The lead up to the exhibition was not easy. As the architect, with a semi client, most things were to be left to the intended curator who, rather wisely, dropped out last September. Simple things like those clear plastic "thingies" that one puts on the wall - what are they called and where do they come from? - (ticket holders, and you can get them from www.UKPOS.com if you're interested!) - googling them when you don't know what they're called is certainly tricky!
Then there was the lighting. Having designed these wonderful high ceilings - with no comment from our former intended curator - we had to find a very tall ladder to adjust the lights. Every change of exhibition is an exercise in gymnastics that I'm probably getting too old for.
The hanging system wasn't difficult to find - there are many on the internet - but finding one that was easy to use and made sense for our rather extraordinary space was the tricky bit. Luckily, we came across Picture Hanging System who have been brilliant (http://www.picturehangingsystems.co.uk/). They even organised a new system for our window display. We were intending to be subtle and elegant; so much so, that no one knew there was an art gallery within. The use of the window became essential. The previous ad-hoc system caused a great deal of swearing in my sturdy assistant, Kurt. (afterall, he is a Norwegian rock star originally - watch his excellent and very funny video on You Tube :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyya23zL3ZI&feature=channel_page).
Now that we have all the necessary paraphenalia, we realise that we have to paint the walls every time we change a painting! Overall, the policy to have more work than is shown on the walls has been good - we have more to show, we can let paintings be taken when bought and we can keep the exhibition fresh and continually changing. The down side is that it doesn't hang together so well - I spent a long time deciding where each piece would go in relation to the space and adjacent works, only for the balance to change every time we take one down.
I've been delighted with the work on display and delighted with the artists I've met. Mostly I find them intelligent, interesting and thoughtful - as well as really very nice - people to deal with. And that is important. If we have to work every day, let it be with talented, good and nice people!
So, now that the exhibition will be coming down on the 19th/20th April and I'll be preparing to hang the next one - Fragile Landscape - I'm sad to see the current works go. One does become attached to them. I can only imagine how the artists feel about their own favourite works, having spent the time creating them. Having chosen every piece there, I do like them all, but there are my special favourites - perhaps I should keep that to myself.
Now to the Landscapes exhibition. I think that there is some fantastic work. There will be abstract and semi abstracts and a variety of wall prices to please all pockets. Some I very definitely want for myself - but as my husband keeps having to remind me, I'm here to sell them, not buy them. I have to agree - for now. In the long term, I will be a prolific collector! Saatchi, eat your heart out!
The new show will feature Sue Knight, Alexander Johnson, Sandy Dooley, Charlotte Swann, Alistair Tucker, Miles Bodimeade, Martin Goold, Jane Bolden, Suchi Chidambaram and hopefully Jon Adams. Hanging this is going to be entertaining - there is such a variety of colour, texture, framing, size and form that I suspect that a week of hanging may not be quite enough! In any case, it will have to be - the private view is on the 24th April!.
I have a feeling that this exhibition will also go well. Now that we're not paying an agent commission (not sure why I did that for the last exhibition!) perhaps we can move forward. In a business sense, it's impossible to plan ahead with a gallery - with most businesses, one can predict some sort of cashflow based on work in hand etc. With a gallery, it is very difficult to know what will sell and when. Yet people love having the gallery in the area (being local myself, so do I). Perhaps this is why other galleries repeat themselves and limit their artist lists to those they know will sell. Then how do you set up challenging exhibitions? I know that there is work that I'd like to show that may not sell - either it's too difficult to understand, or not easy to house in our traditional semi's, or it might be enjoyable and only for collectors to buy. We still need to show it - otherwise, we're not a gallery, we become just another shop, surely - and there is already a picture shop up the road from us that caters for that.
So, challenge we must at the risk of not being around for too long. I believe we will be though, especially considering the people I've met through the gallery; the clientele in Richmond and Teddington is very sophisticated, well read and the best kind of intelligentsia.
I'll update the blog after the private view - hopefully with news of a sell out show!
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