Why the Art World Made Me Feel Sick

and how I vowed to never feel like that again…

WRITTEN by Saira Kalimuddin

I fell in love with art history when I was at University. I took a few art history modules and found myself connecting to them more than any other of my history modules.

I pursued this interest by going to Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, and very quickly realised that the other students around me came from extremely wealthy families that were already steeped in the art world. Someone’s father owned a group of galleries, another one’s family owned banks that sponsored art exhibitions around the world.

Nonetheless, the content of the course at Sotheby’s was just incredible, and really took my interest in art history to the next level, but it was also my first taste of feeling a little bit inadequate. The amount of generational wealth swirling around in there was pretty palpable.

My transformational experience with art came when I did my Masters in Curating. As part of the degree, I spent a lot of time at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, under the guidance of the amazing Fine Art curator Julia Carver. My time at the museum showed me that art could promote accessibility, rather than hinder it.

All this came crashing down when I started my job at an art gallery back in Singapore. I had the owners of the gallery explicitly telling me not to waste my time talking to anyone that wasn’t a serious buyer, and asking me to usher people out if they weren’t going to spend any money. They created an air of sophistication and exclusivity that made newcomers feel like they didn’t fit in. The gallery was quiet and cold and frankly, very unwelcoming to those that weren’t very wealthy or weren’t already ‘part of the art world’.

When I left that gallery, it left a bitter taste in my mouth and I swore to myself that I would never want to work in a place like that again. Little did I know, this had planted the seed of art ‘democratisation’ and 5 years later I would be starting up my own art gallery, with an ethos so completely different to elitist culture of the ‘blue chip’ gallery I had worked in.

The Discerning Palette was created by Shanti and I on the basis that it ought to be possible for anyone, no matter who they are, to be able to have an enjoyable and memorable experience with art.

For us, our true sense of fulfilment comes from someone telling us that they bought their FIRST piece of art from us. That we transformed them from someone who had no interest in art or what it could do for them, to being able to connect enough with a piece that they were willing to part with their money to have it on their wall and share it with family and friends.

That we made the process comfortable enough for them to feel open to the idea of art appreciation.

The fact is that there are still blockades between any given work of art, silently sitting on its pedestal in a gallery space and many of its potential viewers.  Financial constraints, lack of awareness, physical inaccessibility, sheer absence of interest, are all impediments to accessing art.

One distinct blockade is about what you need to know before you can even have an art experience. There is an idea that specialist historical knowledge is required to gain access to the meanings of works of art, which generates an unnecessary distance between an object and its potential viewer. That we need to know dates, names, periods in order to enjoy a piece of art.

As a complete shift away from this, at the Discerning Palette we go to great lengths to seek out artworks that aren’t necessarily by known artists. When selecting pieces for the collection, our choices are based not on name but on quality, subject matter and a visual connection. In the art world, so much emphasis is placed on the name behind an artwork, falsely convincing people that unless an artwork is by someone famous, it doesn’t hold much value. We are here to argue, and prove otherwise.

The way we present the art (whether through social media or our website) has a role to play in this. Rather than venerating a single work and surrounding it by a big white wall, we show you how groups of art can work well together, surrounded by different colours, and how they can fit within a home or office setting. We hope to show that you can feel comfortable around pieces of art.

Our gallery is online, which means you can step into it any time you like. You can navigate through the works of art in any order you wish, and spend as little or as much time as you want with each piece.

We try and write our descriptions in a way that makes you feel, that helps you draw connections, as opposed to listing the artists’ bios. Shanti and I both have developed specialist art knowledge over the years, but this doesn’t mean that we need to shut anyone out with academic jargon. Rather, we try to impart this knowledge in a way that is brings you in, rather than keeping you out. We also of course hope to continue  imparting our knowledge through this Art Advisor series!

I think in essence, enabling people to feel comfortable around art is the way forward. If we feel comfortable, we are then open to the possibility of enjoying and making connections with art.  

That is not to say that art history and context is not important, but as so many other galleries are already doing this, we want to freshen your engagement with art by emphasising the present-tense experience of actually looking at it, or living with it, and to explore ways in which anyone might find value and enjoyment in spending time with works of art, wherever and whoever they might be.

“Without people it’s not art, it’s just stuff in a room”

I suppose in a way I started the Discerning Palette to solve the feeling of inadequacy that I had all those years ago when I went to Sotheby’s, and to take a stand against the feeling of exclusivity that was so stark when I was working at the gallery in Singapore.

And I hope that in solving this problem for myself, I might be solving it for others too. I want to welcome everyone into the art world with open arms, and find ways to share the joy that art has brought into my life.

-End-

On a Separate Note

Would you like to contribute to our weekly Art Advisor?

If you are an interior designer / art collector / artist/ art enthusiast and you have practical (non ‘art-jargony’) ways of helping all of us with collecting, looking after, displaying, or appreciating art, please feel free to get in touch with me about your idea(s).

We have a readership of over 2000 so it might a good way to get your name or brand out there!