The Fraud Police

The Heads 2015, acrylic on linen

In her book 'The Art of Asking or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help', Amanda Palmer describes the Fraud Police.

“The Fraud Police are the imaginary, terrifying force of 'real' grown-ups who you believe - at some subconscious level - are going to come knocking on your door in the middle of the night, saying:
We've been watching you, and we have evidence that you have NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING. You stand accused of the crime of completely winging it, you are guilty of making shit up as you go along, you do not actually deserve your job, we are taking everything away and we are TELLING EVERYBODY.”

Only I do not believe them at some subconscious level, I know they are real.  They are the judges, the board, the critics, the public, the galleries, the curators, every person who looks at my art work and they are all thinking the same thing.  I know this from the volume of 'Unfortunately' letters and emails I receive.

I have just entered this reworked painting of the entrance of Port Phillip Bay known as 'The Heads', in the Paddington Art Prize.  Thus on Thursday when the short list is announced I expect to hear...nothing.  It is true, as stated in the 2015 Entry Terms and Conditions 18. SELECTED APPLICANTS ONLY will be notified, sparing the rest of us the indignity of yet another 'Unfortunately'.

The Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery are facilitating a symposium on this very topic, how do we judge art?  Do the judges of art exhibitions always get it right?  How does it feel to be refused today and can an artist survive outside the mainstream?  Because of course the judging of any work of art; painting, dance, performance, music, film, writing is all based on one persons opinion.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  Most art competitions comprise of three judges, still all with their own prejudices and opinions.  

And then you have to ask yourself, how many times do you have to be rejected before you either start listening or start believing?  I have never had gallery representation, and not from want of trying.  But I have reached a point where I just do not care anymore, and make work for myself, essentially.  I believe I have mentioned before that I refused to enter any competition for a period of many years.  It became pointless.  Now I have a new attitude, to once again throw everything out there and see what sticks.  I have such low expectations of my own work, hence for me the Fraud Police are alive and well and actively patrolling my area.

http://mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au/EVENTS/How_do_we_judge_art_Success_rejection_scandal