In his opening remarks to the Europa Re-Imagined symposium in Cardiff, David Drake, director of Ffotogallery, said: “If you create an opportunity for people to meet, things will happen.” The symposium – part of the European Prospects project, which began in Stuttgart in 2012 and is exploring issues of experience and identity through photography and contemporary art – did just that. Involving a wide array of arts professionals from across Europe, its aim was to discuss current trends in European photography.
Invited speakers began by discussing platforms for photographers to share their work. Malcolm Dickson (Director, Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow) and Angel Luis Gonzalez (Director, PhotoIreland, Dublin) both talked about their organisations in relation to a European outlook. Street Level’s Lithuanian Photography Season is a good example of connecting the local with the international, while PhotoIreland festival has developed its international outlook and grown year-on-year.
Photography consultant and curator Marc Prüst, who is not connected to a particular organisation, talked more broadly about new viable strategies for artists in today’s digital culture. Discussing the idea that 1000 fans is all you need, he argued that the key is to “build a relationship, exchange with your audience” and to “know your story, find your own audience”.
Alongside the symposium was the launch of a new publication European Prospects: Visual Exploration in an Undiscovered Continent. This features a collection of photographers who have previously been included in exhibitions and events run by the partnership. The book’s 27 artists show the breadth of the work in the project, from documentary to the conceptual, with a common European thread running throughout.
Artists and opportunities
The symposium’s afternoon session consisted of a series of breakout sessions where participants discussed questions such as: Too many artists, too few opportunities? Who decides what is good work? How to make friends and influence people? Inviting participants from arts organisations as well as artists gave a plurality of viewpoint regarding the subjects discussed, although while participants were separated into three groups, similar themes emerged in each discussion.
During the ‘Too many artists, too few opportunities?’ session, questions about the costs of opportunities were raised – particularly the cost of open calls for young artists and the funding for residencies. There was a call for more funded opportunities that are not tied to the potential outcomes, but instead focus on the creative output.
The emphasis was on support for production and longer-term relationships between artists and organisations, with a real focus on a deeper long-term commitment to developing an artist’s practice. The value of certain opportunities was also questioned – it was suggested, for example, that there should be a process of filtering so that artists and curators only see the people they would be interested in, making interactions more meaningful.
Questions without answers
In the ‘Who decides what is good work?’ session, discussions turned to ideas of ‘success’, and who or what determines whether a work is successful. Is success determined by the actual making of the work, is it in the selling, or is it institutional recognition that is important? And do institutions focus too much on visitor numbers, in order to satisfy both funders and audiences, and if so, what impact does this have on selecting good work? Is success, ultimately, simply to survive as an artist or institution – and if not financial, what other modes of exchange are there?
For all artists, the ability to form networks is vital, and ‘How to make friends and influence people?’ concluded that face-to-face meetings are crucial for forming relationships between artists, curators and organisations – and to find new audiences, artists must look outside of their own existing networks.
Europa Re-Imagined offered up many questions and discussions about the nature of a European network. These questions were largely left unanswered, providing a space for thought and new dialogues to emerge – potential dialogues that could establish new ways of working and forming partnerships. Through instigating these new opportunities, the aim of European Prospects is to start conversations that will continue into the future.
Listen to audio documentation of the symposium here.
Europa Re-Imagined took place on 6-7 March, Ffotogallery, Cardiff. www.europeanprospects.org
