"Its Your Show Do What You Want."

Visual Arts Alberta Association has given me free reign in my upcoming group show on April 19th. I have the back room to myself which will hold 10 or so large photographs. I was told yesterday by the executive director of the VAAA last night that I can choose from all my imagery to make up a show, to quote him "Its Your Show Do What You Want.". In years past I have submitted 5 different sex worker packages (and been rejected 4 of the 5 times), I guess the executive director recently reviewed and accepted all those previous images as worthy of being shown. Now its up to me to decide what I want to show and how I want to show it, sort of a dream come true. I have the freedom to show what I want in the space I wanted to show it in! This is a great opportunity, something I have waited a long long time for.

I am undecided at present exactly what I will show, I am leaning towards going all white background shots in white frames with a possibility of a a few smaller black frame images of other sex worker related portraiture. I wish I had the front room also! Then I could do some of the colour work, some of the earlier 35mm work etc. I do not want the show to be to chaotic, to many different types of photographs might be a bit confusing. If I stay with the large format white background stuff it will probably be a more effective cohesive presentation.

I also have to write up a artist statement (oh joy!!) and make up a show title.

The VAAA is definitely heading in a better direction, the paintings I saw yesterday by Ricardo Copado and the drawings by Daniel Evans at the gallery were challenging (Copado's bird stuff a bit frightening), I would not mind going back and seeing them again.

Its strange, after all those years of rejection letters from the VAAA, with a change of leadership I now have the freedom to show the same work that was previously unacceptable. I now feel I was on the right track all along. I did not back down and continued to produce the photographs that I thought were important, and now all of the new stuff and all of the old stuff is worthy of being shown in this space. Its good to stick to your guns, fight your way through and make work you think is important. Conviction in what your doing is important, it gives the work added strength, a bit of adversity (rejection letters, friends and others who criticize what you do) also helps,  it puts a burr under the saddle and pushes you forward.

Here is a link to the VAAA.

Visual Arts Alberta