10. Exhibition Opening

The exhibition opening was something quite special.  Our partner institution was probably one of the highest profile galleries within a very famous arts district in Seoul. The opening of our exhibition coincided with opening of several other exhibitions at galleries in the local area.  But rather than this bringing a competitive edge to the event where galleries rivaled for attention, one with the other, there was an incredible sense of community within the area.  Invited guests, gallerists and artists in most cases strolled from one exhibition to another enjoying the warm hospitality and engaging art.

At our gallery the opening began with a media launch and public lecture with (almost) all of the artists included in the exhibition (over 15 in total).  At the launch Gertrude’s Director and the Korean senior curator spoke about the process of collaboration and each of the artists have an insight and perspective of their works.

It struck me at that point that there really hadn’t been any opportunity, prior to that occasion, for the Australian and Korean artists to come together to meet and discuss their work.  While the exhibition had resulted through the combined efforts of the curators, the artists operated as entirely independent units.  That was clearly necessary in terms of the creation of their work, yet it seems to me that the exhibition itself could have been all the more collaborative and perhaps a little richer, had we designed opportunities for the Australian and Korean artists to get to know each other better and share insights on their own artistic practice and process.