Many thanks to Irving Goffman for that wonderful title! It happens to describe my current problem very well. It is, of course, one which faces all artists. How do you present yourself as an artist to the world? Of course, in one sense the work speaks for itself. There is always the awkward problem, however, of how one goes about persuading people to take an interest in it.
Getting an exhibition is, of course, an important element in this process. There is, however, an awkward circularity here, in that when the potential viewer encounters publicity for an event, what exactly is it that constitutes that essential “hook” that draws the viper into the gallery? A specimen image on a poster or a medium outlet of some kind is only one part of this process. The status of the gallery is another. Maybe a catchy or intriguing title for the show is an asset.
There seems to be an unfortunate gap, however, where the public media are concerned. The art press perhaps will be more like to review a show where the artist is already to some extent well-known.
This is a problem encountered by a friend of mine recently. His work is very distinctive and inventive. The other day he complained to me, however, that his current exhibition had been almost totally ignored. Reflecting on this problem I’ve some round to the conclusion that there is only one solution to it, namely, a great deal of very hard work, assiduously “putting oneself about”. Sadly, to the artist who is either very introverted or who lacks connections, this really is an uphill struggle.