Four Imaginations of The Art World; or so she thought...
Jessie Lee
The Auctions
What is it like to be an auction house specialist?
Ashley never stops dreaming about working in Christie’s, or Sotheby’s, or Philips, or any prestigious auction houses really.
Imagine witnessing and participating in all the biddings, gee, all those eight figure paintings and sculptures! (the majority of art collectors still get a preference on mediums, you see.)
Even in the most challenging time of the world’s economy, the art market does not seem to stop rocketing.
She enjoys closely following every seasonal sales report and index, but what could she, an outsider of this vanity fair, actually understand? At this point, she is not even an intern, or any other entry-level functionary that shares the similar working title.
She remembers passing by the Rockefeller Center as a kid, seeing all those classy men and women in suits and heels walk inside the commercial buildings. That was when she decided to make it to “the club.”
“Why the pretentious greed, Ash? Isn’t it sickening to think of art as some sort of commodity? Besides, we aren’t trust fund kids that are born ready for the art market, it won’t be easy for people like us even just to get the entry tickets, you see?” her best friend Tami once said.
“It’s not like I wanna be a collector or something, I simply just wanna work for them. Plus, it is never too late to marry one, is it?”
Obviously, she is kidding. Ambitious and materialistic as she is, it never strikes her to gain anything without her own efforts.
Isn’t her soul perfectly designed for Capitalism?
Whether Ashley will make her way to the auction or not remains unknown. So far as we can tell she is still a high achieving, driven, and aspiring art history student who never worries a single bit that her degree may not pay off.
The Museums
What characterises something as a museum, and who gets to definite it?
The ramifications could be serious.
It is all about framing and representations, isn’t it?
The politics of space.
In this age of contexts, when the threshold holders no longer exist, and everyone exists as a gate keeper.
We are the exhibiting spaces. We are the museums.
But what is there for us to internalise?
What have we institutionalised under self-censorships and silences driven by our own interests?
What have we done? What have we NOT done?
Yesterday I woke up deciding to stand with the values that make me who I am.
So, what’s on display today?
The Gallery
“What we all need now is art, a clean getaway from this progressively difficult world.”
For Langmore, the process of art-making promises a form of resilience, offering her a wholly spiritual world against this time of crisis. Inspired by her conversations with friends and family members during lockdowns, Langmore’s new series responds to the new normal we all live in. The motif of twisted alphabetical signs, which frequently appears in this series of paintings, represents a desire to decipher the opacity of a challenging world. Her vibrant use of colors and abstract forms imbue the canvases with rhythmic compositions and articulates a deconstructed, escapist chromatic space.
The gallery will now be open to the public seven days per week; extended hours for viewing will be made available upon appointments. For everyone’s health and safety, please follow the government’s safety guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19. (Please be aware that face masks will be required when visiting.) We look forward to seeing you!
