Dirty Again
January 5th, 2008
The Dirty Show http://www.dirtydetroit.com/news.htm in Detroit presents me with a dilemma. I entered last year with some hesitation. One of my photos was selected for display. I went to the opening to see what it was like and to see what the other work on display looked like.
Well, the attendance at the opening was amazing. I’m used to openings with a few dozen people being considered a great success. There were thousands of people at the opening night of the Dirty Show. That’s quite an accomplishment for any art venue.
With that many people in attendance…and the crowds seem to be that large each night of the show…it’s no surprise that print sales are much better than at the average art show. My work sold very well from the “store” where loose prints are sold.
The show itself…well…I’d say that about 1/4 of the work on display was excellent art work. The other 3/4 was just…well, just dirty. Really bad art work that featured extremely dirty subject matter. It seems that if the work is “dirty” in the extreme it will get in the show regardless of quality. Maybe that’s why so many people show up to see it…I just don’t know. And then there’s the “entertainment.” I was looking forward to that because I’d heard so much about it. Again, it was a disappointment. Mostly really bad burlesque. And I mean really, really, embarrassingly bad. I can’t really describe just how bad it was…you’ll have to trust me on this.
So, there’s my dilemma. I don’t do dirty pictures. I don’t consider my work to be erotic at all. That’s not what I’m interested in in my art work. But I do like the print sales at the Dirty Show…so I entered again this year and one of my photos was again selected for display in the show. So, I’ll send my matted and framed print and I’ll send along boxes of loose prints of work I am proud of for the store and hope for enough print sales to make it all worth the effort.
I haven’t decided if I’ll attend the show this year or not. I might. There are some models who are interested in going. If several of them want to ride along with me for the opening I’ll probably make the drive and just enjoy their company for an evening of partying. Otherwise I’ll pass and stay home and let others tell me about it this year.
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