emerging artists – nik uzunovski

The main thing is to keep in the loop, exhibit regularly, enter prizes, scholarships and apply for grants, get involved in community projects. Well that’s what i’ve been doing anyway. It’s a slow road. But one the main factors is supporting an artist by buying their work. Buying it when they exhibit, buying it inbetween shows. Pats on the back and kind words don’t put food in my belly. So if you’re not an artist then you should be buying art. Remember this, today’s emerging artist is tomorrow’s star, I bet Pablo Picasso’s earliest collectors were happy they bought his work while he was relatively unknown. Even if you’re an artist, support your peers by buying and trading works.

So, if you are an artist, exhibit, buy your fellow artists work, enter prizes, intern and volunteer etc. And as for the future collectors, BUY ART!

The exhibition has now come to a close, however it was one the most amazing experiences of my life thus far. Participating in and helping organise, hang and installing exhibitions within the University art school is a different experience, you have a larger support network and a larger quantity of experienced people to help guide you along the way. Also co-curating and co-organising an exhibition such as this was an entirely new experience, amassing your own funds along with the funds of the other exhibitors to pay for the space and to also pay for the catering and drinks on the opening night as well as other additional costs. The exhibition itself was born out of a collective discussion on how we might produce and exhibition where the work was investigating or questioning something and also how the work of each individual would connect to everyone else’s work. We made aesthetic and conceptual connections between our work, overall each work, whatever it was addressing was quiet, and contemplative, suited to an audience who enjoy engaging with works of art for a longer period of time rather than quickly observing and moving on. Each work asked the viewer to spend more time with it. Also the inclusion of an artists statement broke down the barrier for the viewer by giving them a brief explanation about the work and its intentions and concept. I will leave the description as it is, brief, because as you can imagine I could write an essay several thousand words long on this exhibition and the work within it, so enjoy the pictures from the opening night as well as the images of the artists work.