It's been an incredible journey. Two and a half years in the making... and painting. My show Natural Realism (Part 2) opens in a week here in Singapore!
The exhibition gives visitors a chance to see the entire basic training process of a typical art school in Florence, Italy. This process is based on the what French academies in the mid 19th century in Paris taught. Of course all the schools in Florence today have their own variation of the programme, but all of them have one goal in mind - to revive the beauty and calibre of 19th century art in Europe.
The logistics for the show began as early as the middle of Summer 2015. Event listing platforms were looked up, the media (newspapers and magazines) was informed, and most importantly, the location of the show was secured. Days like these, you wonder if all this was possible without the internet especially when you have to communicate across 10,000km! How did the old masters do it?
During the last 3 weeks, I spent a lot of my time in Florence during 2 things: 1) Going to the framers and 2) marketing the show. E-flyers for blasting out in the various social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc) were executed simultaneously to tell of this journey. Timing is key. And you also don't want to be uploading either too much or too little information.
Landi Cornici was where I got more of my framing done. I've tried others, but did not get the same efficiency, attention and integrity. And it's only a minute ride away from my place. :)
Once I decided which framed pieces were going to be shipped, I contacted
GALLI IMBALLAGGI E TRASPORTI. They were much quicker in handling the administrative side of things and the cost was nearly half of the common shippers everyone in the city uses. ;)
I arrived Singapore 4 days ago, and I've been marketing the show non-stop and meeting people who know people who know people... . My point here is that marketing should consume more, much more than your time spent making the art - at least 90%. Most artist friends I have spoken to tell me they only spend less than 10% of their time telling people about their work. For me, I so focused on getting the right crowd to my show that I've only done a couple of sketches in between meals, that about it. And if you know me, I usually sketch heaps. :)
And not forgetting my friends... the ones who keep me laughing and sane during this super intense period. Well, tomorrow is another day. Do continue to follow the updates for the coming show.
Facebook Official Page
https://www.facebook.com/events/743885775742451/
alvinmark.com
In case you're interested...
LANDI CORNICI
Via Mannelli, 135, 50136 Firenze, Italy
+39 055 234 7036
GALLI IMBALLAGGI E TRASPORTI
Via maso di banco, 38, 50143 FIRENZE
TELEFAX: (+39) 055 7130105
