Sunday, February 18, 2007
Day 144 - Photography contests & prizes
Well, I do not believe in photography prizes, from the artistic point of view. For commercial purposes - getting comissions, assignments, contracts, grants or residencies - it is good and it could work. But being awarded with a photography prize doesn't make sure at all that galleries will exhibit you, collectors will buy your works or public will buy your books. And this is because a jury is very subjective. Change one person from a jury and the results will be different.
I think the greatest achievements a visual artist can get are: being published regularly by magazines, being exhibited regularly by galleries and museums, works being bought by collectors and/or museums, and last and most important maybe - books being sold all over the world. Because this means many thousands of different peoples, from different countries and cultural spaces, are valuing the artistic work each time they buy a copy of the book - for very various and different reasons. Being sold out over the world means that your book is good and tells so many different things to so many different peoples which receive your artistic message in a unique manner.
I am saying al these because I keep receiving invitations for joining various photography contests, some of them considered to be very prestigious. I am not interested.
On the other hand, I don't think asking a contestant to pay a fee to enter the contest - allured by the perspective of a money prize or glory - it is fair. It is not fair. Thousands of peoples will pay their fees, and only a few will receive te prizes, of course. This system must be changed. The institution of any photography prize first must have the authority and prestige to raise donations for helping the art values and artists. Entering the contest must be free, and the winners must be published in photography books (individual or collective) as a way of making necessary profits. Furthermore, photography contest must be art markets where artists can meet collectors, publishers and galleries representatives. And I assure you that a lot of other artists that were not awarded by the jury, will sell their works, will be exhibited by galleries or will be published - regardless of the jury opinion. Because, after all, an artist is not creating artworks only for other artists, critics, editors, art directors or jury professionals. An artist is sending messages to the peoples. All possible peoples.
And that's it.
I think the greatest achievements a visual artist can get are: being published regularly by magazines, being exhibited regularly by galleries and museums, works being bought by collectors and/or museums, and last and most important maybe - books being sold all over the world. Because this means many thousands of different peoples, from different countries and cultural spaces, are valuing the artistic work each time they buy a copy of the book - for very various and different reasons. Being sold out over the world means that your book is good and tells so many different things to so many different peoples which receive your artistic message in a unique manner.
I am saying al these because I keep receiving invitations for joining various photography contests, some of them considered to be very prestigious. I am not interested.
On the other hand, I don't think asking a contestant to pay a fee to enter the contest - allured by the perspective of a money prize or glory - it is fair. It is not fair. Thousands of peoples will pay their fees, and only a few will receive te prizes, of course. This system must be changed. The institution of any photography prize first must have the authority and prestige to raise donations for helping the art values and artists. Entering the contest must be free, and the winners must be published in photography books (individual or collective) as a way of making necessary profits. Furthermore, photography contest must be art markets where artists can meet collectors, publishers and galleries representatives. And I assure you that a lot of other artists that were not awarded by the jury, will sell their works, will be exhibited by galleries or will be published - regardless of the jury opinion. Because, after all, an artist is not creating artworks only for other artists, critics, editors, art directors or jury professionals. An artist is sending messages to the peoples. All possible peoples.
And that's it.