Sweat, muscle aches, and exhibition organising
“More professionalism is needed!” Such has been the revived rant in my head as circumstances beyond my control have led me down the memory lane of exhibition-making. Artists make organising for them (us) difficult! As a community, Guyanese artists often complain that not much is being done for us, but when something is being done, artists do not make it easy.
Failure to observe deadlines is much too constant; always, there are late submissions. Submitting paintings that are unframed or otherwise not ready to be hung (with neatly painted edges) is perennial, and this is from the young-in-experience and the older-in experience artists.
Submitting work that is unsigned or without the artwork details so labels or exhibition booklet entries can be made accurately and in a timely manner is too typical. And this is again from the young-in-experience and the older-in experience artists. What is also typical is that what appears cool and easy to the eyes of exhibition audiences comes with excessive effort, persistent phone calling, and emailing to get simple information and this is often before the sweat of actually hanging works or setting plinths in place begins. I do not envy the job done by Pekahiah James and Sade Barrow-Browne in organising The Moving Circle’s 2023 Exhibition and FineArt.gy’s ‘Beyond the Brush’ respectively.
Oftentimes, exhibition organisers in Guyana are not paid to do the work they do. They do this work at great expense to themselves – missed meals, compromised sleep, families that must assist in whatever way (pro-bono of course), and many more sacrifices that space does not allow me to list. One would think that artists realise the extent to which organisers go to do the work they do hence the paucity of solo endeavours not affiliated with the National Gallery of Art because then, the artist must be their own organiser.
It takes time to chase after space, especially if it is free space as the demand is high. It also takes time to organise the infrastructure and peripheral items to host an exhibition. Do screens need to be transported to a location, refurbished, set in place? Is funding needed? Securing funding takes time! So why make it harder for organisers, artists? Nonetheless, and despite the challenges local artists present organisers with, complaints are inevitable from this very community. Alas, these delinquent actions are not a Guyana problem only. However, we in Guyana are too small a community with even fewer workers willing to do the messy, sweaty and muscle aching work for these to be constant challenges. Good luck to Barrow-Browne and James and their teams.
No Dear Artists, I have not spoken with either to write these words. I empathise with them because I saw glitches here and there and my own dilemma has added to my words.
Artists forget that the people they depend on to grant them free space have institutional images to maintain (or even enhance) so poor presentations do not augur well. Thus, part of my enthusiasm for the aforementioned exhibitions had to do with how the spaces were used – a pop-up commercial gallery will use space differently from an exhibition intending to have viewers see and contemplate work as a cerebral manifestation. In the past, I have written calling on those with the wherewithal to support artists to do so. But at the said time, I have always refrained from saying, “Artists present yourselves professionally please!” 1. Please recognise that there is more at stake in making art than a sale and likes on social media. 2. Approach your artmaking continually striving to improve on your last effort. 3. Every opportunity to exhibit work should not be looked at as just an opportunity to sell what you could not otherwise. 4. Exhibitions are spaces to test yourself. Indeed. Questions to ask yourself: How is the public responding to your work? How do you need to adjust your visual articulations to encourage audience engagement? What lessons are to be learned after you have situated your work within spaces with work of other artists?
I feel I write about cringing often. But this memory-lane dilemma reminds me of some cringe-worthy moments. I cringe when an exhibition is planned with clear entry criteria and artists demand to participate despite not meeting said criteria. I cringe when experienced artists submit work for exhibitions without the requisite information – name of work, medium, year of execution, dimensions. I cringe when artists’ statements are shameless self-promotions for the skills of the artist or are loaded with irrelevant biographical information. I cringe when artists submit work for jurying (a selection process made by panels of informed individuals) and because one submission is rejected, all the accepted work is removed from the exhibition by the artist. I cringe when artists agree to participate in an exhibition but must be chased after to deliver work at the location. I cringe when membership in artists groups means we are part of you so that others among you can serve us. Indeed, we artists make it hard. More self-reflection is needed.
Many who have freely done organising work in the past at some point have decided the muscle aches are no longer worth it and have withdrawn their free time and sweat. Younger artists have stepped up and are doing the work the retired once did. Can we artists (young and old) facilitate them? Can we do our parts so they can do their work? Older-in-experience artists can you set an example? Show up on time when exhibitions need to be mounted. Show up with your paintings properly labelled on the reverse. Show up with your artwork as it should be. Show up prepared to help/guide a younger artist to make the best presentation possible. Show up!
Exhibitions to look forward to: The University of Guyana’s Annual Exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Castellani House and the Ministry of Education’s Visual Art Teacher’s Exhibition also at the NGA.