dealing with art (and the business of it=(

Most artists pick two options when dealing with galleries. They either:

a. run as far away from the gallery as possible. (knowing that in the art of business the gallery houses the worst of them: those who will hang your work upside down, those who will not give you appropriate representation, and those who will flat out not follow good gallery conduct.)

b. bear it and smile (and half the time possibly even enjoy it a little bit.) (knowing that any opportunity to sell is a good opportunity for them)

i tend to position my self at a "a.5;" -business agreements sparingly made with a scrutinizing eye and an open heart.

as many people already know: i am already half jaded. a few months ago a gallery director hung my work sideways on the wall without any effort into paying attention to the right way it was to be displayed

and now:

a gallery has forced me to take down four pieces in the middle of my exhibition. why? because they didnt want them damaged is the response i recieved. yet, i spoke with and confirmed on the three different occasions the nature and the curation of the show with the performance in mind, ending with the director complimenting not only the work but my business minded character. obviously convenience withstands both of those good traits in this circumstance. a performance is coming up in the same space as my work.

as an artist i say: taking away vital parts of a body is deadly. a person with no arms or legs if you will. one person even made the analogy: what if someone went to play the piano only to find out that 6 or 7 keys were missing.

people have to learn to understand and deal with all forms of art. would i have had this same issue if it were a painting hanging on the wall? or if the gallery recognized the direct link between my work and the artist statement? i think not. the work is made of crocheted copper wire and therefore very hard to "damage." The only way for people to understand how to interact with the work is through exposure.

...and even if the gallery director made his "executive decision" it is not my responsibility to go back to the gallery to take it down. (or put it back up again) it was his decision to breach our agreement of dates.

how disgruntling that even in the galleries one still has to worry about the integrity of artwork and vision, as the fine arts gallery is supposed to be a safehaven.

regardless, its a lesson learned. I am constantly (and gracefully) striding forward. i have included images of the works for those to see. i must add: they are best in person. the studio is always open on tuesdays and i would love feedback as always.