Collector residency grows understanding and appreciation of the art scene
Collectors are often perceived as the unknown variable in the art industry equation. They can be nameless and faceless (anonymous bidders issuing instructions over the phone at auctions). They can be motivated by calculated financial investment, whimsical indulgence or aesthetic conviction. They can be private individuals, institutions or corporations. They can be super-rich art market influencers or modest buyers just starting out.
Much of the mystique is unfounded. But given the role that collectors play in shaping the arts sector, some demystification is still required.
One way of achieving this is to focus on collecting as a practice not equivalent but complementary to artistic practice. That is the idea behind a “collector residency” ,a concept being pioneered in SA by Julie Taylor, founder of Guns and Rain Gallery in Joburg.
The inaugural residency arranged by Taylor saw Spanish collector Jorge Fernandez Vidal visiting Southern Africa in August and September. Vidal’s programme was an intensive one, covering 10 galleries, four art museums and more than 30 artists’ studios, printing centres and collectives in Johannesburg, Gaborone and Harare.
“In Europe, a lot of African artists are popular because they appear to fulfil the narrative of what Africa is to Europe. They receive tremendous institutional and commercial support, but perpetuate a system that I think is questionable. During my residency, it was really encouraging to see so many artists building their own narrative without necessarily knowing or caring what the ‘market’ expects from them.”
Vidal acknowledges that by defining himself as a collector specialising in contemporary African art, he is potentially contributing to the reductive effect of “the ‘ African ’ tag ” .
“In the art market we do, at times, forget that when we talk about ‘ African art ’ we are really talking about an extremely diverse ecosystem.”
Spending time with artists, gallerists, curators, art historians and fellow collectors in Southern Africa gave him insight into “historical, political and social references” that he would otherwise miss — and that, all too often, is lacking in what remain the primarily formalist assessments of the global art market.
For example, he adds, “it was really impressive to visit Letso Leipego’s village and understand the background to his incredible photographic series on rural life in Botswana.”
Likewise, Asanda Kupa’s paintings, Carmen Ford’s satirical drawings, Bambo Sibiya’s lithographic prints and Diane Victor’s works each gained new significance with a better understanding of context.
Vidal also learnt to appreciate the challenges facing gallerists in Southern Africa, which differ markedly from those in more developed art markets. “Gallerists need to be creative/business/financial/ emotional mentors, all at the same time! It was encouraging to see initiatives such as the Emerging African Art Galleries Association [EAAGA], through which gallerists can share resources, establish certain common professional standards and work together to develop local markets for local artists.”
While in Harare, Vidal was struck by the work he encountered at the Emerging Painting Invitational Prize exhibition (a project of EAAGA) “from a handful of young and supertalented artists, such as Nelly Guambe, Pebofatso Mokoena and Arim Andrew”.
He sees the art scene in the Zimbabwean capital as “one of the continent’s best-kept secrets”.
Still, he notes, in each of the cities he visited “emerging local galleries still rely substantially on international collectors and feel the need to travel north to New York, London, Paris or Lisbon to attend ‘African art’ fairs and build a collector base outside their domestic markets. During my residency, I caught a glimpse of how real a challenge this is for many local galleries and how hard they are working to reverse the trend.”
Vidal has particularly high praise for his host. “It was inspiring to see the efforts by many individuals to educate collectors, be more accessible, build a local market and provide opportunities for African artists, giving them space to be creative and freedom to build a new narrative.”
Before the residency, Vidal had about 350 works of contemporary African art in his collection. He doesn’t say how many he owns now; but I get the feeling he will be back soon.