Career Paths

First steps for new graduates: studios, promotion, networks and exhibitions

Maintaining a career as an artist can be a complex and nuanced affair that requires a lot more than simply making good work. These presentations by artists and industry professionals examined and demystified key areas aside from their practice that artists need to consider to forge their careers.

Artists rent studios for different reasons: for the physical space to paint, sculpt or build an installation; for the mental and physical space to make work away from other commitments; maybe even to authenticate, for themselves, that they are an artist. Artists also rent studios to feel part of a community of artists.

When I applied for graduate school, I borrowed my friend's studio. Now I rent this studio together with them. The atmosphere of the studio is very good, and I have never felt confused in the studio. The four of us, of different ages, come from different cities, and are learning different majors. Everyone’s dream is to become a professional artist.

Due to the different majors of everyone's studies, we can see all kinds of strange things everywhere in our studio, which can help me develop ideas very well. But none of the four of us was able to formally sign a contract with the gallery.

This is a pity. I have to say that the most important criterion for becoming a professional artist is to be able to sign a gallery. In Beijing, the galleries that attract me most are ShanghART Gallery and White Space. Many young Chinese artists have been signed there. When I was studying, I just enjoyed the time of creating with everyone. When I was facing graduation, I began to observe what their daily lives were.

Generally speaking, everyone is constantly participating in gallery activities while accumulating works, getting to know gallery managers and curators. As the epidemic affects offline activities, new media galleries have gradually become a trend. Different from ordinary online exhibitions, new media galleries use more angles to reproduce the artwork more directly and truthfully and restore the entire exhibition.

Furtherfield exists as both an online and physical space which focuses on digital networks and how new technology and the internet impacts on art, community and beyond. Furtherfield Co Founder and Co Director Ruth Catlow talks about the gallery, its programme and how its focus impacts on their approach to engaging with artists.

I reorganized my graduation plan, about figuring out what I want to do and how to do it.

First of all, there is no doubt that I want to sign a contract with a gallery and become an official artist. This also requires consideration of how to let gallery managers and curators see me.

Developing practice and career is a highly personalized and subtle juggling behavior. Artists usually need to do things beyond their artistic practice: practical, critical, and sometimes even philosophical issues and challenges abound.

This requires me to spend some time participating in the gallery plan. Participate in private opinions and meetings there regularly. Many curators will go to open studio exhibitions because they can see the work of a large number of artists at the same time.

Regardless of everything you can do offline, having a personal website is also very important. This website needs to consider my practice from a business perspective. You can scroll through my work, clearly see the title, size and material, and participate in my practice at the same time. As for the places where I can fully embrace and simulate the concept and platform of the network, there are always links.

An example of an interesting artist's Instagram account is Tanya Ling. In her description, (as opposed to the purpose of the site), I felt she was manipulating the structure of the platform to suit her and her practice. By browsing her feed, I felt I had gained a deeper understanding of her work, and the images on display constructed a (new) simulated experience, or almost pseudo-work in its own right. It is important to realize that the images shown are never the "real" work of the site. Holding her cards to her chest, the feed was almost used as a sketchbook. By scrolling through her Instagram feed, viewers can get another look at her entire approach. She is showing the elements of her work, but remains curious about how "real" work can be expressed.

Broaden your social circle and have opportunities to be seen on the Internet. But at this time I encountered a new problem. Regarding whether your works should adapt to the commercial needs of the gallery. I learned something about how collectors collect and why they collect? This series of films commissioned by Own Art, as a way to introduce their projects, also provides an interesting perspective on how and why people decide to collect art. And their motivation for doing so. Collectors interviewed in these films shared stories about their decision to start buying art. They rarely did it for investment, but for the joy of living with art works. Michael Quick and Hilary Quick are more willing to support artists and buy art, rather than deposit money in the bank. They really value the relationship they build with the gallery because the advice they get helps them make an informed buying decision. They often buy reminiscent works.

I firmly believe that my work has artistic value and can be called art. It is very important to me at this stage. When I leave school, I often wonder what I am doing and whether it can be called art. The idea of collecting can often fundamentally solve my doubts.

There is a studio to ensure continuous creation and accumulation of works. Constantly broaden the social circle, and at the same time show his work as much as possible on various platforms. Have artistic self-confidence in their own creations and artistic awareness of what they do. This is my current career plan.

Finally, with regard to artistic failure, as a young artist, it is very difficult to progress in the real world. The pressure of money, time, and "what am I doing?" are enough to shake the strongest young artists. The unstable status of artists means that we are often at high risk of "art failure".

The failure of a work of art can shatter your vision, consume your practice, and hang heavily on your shoulders. I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong way to deal with failure-this is something we will pass by silently, and we will seize every possible opportunity to distract from the trivial things behind us.

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