Ofelia Carmen | Jamie Cox | Simon Hope | Paul Langford | Nita Newman | Paul Newman
Press Release
Tuesday 6th and Friday 9th November, 2012 (5.30pm – 8.30pm)
The Works Gallery, 3rd Floor, Jubilee Trade Centre, Birmingham, UK
“Birmingham emerging artists/curators take a first step forward.”
A collaboration between artists Dan Auluk & Oscar Cass-Darweish.
An extension leading on from Proposal 1, a project initiated at mac Birmingham as part of the ALLOTMENT Project. Proposal 1 explored the unseen aspects of the common application process for exhibiting artwork. Starting with a call out for proposals for a potential exhibition, the idea of a proposal becoming an artwork was explored. All proposals submitted were displayed online alongside subsequent creative responses by Dan & Oscar, further blurring the boundaries between artist, curator and audience raising questions on authorship and authenticity. Derivatives of the creative responses were chronologically revealed as works in the space for which the original proposals were intended. Augmented by information linking to the artist’s proposal online, the viewer was invited to interpret the possible work by means of the disparity between two outputs as opposed to considering a single resolved piece.
Proposal 2 as an exhibition revisits this process in two phases. Initially offering the original participating artists a chance to exhibit new works born out of the exchange that took place during Proposal. The second phase is a response to these new works in the same location, by Dan & Oscar as co-curators. The viewer must attend both parts of the show in order to fully experience the work.
“ALLOTMENT at mac birmingham looked at alternative curatorial methods currently being practised and researched in Birmingham (2012). Dan Auluk’s Proposal project was first explored as part of this programme and it is a credit to both artist and ALLOTMENT that this piece is being further developed and continued outside of mac birmingham and the project.” Charlie Levine, Associate Producer, ALLOTMENT
“mac birmingham is delighted to see the Proposal project develop and build upon its initial outing as part of the ALLOTMENT programme. The project represents what ALLOTMENT strived to achieve – reflecting different working practices and an openness to alternative ways of working, outside the institutional systems and procedures familiar in arts industry.” Craig Ashley, Visual Arts Producer, mac birmingham
