Publications

Simultaneous equations

By: Simon Herbert

Simon Herbert on approaches to distributing art.

‘Distribution’ and ‘access’ are issues connected to artistic production which can provoke endless debate, and not without reason. Who is doing what to who can often act as a barometer for the swing between the polarities of responsibility and decadence that inform the narcissisms of contemporary art making. Although the modus operandi which artists, exhibition spaces, curators et al use to define the parameters of an artwork’s consumption may differ radically, the central conceit which spans these various divides is one of a deeply ethical nature: who is the work for, how can it be made available and, in some cases, why? As a mission statement, it is a truth which the public sector holds as self-evident. What constitutes the nature of distribution and access varies depending on who is formulating the strategy, but the essential idea of audience as beneficiary, of the artist’s need to communicate, has not only remained a constant, but may even be the only commonality that disparate artistic groups may share as an abstracted ideal. There are two principal motivations behind addressing this issue. Firstly, artists and exhibition spaces naturally crave...

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