Professional Studies: January 2015

What are exhibitions?
The word "exhibition" originates from the Latin/late Latin words "exhibere" ('hold out') and "exhibitio" and refers to the public display of artwork or items of interest - most typically held in art galleries of museums. Exhibitions may also be referred to the likes of 'shows', 'presentations', 'demonstrations' or 'spectacles'. The word can also mean "a display or demonstration of a skill" hence why artists most commonly partake in them - to showcase themselves and their abilities.

Exhibitions typically follow a particular theme in which the artist will base their work around, allowing them to publicly display their personal art style and attract both potential clients and buyers. This makes exhibitions an incredibly important part of the design industry structure as it builds up reputation and gets you otherwise acknowledged by a large variety of the public - creating openings for opportunities.

The essentials of exhibitions:

Target and know your market effectively
Set expectations
Price your costs accordingly to these expectations
Design the show/exhibition
Promote the exhibition
Invite guests for private viewings
Consider the package as a whole

Permanent galleries:

House of Illustration - A registered charity which "is the home for the art of illustration". Opened their doors in the summer of 2014 and displays work by both emerging artists and those already established.
The Illustration Cupboard - A unique art gallery located in central London which recognizes contemporary book illustrators from around the globe. Has organized events such as artist's exhibitions, themed events and even national festivals since 1995.
Beach London - A gallery/creative agency which works with a broad range of commercial creatives. They partake in a productive range of projects, exhibitions and events and have also been known to combine the three. Clients include the likes of ASOS, Topman and MTV.
Kemistry - An independent design gallery founded in 2004. It is dedicated to exhibiting the work of past, present and upcoming designers and aims to make design available to audiences who may overlook/undervalue it's importance when compared to fine art and photography.

National Exhibitions:

Serco Prize - Based in London's Transport Museum and invites illustrators to create pieces of work which revolve around the theme of London. The theme for 2015 is "London Places and Spaces" and the aim of the competition is to bring forth artwork which is colourful and inspiring for display.
Grafik Magazine - "A home for the world's most inspiring graphic design". Based in a London office, they "report on the latest projects by both upcoming and established design talent around the world, explore graphic design history, represent the ideas of design practitioners, and provide a forum for thinking and writing about graphic design".

Outdoor Indoor Walls:

Hoults Yard - An office and studio complex situated in Newcastle with a modern but vibrant twist. Holds events such as 'Warehouse parties', live music, barbeques, and art exhibitions.
Artist Hotel Brighton - Located in the historic Regency Square, this eccentric hotel holds twenty three rooms each filled with individual artwork. It offers a sea view of the West Pier, a chilled out atmosphere, and some general "down to earth hospitality" in which you can relax and enjoy the "reclaimed vintage style".

Festivals:

Pick Me Up - Onto its 6th festival, Pick Me Up is the UK's original graphic arts festival which focuses on the likes of contemporary graphic art, design and illustration.
London Illustration Fair - Established in 2013 it's "London's freshest artist-led illustration, print and design fair" and allows emerging talent to be brought into the lime-light by displaying it in an environment filled with illustration lovers.
Illustrative Berlin - Has become a worldwide renowned art festival since it's beginning in 2006 and is known as the "leading international festival for contemporary illustration and graphic arts". The whole concept behind this festival is to display the entirety of international illustration and graphic art in one singular exhibition.
Design Event - Established in 2005, it both supports and promotes designers across the Northern region (especially graduates and those less established) and provides regional/national platforms to showcase design work of a high quality.
London Design Festival - An annual event which was first held in 2003. It's composed of over three hundred and fifty events/exhibitions and is held in order to promote the idea that London is the design capital of the world. {Watch a video on it here}

Case Studies:

Stefan Sagmeister | The Happy Show - This particular installation covers the entire second-floor (and ramp) of the Institute of Contemporary Art, offering "visitors the experience of walking into Stefan Sagmeister's mind as he attempts to increase his happiness via mediation, cognitive therapy, and mood-altering pharmaceuticals".
Tove Jannsson | Ateneum Art Museum - As a celebration of the 100th anniversary since Jannsson's birth, the Ateneum showcased decades worth of work from her "impressive career as an artist, illustrator, political caricaturist, author, and creator of the Moomin characters and stories". The exhibition covered all the periods of her productive career and included loaned pieces of work from Finnish museums.
Malarky - A street painter and illustrator known for sprucing up the grey and drab London streets with vivid and colourful works of art, using buildings, trucks and many other raw street materials as a canvas.

Sources used:

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Professional Studies

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Exhibitons

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