The Book of Rejections
Artists’ and Curators’ Rejections in Contemporary Art
The Book of Rejections – content
Though participation in any art event or exhibition is put on the record, artist rejections are not. However such decisions have a considerable importance in any art regime which is hard if not impossible to tally. The Book of Rejections aims to accumulate information on the issue of rejection through collected answers from various artists and curators. To reveal policies and ideas missing from the public record.
Participation in an event implies the acceptance of an invitation by the artist, extended by a curator or cultural institution. Through exhibition catalogues, programmes and other forms of documentation, their acceptance becomes part of public record. However, when an artist declines the offer to participate in an event, this rejection is not captured: it is hidden and unexposed, even though this act is an essential part of the artistic process (or essential in the make-up of “arts ecology” as a field of selection).
The reason to decline participation can vary from disagreement with the political approach of the curator or institution, to incompatible working methods among parties making an exhibition project. An apparent instrumentalization of art concerning intellectual property, censorship, or conflicts of interest with sponsors, these are among the reasons an artist may decline to participate.
Simply monetary issues often come into play; there may be a lack of an artist/curatorial fee, or an uneven distribution of the budget. It might also be related to hierarchies that an established artist seeks to avoid - namely, showing next to inexperienced or unproven artists in the same exhibition. The more innocent reason is often being overexposed or overwhelmed by a very busy schedule of openings, events, talks or exhibitions.
The Book of Rejections will include any reasons for rejection.
