Zine, Gallery or both?
The function of the publication is to make my work accessible, for this purpose I want to create an affordable publication that I can produce in small runs where more can be ordered if there is demand. This would accompany an exhibition setting.
I am thinking that the publication and the gallery exhibition could go hand in hand but be two parts that complete each other. I don’t expect to be able to show my work in a large gallery space at this point in my career (not to say I won’t try!) so if there is a limited wall space, it would be interesting to have some of the works on display in larger prints whilst a publication would have the complete project. I don’t know if this would mean that the publication would need to be included with the exhibition for free or whether I could charge a small amount to cover the cost of publishing the work. this is still something I am considering.
The work I am producing would support this, as the images are very intimate. I think intimacy suits a publication in that you can take it with you and have it in your own private space.
So Why Gallery?
Despite the accessibility benefits of cheap publications, I also like the prospect of taking a small space and creating an installation with the work. Initially inspired by seeing Martin Parr projected on a white wall in the Tate Modern in a room covered with his prints; I came out of the space feeling as if I had experienced the work as opposed to having just seen the work. I had a similar experience with Alex Prager’s Silver Lake Drive at the Photographer’s Gallery in 2018, this time it was the short films that deepened my experience with the images. I already loved the work hanging on the walls but that extra touch was so important to seeing and experiencing her work. Having previously seen Gregory Crewdson’s Cathedral of The Pines in the same space in 2017, I recall the difference in my excitement; I just wanted to find out as much as I could about Prager, I still pour over her book and short films.
The feeling of exitement from the Prager exhibition still manifests its self in the book every time I look at it, and I hope I can create something similar.
CRJ 