Photography Forums UK

[Kenny]

Hi guys

something happened this morning that depressed me and i wanted to share it with you and open a discussion on what we are here for- photography. To put you into the picture( no pun intended) this morning we had a lecture from a visiting professional called Jules Wright ( finally got her name right lol) she is the curator of the Wapping Gallery and a couple of others in London and she was there to give a talk on photography and how to get your work into the wider world and get it noticed. Now she would have been brilliant if she had not then laid her cards on the table and said quite bluntly that as a curator of the gallery she would never exhibit the work of an artist or photographer unless she actually liked the work, and would feel comfortable hanging it on her own walls. she totally dismissed digital photography as an irrelevance and said that she cared nothing for digital images or images from a digital camera that had been manipulated and would only ever take on a photographer who worked in film.

this depressed me greatly because I got from what she was saying that this is a widespread belief in the curating and gallery world. Im puzzled because myself, I would think that no matter what your personal bias is towards an image or genre, you should never discount the work of others so blandly and blindly and wouldnt it be the case that as a curator of a gallery you should champion the work of all genres and styles and not preclude any work that didnt personally sit well with you. It is after all about bringing photography to a wider audience dont you think- whatever that genre may be.

I got so annoyed I wanted to say something but I thought, dont bothere because she had a blinkered mentality. I took some of my work in a portfolio to show her today as we had been suggested to do by the tutor but after her narrow minded attitude I decided not to bother as I just knew she would speak dismissively of it and at the moment I'm already second guessing everything I do.

what do you gusy think? do you think Im wrong in saying that as a curator of any kind of performance- be it a dance, music painting or photo, you should never narrow the area of things just because you dont like that work and dont you think this is unfair if all curators and galleries think this way. It makes a nonsense of even trying to make it in any genre.


Sorry to rant on..its just something thats bugged me all day and I dont normally think so deeply about things.

what annoyed me eeven more was her startling admission that she has not only never picked a camera up or taken a photo, she has no interest in ever doing so.


B

[chris Hodgson]

And you took this woman seriously because????

[Roddy mac]

I'd say .... shes deffo in the wrong job, more so with a view like that, if she doesn't like something NO ONE ELSE WILL total crap ..... that is a narrow minded view
i just wonder what her bosses would say to her comments like that ...

i know in my short time of taking photo's, i know and understand not everyone will like the same photo, you might put a photo to 10 folk or more and only some really likes it.. some might think hmm its ok,

but its all to each and everyones taste in what they like and dont like...... is that not one of the reasons we are all called individuals

[chris Hodgson]

I would have walked up to her, told her she was talking out her arse, turned my back on her, and walked out lol Nothing worse than jumped up armholes, who think they know what "photography" is. Have you seen some of the crap in their gallery? http://www.thewappingprojectbankside.com/artists/ I've turned out better than some, and a crappy Canon budget digital. Let high society crack on at £2000 per print Kenny. These are not people who live in the real world, just a bubble of money and rubbing shoulders with other "money people"

[Kenny]

Hi guys

I didnt take her seriously. I'm just surprised from the comments that eople gave that they gave her credence...mind you the comments were from people who mainly shot film- and who obligingly waited afterwards and showed her their work.It made me question why photography is so held back and its because of people like this who hold a view and do not see the bigger picture. it would be like this forum saying onlya certain genre of shot can be posted. I could not understand why they gave her such credence and infact in my journal I just did five page rant on what a prat I thought she was. her visit was enough to put off any tog from going further.

Roddy, she IS the boss of where she is. she owns and runs both galleries-and she only exhibits three photographers- all in film. she wont reperesent anyone who doesnt take film and even then only if she would eprsonaly hang it on her wall. Im concerned that she has never taken a photo and is so dismissive. I know you can appreiciate a symphony without knowing how to write music but what can I say??? I will be having a chat with the tutor about this. One thing its made me realise is that the rise of the self promotion web site is the future and the only way photographers and artists will get out there is if they promote themselves.

[yeti monster]

The word 'hubris' springs to mind....

[Kenny]

agreed !

[chris Hodgson]

So she was paid by the uni to attend and have smoke blown up her ass about how wonderful she is? What a complete waste of fees, and a complete waste of time

[Kenny]

agree again Chris. Obviously the people who have only shot film were instantly in love with her- after all they have her undivided attention- the problem is that most of my peers on my BA shoot digital. I cant for the life of me understand what they thought the majority would get out of it other than to realize that most curators are up their own arses and most have such blinkered views that they hold back, rather than promote photography. myself, if I do end up getting any good, I'll leave it at promoting myself. I might get better thought of....or in my case maybe not....

[Kenny]

put it this way....if I could see what the degree was about now before I did it, I would not have done it. I'd have got private tuition and probably gained more from that. the only thing I have had pride in was the exhibition- but even here there was no need for a degree to do one.I would have got togther with like minded people and put one together and achieved the same result- which is not to belittle what we did. we actually as a group went against the uni and chose our own venue and did our own exhibtion so in effect this was outside of uni anyway- though the tech guys at uni were amazing and helped us- but there was no reference to the uni in the exhibition and it was all made so it looked like an independant entity.