The Reject
«The Reject»
‘The Reject’ is a solo exhibition of K., a ‘Reject artist’ who has applied for and been rejected by most of the art academies in Norway.
‘The Reject’ will be presented at Kunsthallen, a prominent presentation space in Bergen, and feature a selection of art works, a documentary about K.’s life and research material generated from interviews by experts working within the artistic field. By exhibiting a ‘Reject artist’ within a reputable space such as Kunsthallen, it is intended to open a critical discussion concerning the politics of inclusion and exclusion and criteria for determining cultural/artistic value by looking at who does and does not get accepted into the art academy.
Research Questions:
-What are the criteria for acceptance?
-What are the power structures that determine these criteria?
-What determines cultural / artistic value?
-How does this relate to this situation of inclusion and exclusion
-How are artists and artistic practices mythologized?
-How is this related to the role of art, the academy and the institution?
-What is the relation between fact and myth?
-What are the implications of having a ‘Reject Artist’ exhibit in the Kunsthallen?
Methods:
To gain information and experience into how to create a solo exhibition of a ‘Reject artist’ within a prestigious art space, several representatives within the artistic field will be interviewed and will include curators, theoreticians, critics, practitioners, fundraisers and museum directors.
Why?
- To learn how to approach the Kunsthallen
- How to set up an exhibition. (how to apply for one, who to talk to, how to fundraise, etc)
-Learning different people’s perspective on the concept (and possibly find partners and collaborators)
-To learn to describe the project ( language, terminology, conceptual and artistic references)
Some things to think about
-What to ask people when interviewing them
-How to present this research and the result of these exchanges
Detailed Description:
The final exhibition will include a fictional documentary (docu-fiction) of K.’s life, a selection of artworks and research documentation from interviews and meetings with various representatives within the artistic field.
docu-fiction
The film is a story of one artist, known as K., that didn’t make it into the art academy.
It will be written as a docu-fiction, part fact and part fiction, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.
Some basic guidelines to how the film will be made:
A script written for the film will include scripted dialogue to be acted out by different people within the academy, pertained to perceived roles that different individuals play within the academy.
Question: Through whose eyes is this script written?
In the film some people play themselves and some people are played by actors. An actor will also play the role of K.
artworks
A selection of artworks will be presented within the exhibition
Some questions:
What type of artworks should be presented?
-paintings, photographs
-showing different versions or stages within K.’s work (example: did he start to adapt his work in a way to suit the academy by making art in the way that he thinks the academy would like OR some related to the general influence around him, such as his friends, family and peers)
Do the artworks need to be even present?
Do the artworks need to be authentic? (the question of authenticity and fiction)
- Does it have to be K.’s work, or could it also be fictionalized (made by the exhibition organizers… P and S)
- If they are not authentic, what would be the process for recreating them? Would the students within the art academy recreate the artworks?
research documentation
Make a list of the names of all the professionals you would approach and why.
Document what kinds of questions you are asking them and what kinds of answers you are being given.
Try to describe what you learn and how you apply it in trying to get an exhibition for K. at Kunsthallen
How would this research be presented (publication, video, photo-documentation, other research, discussion, conference, etc, etc)
