aspects. While forcing creativity is not always successful, practicing creativity is the only way in which to achieve higher levels of creative success. Without out physically picking up the tools and working with the medium, there is no chance to produce the art. In this same manner, in order to successfully navigate the business side of being a professional artist, one must actively pursue the public through development of both business and social tools. Becoming a professional artist requires both aspects of pursuit. Works Cited Iniva. (Institute of International Visual Arts). 2011. Web. 26 March 2011. Read More