December took me to Florence Italy to participate in the Biennale di Firenze. What a hoot! 800 artists from around the world all ready to have fun. I went with very few expectations and therefore was very pleasantly surprised. So, what did I learn?
Don't sweat the details. Since the shipping bid was more than $5000, I decided to take my paintings as luggage. Sounds simple, but my box was about the size of a Smart Car. However, with a smile on my face and really good luggage cart, this turned out to be a brilliant plan. It didn't cost me a penny and I met the most interesting people as I dragged this box around town. Even the customs officials engaged me delightful conversations and waved me through.
Ignore the experts. The jurying process at the show was filled with intrigue, quite appropriate considering that Machiavelli once called Florence home. When I was interviewed by the jurors, one of them pointed to my painting, Harvest, and told me that while my technique is excellent, he 'had seen' the content before. I replied that he probably had seen it before. After all it is a painting of tomatoes and if he went to the market he would probably see it again. Needless to say, that kind of comment was not appreciated and I did not bring home an award.
Appreciate the irony. I found the fact that lifetime achievement award recognized two men who used bodily fluids for pigments and one of the sculpture awards going to a statue celebrating cross-species sex a bit disturbing. Obviously the judges were really looking for novelty. This need for art critics to discover something novel in a city where there are thousands of priceless and treasured portrayals of the same dead white guy heightened my sense of irony about the 'art scene.'
Have fun. Despite all the hype the exhibition really was about making new friends. It was amazing how easy it was to just start conversations and connect through each other's work. Everyone was approachable. No one seemed to take offence at well-meaning criticism. It was really refreshing. No ulterior motives, just having meeting people, sharing beauty and having fun
The Internet will change everything. This may seem like a strange note to end on, but what truly amazed me is how the web is dramatically changing how art is created, experienced, traded and exhibited. I didn't meet one artist who didn't have a website. There are lots of communities of artists who use the web to collaborate, critique each other's work, plan exhibitions together, etc. The web is the great equalizer. It is an incredible watershed period, not unlike the Renaissance that flourished in Florence half a millennium ago.
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