Controversial Truth + Tips: Gatekeeping & the Subjectivity of Art

🌟 Overview: Career Advice for Artists

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ℹ️ About CAI:
CAI is the abbreviation of 'Contemporary Art Issue,' a hybrid platform for contemporary art including:

👨 About the host Julien Delagrange:
Julien Delagrange is an art historian, contemporary artist, and the founder and director of CAI. Delagrange studied Science of Arts at Ghent University, Belgium, and worked for the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels, the Jan Vercruysse Foundation, the Ghent University Library, and has contributed to the international contemporary art scene as an art critic, lecturer, curator, gallery director, consultant, advisor, and as an artist. As an artist, he is represented by Galerie Sabine Bayasli in Paris, France, and Gallery Space60 in Antwerp, Belgium.

🎯 The mission of the CAI YouTube channel:
→ To empower artists by providing adequate and industry-approved advice for artists for long-term success in the highest realms of the art world, sharing inside information and proven strategies based on real-life experiences in the art world.
→ To contribute to the online canonization of recent art history, having its finger at the pulse of contemporary art.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. However, if you feel you have inadvertently been overlooked, please take up contact with Contemporary Art Issue.

[LeroyMorte]

The dog licking it's own arse is a very apt metaphor for the contemporary art market. Good work.

[grahameldridge]

Brutal, but valuable advice. I have taken this advice, and actually paused my practice until I feel that I have something unique and relevant to say with my art. It's a daunting prospect, but I found this video engaging and inspiring. Thank CAI

[TheCuratorialMethod]

Gatekeeping can come in so many forms--even in who is able to afford to take a job in the art world. And while rejection is inevitable, my (maybe counter-intuitive) advice that always seems to help is in those moments of frustration, and let's face it, sometimes despair-- look around and uplift others. When you offer assistance or help someone else out of any kind of jam or problem it transforms your attention and gets you focused on solutions and next steps from a place of generosity and strength. It's a powerful thing!

[antondavidovic]

Art today is an amalgam of politics and trends. Those part of the "art scene" will deny it, but it is obvious to anyone who is outside of the scene and unaffected by bias. As a painter, I've been told that its not enough to paint "what I like" or what I "enjoy making" quite a few times. Excuse me? This life already requires you to do a lot of things you do not like or enjoy just to survive, why add onto that list, and voluntarily at that? What ends up happening is that a lot of artists sacrifice their authenticity just to appease the tastes of the gatekeepers. Also, you say that the "art elites" aren't the ones who dictate what is considered good art? I find it hard to accept your attempt at excusing them since they are a part of every commission that decides what will be exhibited in the first place. This is why I believe the best artists are those not affirmed by the "scene". Art has also become a form of high privilege. The ones that can already afford a better production in the first place will be the ones to impress the gatekeepers the most. You say you make interesting, thought provoking and relatable ink drawings? Pfft lets give another exhibition to Anish Kapoor and revere him some more since he spent a fortune on this massive block of clay...

Fortunately today there are platforms far more relevant for displaying art than pretentious galleries...

[MarshMakesComics]

I started watching your videos and was tempted to let myself be a bit angered. But I had to push my ego down and realize there’s actually a lot I can learn a from this. I like your non judgemental yet honest approach to these topics. I doubt I will find myself as an artist becoming a contemporary fine artist that shows in galleries however I can see the value of learning from this world. I think this will lead me to do more meaningful art and present my own work with more intention. Thank You!

[JOSEPHCHARLESCOLIN]

The art world of galleries hated me And closed the road. But I built my own road around them, and now collectors are getting a hold of me on their own.

[memememineme]

Thank you sooo much for not using those super cheesy stock video anymore! Great video. Straight up and to the point whether we like it or not it’s how things work. ❤

[larsvangemerden]

It sounds a bit too much like “conform or get out” to me. Reminds me of my corporate job. Many of the greatest artists did not conform. I think most of the experts are at least partially in it for the money, so they are good at saying what their customers wants to hear. I would hope the art world would be the one place where money did not rule.

