Becoming

About

Becoming will bring together 17 international artists articulating a shared interest in the theme of ‘becoming’ – both in terms of ‘becoming a sustainable artist’ and ‘becoming a collector’. Highlights will include hypnotic photos taken from one of Isobel Smith’s performances that showcase the artist’s research into the process of documenting or capturing the essence of a performance. Cheng-Hsu Chung explores the connection between human beings and nature in Mountain Quintet No 3. Gabriel Kenny-Ryder also draws from nature and presents crowded compositions of natural forms that give feelings of complete immersion even when printed at a modest scale. Hyun Kim’s découpage and collage-based prints taken from photographs document events in Korea that consider the power of the state vs the individual, based on the artist’s experiences growing up in South Korea.

While the exhibition allows room for the students’ exploratory, research-led practices, visitors are offered the chance to support the emerging artists and learn more about their work and their efforts to become sustainable, both artistically and financially. It is fitting that Subject Matter and Sedition act as alternatives to the traditional art market with artists at their core. They take an open and inclusive approach, building long-term relationships with artists and offering collectors the chance to acquire contemporary art and design in an affordable and sustainable way.

Alongside the opportunity to present their work, students will take part in a series of workshops led by Subject Matter that explore the social and ecological issues facing the art world today – such as the growing online art industry, developing their professional profile, managing exhibitions and pricing work. Subject Matter will also run a series of public talks in parallel to the exhibition that focus on the future of the art-market and inspire the buyers and collectors of the future. They will cover the phases of becoming a collector, sustaining a collection and the future of collecting.

For more information, and to view the talks programme please visit subjectmatterart.com.