Artist trapped in gallery space.

Dealing with the artistic practice equally means creating and producing the art work, as it means the presentation of that work, in order to step from emerging to an affirmed artist, or find meaning in declaring ourselves as "artists". The thing that I would like to point to is the "mess" and "fuss" that appears on the way.

For the actual production of the work artists need money, to which they often come by doing jobs "from outside " their field. So, until they become "affirmed" they job must be something else, and art becomes "hobby", that is secondary in point of arranging time and priorities.

The other part is presentation - exhibiting. Exhibiting involves a serial of related activities that just don't have much to do with the work it self: applying for and getting a space for exhibition, for which the work / project should be well written / described, presented, to follow the needs and ideas of certain Commission of the gallery; then there is artists involvement in supporting material (photographing the work, placing it on web, designing invitations for printing and electronic form ..., catalog design, along with a selection of art historians / theorists who should write the text of the works concept; then the marketing announcements about exhibitions in magazines, on radio , television, the internet, with all presentational disks ready for journalists; in some cases, depending on the gallery possibly even helping with painting the walls and setting up the lighting in gallery; then possible purchasing of snacks, drinks and plastic cups- for the opening, as well as being focused on giving an interview.

This all is a part of reality of the profession, or of a "hobby" with which artists are happy to deal with (when all of the above matches). And although it is exhausting, every time we do return back to that claustrophobic white cube space.

SETUP:

The sculpture of an "artist" (me), done in life-size. Glass gallery doors are closed and the figure is leaned on it. Concept of the work is to show figure of artist trapped in the gallery space, "affixed" to the glass, giving the impression that it is suffocating in this space and trying to get out, while at the same time fails and remains "trapped".