Red

The RED deadline is extended by a week, the reason for this is simple, the on-line experiment has only partly worked (so far). As with all open calls there’s been some great art and some not so great art, there been some exciting new artists come our way, but there’s also been some very badly photographed art, images that can’t be used and there’s been quite a few pieces submitted that really do not work as flat digital images on a computer screen and clearly need to be seen in the flesh where the scale, the texture, the dimension can be sensed.  We could have gone ahead this morning and launched the on-line exhibition/experiment, but no, it has to feel at least 97% right (I don’t think any show feels 100% right), we’d rather not do it then do it and not feel quite right about it. And so the Red show will now either go live on line with the art of of 20 selected artists on both the Cultivate website and the very busy Organ website next Monday or alternatively the experiment will be abandoned next Monday. The details in terms of submission can be found on the Cultivate website and the deadline for submission in midnight (UK time) 26th Feb. Thanks to everyone who has submitted so far, if you haven’t heard from us via e.mail by the end of today, we didn’t get your submission, we have replied to most of you already. This is an experiment, it is very much about exploring the nature of on-line art and well, if you want to get involved then your submissions are invited… submission details here

I.m still not sure how I feel about the notions of art on-line (I avoided instagram for ages and ages), but then that’s why we’re experimenting with it. I look at the numbers of people around the world who view the features on gallery openings and exhibitions via both this site and in vast numbers via the Organ website – over eight thousand people viewed the images from the Kembra Pfahler show in East London posted on the Organ website in the week the review went live back at the end of last year, I very much doubt if anywhere near a thousand people actually went to the show.  My own art website has already been visited by people from New Zealand, Norway, South Africa,  Singapore, USA and more today, nobody living in Singapore can see my art on a gallery wall.  On-line art can never be a substitute for seeing most people’s art in the flesh, on a gallery wall (or a street wall, or hanging in a tree, or…), art there living and breathing, the texture, the size, the smell,  we can’t ignore the fact that most people see out art via computer screens though, this surely has to be embraced? Surely we do have to experiment with it. And so Red will (hopefully) open on-line next Monday here on this website, come back next Monday and see if it has. (sw)

Artist: MADELEINE STRINBERG, Red (2011) Oil on Canvas