Gallery goading
Art is art and all in the eye of the beholder. Making your art gallery stand out from the museums might concern many things such as a new old-age smell and bright fluorescent lights but what it really comes down to are the choices made in choosing the artwork for the walls.
Concepts
Strange and unusual items are appearing more and more thanks to the notion that weird is good. One rule of thumb is that almost anything can be declared art if only even a handful of people find it somehow invigorating to their senses. When the word "installation" comes to bear in relation to an artist's name, then you know you're close to finding that elusive oddball work. Floor space, as opposed to wall space, is the main concern here. One far out installation might take up an entire level and bar every patron from stepping foot to even see the work. Be careful here, things could easily end up looking like an IKEA store or a preschool. Discretion is needed.
Obscene
Nothing says art like something obscene and yet strangely dignified. Damien Hirst's
Mother and Child Divided is one fine example. Taking one cow and her calf, presumably dead, encased in halved blocks of formaldehyde on display and like Han Solo in
Return of the Jedi, the spectacle will have patrons gawking in awe of a such a hideous/perplexing piece. Though, if it can fit on a science lab shelf, it shouldn't be in a gallery.
Offensive
Next in line behind the obscene, anything that might be considered even slightly offensive. With political correctness all the rage and sensitivities a thing to pay constant attention to, fair game still exists. Religiously speaking, Christianity seems to be the only one that has taken more than its fair share as a subject open for all sorts of ridicule, commentary and deformation. Don't be afraid, that's for lesser people.
Ludicrous
No art gallery is a proper art gallery without at least one feature that manages to blow a whole in the budget like a nuclear warhead in the backyard. Donations and bequests are far and few between. What's needed to drive the stares and hoi polloi talking are prices that are very close friends to the million dollar mark. Or at least in the same network as a half million dollars. One easy measure is that if people aren't appalled in some way at the amount paid, it hasn't done enough damage for free publicity.
Classic
When all else fails, go with the classics. They've been around the blocks for quite some time and despite this, still manage to draw crowds. Michelangelo's David, Leonardo Da Vinci's
Mona Lisa and Salvador Dali's
The Persistence of Memory have proven themselves in the past, so you know what you're getting here. Their eternal beauty and pre-established status will mean less time convincing people of their value and importance. They're their own advertisers. This leaves you with more time to herd the droves toward the other rooms of artwork. Or just throw on the walls anything by Rembrandt, Picasso or Monet. Brand recognition like this is hard to come by. But when it does, rejoice.
Now with all this in mind, if anyone asks about a museum membership, you've missed the mark.
Ethan Switch - thewaxconspiracy.com
Published May 2004 at Volume 3, issue 4 of JET Magazine
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