(Selling) Art is confusing…but goods here are simple
2024Performance, Multi-media installation, Art Works from other artists
Space-spicific work at LatchKey Gallery
—Starting with my class performance piece—in front of the New Museum, I "sold" my fictional fake artist using the methods of Canal Street vendors selling counterfeit goods. This was a response to the notion that art becomes "real art" once it enters a museum or gallery, and that art is elevated and inaccessible to the general public.
This time, I imitated the way Chinatown shops decorate their windows to transform the display window of Latchkey Gallery into a convenience store. Stickers, posters, neon signs, surveillance camera—it looked nothing like a gallery from the outside. On the shelves were snacks, fruits, and various everyday goods, alongside works by my artist friends—without their support, I couldn’t have completed this piece. I also invited my friends who practice social art to join the project—one acted as a broker in my store, selling buildings she painted, while another gave out homemade healthy smoothies (the recipe came from a book she found on the street).
By decorating the gallery as a small roadside store and placing art pieces alongside everyday goods, I hoped to cancel the sense of elitism and distant, making art easier to approach. I wanted people to no longer feel the hesitation when stepping into art spaces.
While installing this piece, many people from the neighborhood stopped by curiously to peek inside. Among them were quite a few older residents, who usually aren’t the target audience for galleries and wouldn’t voluntarily visit art spaces. I always smiled and nodded at them, and they kindly smiled back.
I had a conversation with a lady named Evelyn. I mentioned how much I hoped the local residents would come to see our exhibition. She replied, "A lot of older folks from Fujian live around here. They don’t understand these kinds of artworks—it’s not a place for them." I felt a bit sad but told her, "Maybe this time it will feel a little different? You’re welcome to visit during the opening!" She smiled and said she would.
Art—or selling art—can sometimes feel confusing. But the goods here are simple, and the people who come and go are simple too.
During the opening, I saw this year’s super-moon from the street. I was surrounded by art and friends, slightly tipsy from the drinks. I don’t know how the following days turned out; in the end, I never got to see Evelyn again.
(See the original performance piece at the end of the page)
The original performacne
The catalog I used