Apologies for my long absence—things have been busy! The last few weeks have been spent planning for the most recent exhibition at the gallery where I’ve been interning. The last week of preparation, I received news that it would be interns responsible for greeting guests and running the event (throwing us into the deep end!). We’re there to learn, and what a learning experience it was. The exhibition was titled (almostunironically) as “Who Needs Men Anyway?” which made for an opening reception that included a strange mix of too-excited, blue-haired firecrackers and suspicious, well-dressed older men. Admittedly, both sides of this spectrum left a little disappointed, but those who came for the artwork and conversation were, as usual, in love with the creations they saw.
My time at the gallery has amounted to some of the best working months of my life. Living among art is underrated— being surrounded by artists and the scrutiny of artists makes one think more clearly about how to behave and how to create, not just in the studio or in front of a blank page, but when doing more everyday things. People often talk about the artists’ eye as being refined or perceptive; to me, this description is hiding something more basic behind a mask of politeness. Artists are picky—that’s it. They know what they want, and they’re never satisfied. Of course, being an artist (or maybe more accurately engaging as an artist) amounts to more than just being picky, but knowing failed artists, mediocre artists, and successful artists, I think that how they cultivate and leverage this skill helps to differentiate between them. Discernment is certainly important, but you need to know what to do with the things you see, and do so in a not-so-serious way. And there is so much to see here in Shanghai—whether it’s the laundry of locals hanging to dry on the side of the street, the barely-regulated motorized scooters speeding past you on the sidewalk and honking, or the skyline and street scenes as seen from unlocked rooftops.
While my time at the gallery hasn’t been about art-making (since I’m instead learning how to be a gallerist), it has included closely watching the creative processes of many different professional artists working with a range of mediums including acrylic painting, video and film, photography, traditional Chinese papercut, and others. Oftentimes these mediums are mixed, and interactive elements are sometimes added (think of walking past a stainless-steel origami bear and it growls at you). Our artists work collaboratively in order to produce works that engage ancient and contemporary China to tell a story about where Shanghai has been, where it’s at, and where it seems to be going. It’s a project I’m delighted to be a part of, and I’m looking forward to the opportunities it might provide later. Until then, I’ll ride this Shanghainese contemporary art wave as far as I can.
I recently read an article about habits of successful people; one major upshot of the article was a rejection of the “ten-thousand hours” theory and instead an embracing of what the author called a “ten-thousand experiments” theory. I see this in action every time I’m at the gallery, and I believe it’s a lesson I will carry with me into my next adventures, regardless if they’re here in Shanghai, back home in the Hamilton/Keokuk area, or in Paris…