WHY I DO COMMISSIONS AS A CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTIST

There are rules… many rules within the visual arts world. Some are said aloud, but most are not said at all, and you are just meant to know. Doing commissions is one of those unsaid rules. It is implied that if you take yourself seriously as a contemporary visual artist you will not do commissions – or at the very least you will not publicise this and be proud of it. It is one of those rules that many, many artists break but they do so quietly. Some artists have a pseudonym (fictitious name) for the commissioned work they do, others just don’t publicise the commissioned works. Even galleries will ask artists to do commissions (on a work that has sold for example, or with a similar theme but different colour, etc.). Perhaps the artists right at the top of the chain do not do this, but I have my doubts. So why is this a rule and why am I choosing to break it?

• Reasons why commissioned works may be frowned upon:

I can only guess – as the unsaid rules of the visual arts world are not discussed but simply followed (or not followed). My guess is that commissioned art removes the artist having authority and ownership over content, concept, and stylistic approach in the production of the commission. You are, in essence, creating a work for a client. This diminishes your brand as a visual artist as you are producing works that may not align with your style and approach. You are selling a product and become a custom designer of sorts. Second to this, it impacts the selling price of your works as you are now producing a product as apposed to an artwork (which is also a product, but we pretend otherwise). The irony of this is that artists represented by galleries often complain that the galleries will not allow them to explore new ideas and styles if their current works are doing well, so the artist continues making the same type of works even though they no longer have meaning to them.

I think the 2 most important reasons are lack of concept as the work is being directed by someone else and jumping between styles (painting, drawing, papercutting, etc).

• Reasons I have chosen to do commissions

The visual arts career is a marathon and not a sprint. Unlike a sports career or a dancing career which peek in your youth, a visual arts career takes a lifetime. It is a long journey of self-reflection, skills development, networking, failing, succeeding, making. I have been on this journey for just over twenty years now and still am seen as an up-and-coming artist. This is mainly because I was an artist outside of the visual arts / contemporary artworld, so it doesn’t count (more unsaid rules).

1. MY STYLE, MY DESIGN

I do not do commissions that are directed by clients entirely, instead they send the brief, or the imagery and I choose what to do with it. I only work in paper and only do paper cutting. I have been approached to do paintings and drawings which I do not do. This links directly to the above section and holding on to your style and approach.

• SKILLS!!!!

Since I studied my first diploma in fine arts in 2001, I have wanted to get better at producing art. It is very important to me. The more opportunities I get to make art, the better I become at the skill I am trying to develop.  Commissioned artworks allow me to focus on the skill without being caught up in the concept of the work. This is very important to me as practice and continually working on the craft will positively impact my artworks.

• NEW IDEAS

Clients sometimes give me a brief that I have not considered before. Sometimes it is a new theme and other times it is a new visual idea. This pushes me out of my comfort zone and allows me to explore visual and thematic ideas that I would not otherwise do. I am very aware of getting stuck as an artist – stuck conceptually, stuck visually. Commissioned artworks allow for the exploration of new visual and thematic ideas which helps me remain ‘unstuck’.

• A LARGER POOL OF ART ENTHUSIASTS

In general, the people buying commissions from me are not buying art from galleries – they are a different market. They fall within the top LSM (Living Standard Measure) bracket but are not art enthusiasts. There are a range of reasons for this but the one that is very clear and most of us have experienced is that the exclusivity and feeling inside many galleries is intimidating so potential buyers choose to rather not go in, even though in most galleries there are a range of affordable artworks for sale. I really appreciate my artworks, through commissions, being in homes and offices of people that may not necessarily collect art. Who knows – this may be the beginning of a love for contemporary South African art one work at a time!

• MONEY

It is all wonderful to go on and on about how an artist must be represented by a gallery and build their brand BUT I need to make a living. Artists are no longer bums waiting for someone to help them with a bit of cash, we have the ability to be professional and to navigate our own careers. Generating income is core to that. I have to make a living and provide. Commissioned works, once the momentum and demand increases, really helps with generating income during the in-between months (in-between exhibitions, in-between opportunities, in-between payments).

So that is why I do commissions and that is why I publicise this and am very happy when someone contacts me for a new work. I understand the Veblen game of the visual arts and I understand that many contemporary artists want to sell their works in that top pricing category but is it really an either or? Can I not generate income, improve on my skill, explore new thematic and visual ideas, increase the potential entry level art enthusiasts WHILE building my career as a contemporary artist? I cannot see why not.

Rules exist within society on every level – it is up to us to look at how things are done, question it, challenge it, explore ways that make more sense, fail sometimes, have guts!

Visual artists – it’s the same for us!!!