Axisweb Research Validation beyond the gallery | Page 18

“One of the reasons I was drawn to
working with participation is because
it did have a different set of value
systems and value judgments.”

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Knowledge of top players
Although the notion of ‘top player’ was met with
resistance by a number of those interviewed,
most artists agreed that awareness of the field
and identification of a peer-group was primarily
conducted through informal channels. The use of
social media, reviews, word-of-mouth, and regularly
going to see work were commonly described.
You’re continually educating yourself,
you’re continually going to see work, you’re
continually talking to other artists…
(Sheila Ghelani)

Organizations were considered to be key for most
artists in developing current knowledge of the field.
Although some mentioned the initial challenge of
identifying appropriate organizations to support
their practice, for others success was defined by top
institutions programming and commissioning work,
rather than this being a measure applied to artists.
Top players? I’m trying to think who the top
players in my field are. Are there top players?
… I would look at it differently. I would say
there’s institutions I want to work with, top
institutions…
(Anthony Schrag)

The answers also reflected the more general finding
that this field demands a high level of self-direction
– not only in terms of developing a profile but also
keeping up-to-date due to the lack of art criticism
or inclusion in mainstream art journals. The social
nature of much networking was identified as
something that potentially disadvantaged those
involved in parenting, with these artists reporting
significant difficulty balancing competing demands.
I think I don’t know enough about them! …
I’ve got a family of three children and I’ve got
the work and I’ve got very little space to roam
around in between those two things.
(Maud Hendricks)
In addition, artists were concerned that a general lack
of visibility hampered their work reaching a wider,
less actively engaged audience.
Sometimes you wonder how much people
really do know about you. Word of mouth
is a force unto itself. Great when you meet
someone new who's seen your work.
(Heather Ackroyd)

Satisfaction with how championed/validated
and possible improvements
With some qualifications, respondents were
universally dissatisfied with how artists working
outside of galleries are championed and validated.
I don’t think that artists who work outside
of the gallery system are validated or
championed very much, so there would
definitely be ways to improve things.
(Ania Bas)
This was primarily attributed to a lack of comparable
channels for the promotion of non-gallery art
alongside object-based, gallery work. For most, the
non-object-based, non-commercial nature of this
kind of practice represents an inherent challenge
to visibility, although others cited the highly public
nature of the work as pivotal to a different kind of
visibility. One respondent felt that artists working
professionally outside of galleries tend to develop
key skills in negotiating these issues to the benefit of
their practice:
I feel like artists who do work outside of the
gallery…tend to be quite independent. They’re
quite good at pushing themselves and finding
money to do things.
(Laurence Payot)

“I think the focus from the
main arts bodies should be
about creating art.”

However, others suggested that unhelpful distinctions
between different kinds of gallery involvement lead
to lower status for artists working with communities,
which some reportedly sought to conceal in their CVs
and websites.
A lot of artists that I know…don’t talk about
any work that they would do for the education
department…in fear that this would mean that
they would never…be invited to do a show in
the gallery.
(Ania Bas)
Despite this, many were ambivalent about the idea of
being validated according to existing gallery-centric
norms that were felt to conflict with values and
political ideals.
Amongst me and my peers, we might
consider somebody that goes towards gallery
representation, starts making discrete objects
as somebody who has sold out. Other people
might think they’ve arrived.
(Joshua Sofaer)
A number took the view that they work outside the
gallery because of the different values and judgments
attached to those ways of working.
One of the reasons I was drawn to working
with participation is because it did have
a different set of value systems and value
judgments.
(Anthony Schrag)
I’m not interested particularly in the market
so the idea of making things just to sell them
doesn’t appeal to me. I suppose I’m choosing
to step out of something that I was never
even given an open door to, and I’ve made
that choice for ethical or moral or whatever
reasons.
(Kate Genever, Poly-Technic)

Suggestions for improvement include:
• the provision of more awards
• increased critical discourse (within established
arts journals and magazines, or in new
independent publications)
• more commissioners committing to artists over
a period of time (rather than to discrete projects
or works)
• a centralised website for practice outside of
galleries
• different funding strands
• better mentoring opportunities with other

practitioners
Most respondents expressed the opinion that the
commercial, numbers-led art world was potentially
detrimental to the development of high quality and
original artistic practice.
I think the focus from the main arts bodies
should be about creating art.
(Maud Hendricks)

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