[FredPoissonPainter]

I disagree with the opening premise that the work has to be great. I see a lot of mediocre work succeeding for various reasons.

[momo_e]

please make a video on how to approach art galleries, curators or anyone if you already have a series of works ready and you think theyre good and strong enough to be shown.

[aleksandramirjanacrossan]

i just watched the first minute and didnt hear a word you were saying cause I was watching the dog haha. Gotta go back and start again and pay attention this time!

[atoms-to-atoms]

A lot of common sense...well articulated!

[ifychiejina]

Very helpful video. Those wishing to pursue the contemporary art world should always be mindful of the advice they are receiving from those who do not wish to pursue the contemporary art world.

[georgescanvas]

Your channel has informative insights into the professional art scene. Congratulations. My own view of today's art scene is that It has been sucked into the vortex of global financialization. Art is no longer a depiction of cultural enlightenment. It no longer projects the human spirit. It is just a trendy asset class for the ruling class to indulge in.

[dolphinboy]

The barrier to entry is low, and there is some misplaced belief that 'doing what you love' can make an artist a lot of money. Ford Maddox Brown kept a diary of the hours he spent on each painting. I went through all his entries and did the math: most of his well known works took a minimum of 900 + hours each of effort at the canvas. Many took 1500 hours or more. He logged only the hours at the canvas, not the extra stuff. a 900 hour canvas at 8 hours a day is 3.5 months. let that sink in.

[whathappenedtoqualityart]

Trends rule the 'art (you gotta laugh) world'. In a world where no-one in an 'elite' position on the art scene has the spine or integrity (let's face it, it's big money we're talking here) to call out nonsense when it's blatant to everyone involved in benefitting from it, then quality isn't even a consideration because there's no 'bar', just the opinion and influence of the great pretentious minority. Pretentiousness among 'modern' artists is king today, but technical ability coupled with creativity is timeless and will regain it's rightful place with the help of education and courage. There are great artists out there, but In this contemporary world of pretentious charlatans (who are making a fortune), and pretentious sheep (who don't want to be seen as not clever or arty enough to 'get it') they will always play second fiddle to the bombastic. CAI is simply a result (victim or opportunist?) of this nonsense we're being spoonfed. Unfortunately, this is yet another video of complicity in the ruin of quality art, and by pointing it out (by commenting) I have probably given some aid to the scam. Ah well, the price of honesty.

[noutbodyn]

I'm curious about your thoughts on the rise of Instagram artists who primarily create reels to gain fame, yet may have little to no formal art education or recognition from curators or collectors. Often, these artists even earn more than individuals associated with prestigious galleries. However, their work might consist solely of paint splatters reminiscent of Pollock's descendants. What's your perspective on this phenomenon? Do you believe their success challenges traditional notions of artistry and value, or do you see it as a potential dilution of artistic standards? Great video, getting smarter each video!

[christopherwelch]

This topic makes me irritated. I’ve been turned down by galleries that had crap hanging on their walls…. Posterized photoshop movie stills from Frankenstein…. and I am convinced it’s got nothing to do with your art. Getting a gallery manager to like you enough to represent you is more trouble than it’s worth.

[giampaoloparrilla]

thank you as always for the precision and the great work you share! what do you think of the Catawiki platform? do you think it could be a valid tool for artists or galleries? Thank you! :)

[stever]

What is clear is that the arguments you present are exactly the problems with art... Art is dictated by the people with the money! Period! Mathematics can be art... Simply ask the experts when a new method is brought forward by a new player or savant. Therein lies the difference it is in the art itself - those who can create on an entire new level are the Avant Garde. The experts in Art should fall away but they do not, they clutch their investments desperately to shield them against devaluing them. The entirety of the Art World is a Hoax - make no mistake! For the record - I am not some jilted artist or failed in any way... I have seen, and watched so many be raped and pillaged to steal from every artist. I make art when and if i feel like it... Those who know me either like and buy it or they don't. I don't give a fuck! The accurate rating of Art does not happen through experts - it is the power of the masses.