Thinking about a new work for a group show, May 2018 …
The show celebrates a significant anniversary of an independent gallery that I showed with in 2009. I like the idea of making something that references the piece that I made in 2009. That piece was like the proverbial parson’s egg – visually it was successful, technically it failed. The fail-safe feature of particular ‘off the shelf’ component caused a difficulty that was eventually circumvented rather than resolved – a clean resolution would have been unrealistic in terms of both time and money. The visual aspects of the installation have been shown subsequently and work well in their own right.
The show is in London and I am in Enköping. Transport is a question. Do I make the work and then look into how to get it to London? Or do I look at means of transport and produce something accordingly? I have asked if there is a budget for transport and am waiting to hear back from the curator. This question though makes me very aware of how I work (and how I regard my practice generally). Thinking about weights and dimension that I can carry as luggage is at once both practical and passive: it is a sure-fired way to get something done however it also feels as though I am accepting (or even creating) an overly restrictive starting point. The artwork has to come first.
I want to make something beautiful.
[the next day]
There are so many things that I want to do.
There are too many things that I want to do!
Yesterday evening I went to Fredrik Ericsson’s show at Galleri Mejan. The show is part of his final exam – Fredrik graduates from the Royal Institute’s five year masters programme this summer. His work ‘Future Fuel’ is a solar powered machine that produces an ‘explosion’ from water! Fredrik comes from Enköping and it is through him that I met Nina and got involved in the art scene here. His work is fantastic and I am going to see if I can let other Enköping folk know about his show via various facebook groups. It makes me realise that we lack a specifically cultural network that allows us to share information and tips about exhibitions and such. So of course this is something that I want to remedy.
I think that Fredrik’s future is going to be very successful. I certainly hope that he is!
As Moderna is right next-door I looked at the re-hang of their permanent collection. I don’t know how often they re-hang but this selection was new to me. There was also an exhibition of Louise Nevelson’s work. Seeing such work made me want to get my ‘stuff’ to the studio and just play. Looking at pieces from the 1940s/50s reminded me that the most important thing is to work visually and with materials. I really want to focus on that now. I have spent too long thinking about what I want to make rather than actually making. This imbalance needs to be addressed. I want to develop my piece for the London show through play and materials rather than thinking and writing.
[the next next day]
While at Uppsala Art Museum I took some photos for the ‘Introduction to digital photography’ evening course that I am taking. I hope to improve my technical skills as it would be great to be able to document my own work.
I get a real mix of emotions when I see work by established artists that is not so far from my own. On one hand it is reassuring to see that similar processes and/or materials have a place and are appreciated. On the other hand I feel a little deflated seeing that such comparable work is already out there. Perhaps what I feel most is good portion of jealousy – to be perfectly honest! – that another artist has managed to work out how to do things successfully. That is something that I have yet to work out. Tomorrow I have a meeting with Uppsala Council’s art consultant/advisor, I shall ask him about how I might develop my career. In preparation I shall have a think about what kind of career it is that I want!
