Or #Reevaluatinglife
Sometimes something happens in life to make you re-evaluate everything that’s happened to you so far.
This week it was when I was deciding to go to an artist event held by Gone Rogue in Shoreditch at the Curtain Club.
It made me realise that two years in to the pandemic I now know more artists than I do heroin addicts.
And it made me realise that I could go to an event on my own – like I did in the olden days when I reviewed things as part of my job but now as a punter.
Punter might be the wrong word to use for an attendee of an event held at a private members club, especially as it was an event where I’d changed out of the t-shirt I’d been wearing all day and ironed a shirt to wear in an attempt to fit in more.
But we are where we are and punter is the word I have selected.
The premise of the event was a simple one, the work of 13 female artists were on display for people to look at and buy if they so wished, with the creators happy to chat to people about how and why they made it.
And before the mingling bit there was a discussion involving three of the artists: grAzie, Bethany Perry and Caroline Chinakwe.
As someone who spends a long time wondering whether he has made the right career choices it was especially interesting to hear about Beth’s inspiration for her artworks and how her mental health struggles had taken her away from the world of being a make up artist. She explains it in this video.
I didn’t say it at the time of the Q&A part of the talk because I thought it might not have come across in the way I intended it but there was one man’s statement (there’s always someone who makes a statement instead of asking a question) that I didn’t think went far enough.
He said it was great that the Femme 13 event seemed to be about women artists supporting women artists and that needs to happen more.
To my mind this is something everyone needs to be doing. We need to demand greater representation for women artists in art museums and galleries across the world to redress the balance of centuries of art which was only focused on those with a paintbrush in one hand and their penis in the other.
There isn’t time in this piece to explain how an artist I met at the event and I tried to get in to a company’s Christmas party (yes in March) and were almost going to dance in exchange for drinks.
But there is always time to explain how the main reason I went to the event instead of thinking “I haven’t got anyone to go with, I’ll stay at home” is because I wanted to see Lauren Baker’s piece Go Where You Feel Most Alive – Rainbow Trail in real life.
As regular readers of Fiskal Policy will know I’m a massive fan of Lauren’s work and would love to fill my walls with all her pieces if I had more space and more money.
My picture doesn’t do it justice but it is very beautiful and seems to have the message that out of darkness can come light – which seems an appropriate statement after two years of Covid-19.
If you want to see it yourself my top tip is to get along to her solo show at 99 Projects in Kensal Rise, London, which starts on May 5th.
My other top tip is that the gallery is opposite the train/ Overground Station and there is a Gail’s Bakery nearby so you can get a cake while you decide which of her artworks you want to buy.
And message me if you want to hear a special story about why I’m especially proud of myself for Thursday night.
Stay safe for another week!
Fiskal Policy 