Overseas art showing

Getting recognition as an artist is a slog. You have a solo show or a group show, take down the works that are unsold, and put them away in storage or else hang them on walls at home. Pack  up your creations and go to ruminate, think possibly deeply, or else you just move on and make new work.

Some time ago I decided to be a sustainable artist. It's only recently that the word came to me but I understand looking back that this was what I had in mind from the start. Of course this also has to do with lifestyle. Eating regular meals, seeing friends, keeping in touch with family. All of that, sure. But it's more about not piling up tons of work that never gets seen.

Earlier this year I gave some works back to a colleague. We had had a show two years before and for some reason she left her work in my garage. In the end I contacted her as I want to free up space for my own things. Two years. She came by with a van and collected the paintings and drove off.

Another way to use work, or to re use it at least, is to show overseas. But this is problematic. One outfit I contracted to show some paintings sent me snapshots of the display and there were no labels on the walls. So patrons can't see who made each painting. I asked a local Sydney gallerist about these outfits and she seemed unenthusaistic to be mild. In fact she said some of these companies are not gallerists at all. I wonder what they are.

So I'm being more careful with my money.

The emails are in English and they seem to be geniune. But they keep coming. Would you like to go in this show in Berlin. It's 1200 Euros and you get a chance to show in Name Of Some Other European City. Well ok fine but that's a lot of money. And last time there were no labels on the walls.

Oh yes I remember when the invitation came though, I was breathlessly happy for an hour I couldn't control the emotion. It is probably not fair to say that it was all a  sham but I am more sober when answering emails now, after the initial enthusiasm wore off. 

Sometimes the lights when captured turn into halos other times they turn into ... who knows, an eidolon. A kind of mirage, but not on the road. On the wall.