So here is a tale about the oddest thing that has ever happened to me in an art gallery. I managed to swoop by the Eastern Southland Art Gallery just after Christmas to see the Matthew Couper show Thirty-Three. It was excellent and a great concept. I particularly liked the Christ Canvas part of the central installation.
While I was there I decided to post a message to the artist via Facebook saying I was there and I thought it was great (what a fan-girl *sigh*). When I looked up for my messaging a patron, an older gentle man was glaring at me…oh well I though and went through to the Hotere Gallery. Now something struck me about the hanging of three panels of Hotere’s at the end of the gallery and I did something I have seldom done before and took a photo.
This wasn’t a quick decision for me but I was thinking about many of these posts and Courtney’s discussion of this topic on National Radio. Recently I’d been to the re-opened Otago Settlers Museum that actually invited you to take photos and I also had in mind Matthew Couper himself and his many Facebook photos of artworks in galleries.
Anyway the older gentleman approached me and said “Taking photos of the artworks eh??” He was visibly angry; I was quite taken aback. I offered to delete the photo if it upset him that much and his response was “I don’t even want to speak to you” and he stomped right out of the art gallery.
Now I HATE upsetting people or causing a fuss so I was quite upset. But over the week or so I’ve decided it perhaps was not the best idea I’ve ever had, but actually was it that enraging? I would have liked to know what this man’s specific problem was…
The funny thing is the picture I took is a unrecognisable complete blur, perhaps as John Lydon sang, anger is an energy…
Totally elate, wrote about this about a year ago: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mat-gleason/mystery-museum-insists-it_b_970861.html
My take on it – if he’s not prepared to talk to you about it, then it’s not actually about you. It’s some sort of superstition he holds dear, but something he can’t actually justify in logical terms. So when you try to have a conversation, he gets angry because he knows it’s not actually a conversation he could have.
As for taking photo, I’m all for it! It can never accurately reproduce the painting, the experience of being there. In fact, it’s not even as good as the $3 postcard in the gallery shop. Instead it’s a memento of your experience at the gallery – that day when the old man yelled at you.
I do sort of understand, but the very real anger took me by surprise. The photo I was taking included the wall and a bench in the foreground so not of the art so much as the setting. But no matter. On reflection I doubt I’d do it again.
All about him, I’m guessing. If it wasn’t you, it would have been someone else that day.
Personally I think art was meant to be seen. The only concern is that sometimes flash photography (as in large numbers of people taking photos) can damage some forms of art, such as oil paintings. Ultimately unless the artists expressly doesn’t want their work reproduced, I say shoot away.
“Anger is an energy | Art and My Life” http://lazezweb.
com was a terrific post. If perhaps it had alot more photographs it would probably be perhaps even
far better. Thanks ,Tia
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