Enduring progress!
Last week was an amazing turn for my practice; I am so used to taking a couple of rejections per week that I never imagined that I would get a couple of successful applications over two days.
In both cases, the success was associated to a relationship built with partners, gallery curators , places… I have spent most of the past 6 months attending conferences, gallery visits and talks and looking at other people’s work. This was driven by a need to expand and explore other people’s practice as well as a wish to become part of something bigger that the sum of my own doing.
I have recently met my two artists mentors Judith Alder from Blue Monkey Studios and Elpida Hadzi Vasileva, who represented Macedonia at the Venise Biennale last year.
During both conversations, the strong point coming out was the importance of creating solid relationships with galleries and partners accross the region and the field of work you are interested in. It seems to me that the most important point is to build these relationships on a basis of true mutual interest for both parties;
I clearly had connections with both project I got accepted for. They both had a part to play in the development of my practice and I am delighted that they will contribute to my artistic development.
In paralel to the mentoring from a-n review bursary, I also have received a busary for a Art and Health program led by Willis and Newson in Bristol.
I am currently developing my own code of practice as part of the training. I have placed Integrity at the top of my list of values, followed by, Creativity and Innovation, Respect, Empathy, Fairness, Competence, Confidentiality and Care.
These are the basic rules I will aim to follow and deliver as an artist working in the world.
