Review: ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2018
This year is the 20th anniversary of the ING Discerning Eye art competition and exhibition - in terms of ING involvement. It's developed a good reputation over the years and is one I have always recommended to emerging artists.
This review is more by way of information for those contemplating an entry next year than those wanting to see the exhibition - which can be seen at the Mall Galleries but closes at 5pm tomorrow.
2018 marks 20 years of sponsorship from ING, in which time more than 2500 artists have exhibited, just under 10,000 works have been hung, almost £250,000 has been awarded in prizes to exhibitors, and more than £800,000 of art has been sold on behalf of artists.
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| A wall in the exhibition curated by Cherie Federico |
[A family party for a really important birthday (Mother being 90!) meant I was away at the end of last week and over the weekend and hence couldn't see it sooner than Tuesday.]
I was very pleased to see that, after very many moans by me, the website now displays very clearly:
2016
2017
Around 25% of selected artworks from the open entry selling is pretty good going.
Interestingly, as of Tuesday, the curator with the best track record of sales of the works displayed was Nick Ross - one of the collector curators who had more than 12% sold.
However somebody trashed the competition's reputation this year in various ways. My guess is this was negligence in relation to treating it a bit too much like an art exhibition and rather too little like an art COMPETITION with rules and conventions!
Then there's the issue of digital reproductions..... (see Sadie Clayton below).
When I visited on Tuesday, it was the QUIETEST exhibition I've visited in a VERY long time. Mostly people sitting and chatting over a cup of tea rather than looking at art.
The photos of the ING Discerning Eye 2018 - Artist Preview on Facebook suggest that the artists and their friends and the people invited by the hosts and sponsors enjoyed the PV.
Maybe it's improved since then - although my experience is that most visitors arrive in the first few days and during the first weekend - although this doesn't appear to have been the experience this time given the number of sales.
I chatted to the people behind the front desk and the cafe and apparently it had been extremely quiet since it opened last week
However I'd have expected to see more sales than I did.
In terms of sales I noticed that quite a few of the sales came in sets - as if invited artists displaying five or six works of art had primed people to come and buy!
Notwithstanding the above, the quality of the exhibition is generally good. I've also included some of my pics of artwork I liked on my Making A Mark Facebook Page
The Selectors this year are:
READ MORE......>>
The Good News
I was very pleased to see that, after very many moans by me, the website now displays very clearly:
- the numbers of invited artists and selected artists via the open entry
- the number of sales and the percentage attributed to invited artists and selected artists
2016
The 2016 exhibition comprises over 700 works by over 400 artists.70% of the artists and 60% of the works are from the open submission. Painting and drawing make up about 70% of the works, mixed media and sculpture about 13%, printmaking a further 7%, and photography about 5% this year.You'll note that there is a major variation in counts of total works and total artists between 2016 and 2017.
2017
The 2017 exhibition comprised 465 works by 237 artists. 75% of the artists and 55% of the works are from the open submission. Painting and drawing make up over 60% of the works, mixed media and sculpture about 15%, printmaking a further 8%, and photography about 5% this year.
Of the 467 works exhibited last year (excluding those from finalists in the 2017 DE Bursary), 54% came from the open submission, giving 178 artists the chance to hang alongside the 61 artists invited to exhibit by the selectors.
Twenty three percent of all works sold, with just under 25% of open submission contributions selling and 21% of works from invited artists finding a home with new buyers. This resulted in 20 of the invited artists (33% of the total) and 54 artists from the open submission (30%) selling their works.
Around 25% of selected artworks from the open entry selling is pretty good going.
Interestingly, as of Tuesday, the curator with the best track record of sales of the works displayed was Nick Ross - one of the collector curators who had more than 12% sold.
Not Playing by "the Rules"
However somebody trashed the competition's reputation this year in various ways. My guess is this was negligence in relation to treating it a bit too much like an art exhibition and rather too little like an art COMPETITION with rules and conventions!
- Awarding top financial prizes to an individual invited to select which artists from the open entry got to participate in the exhibition (see One of selectors wins £5,000 ING Discerning Eye Prize!)
To enter work you must be currently resident in the UK, your work must be for sale, and it must be a maximum of twenty inches (50 centimentres) in any dimension. Artists can submit up to six works which can be two or three dimensional using any media.
- The Exhibition appears to include and display artwork - by Artist Curators and their invited artists - which does not meet the "maximum dimension of 20 inches" rule.
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| Sculptures by Simon Allison - part of Bridget McCrum's exhibition |
Then there's the issue of digital reproductions..... (see Sadie Clayton below).
Marketing and Communication
When I visited on Tuesday, it was the QUIETEST exhibition I've visited in a VERY long time. Mostly people sitting and chatting over a cup of tea rather than looking at art.
The photos of the ING Discerning Eye 2018 - Artist Preview on Facebook suggest that the artists and their friends and the people invited by the hosts and sponsors enjoyed the PV.
Maybe it's improved since then - although my experience is that most visitors arrive in the first few days and during the first weekend - although this doesn't appear to have been the experience this time given the number of sales.
I chatted to the people behind the front desk and the cafe and apparently it had been extremely quiet since it opened last week
 |
| View of the exhibition on Tuesday afternoon |
However I'd have expected to see more sales than I did.
In terms of sales I noticed that quite a few of the sales came in sets - as if invited artists displaying five or six works of art had primed people to come and buy!
Review of the Exhibition
Notwithstanding the above, the quality of the exhibition is generally good. I've also included some of my pics of artwork I liked on my Making A Mark Facebook Page
The Selectors this year are:
- ARTISTS
- Sadie Clayton
- Bridget McCrum
- COLLECTORS
- John Benjamin Hickey
- Nick Ross
- CRITICS
- Cherie Federico
- Frances Hedges
