by Marvin Antonio

December 20, 2011

So we had quite a week in NY. My friend, collaborator and fellow Gallery 44 board member Taimaz Moslemian traveled there together; our trip was fun, of course, and also really informative. Our meeting with gallery director Thomas Erben—one of the main reasons for the trip—was a whirlwind. We had arrived on Wednesday morning with not much time to spare before our appointment was at 4pm. We had yet to finish some minor details with our portfolios, so on the bus on our way into the city, Taimaz and I took turns doing "work" shifts on his laptop, trying to complete our websites and getting images ready.

When we finally arrived in Chelsea we were so tired, almost delirious from the fatigue of the long bus ride. The Thomas Erben Gallery was conducting a BBC interview with the Iranian artists involved with its current exhibition (Iran via Video Current) so we had to wait until it was over before we could sit down with Thomas. He was also getting ready to leave for Germany the next day and was in quite a rush, so when we sat down with him our meeting had to unfold very rapidly. He didn't present any criticisms on our work. His attitude was very neutral, and he said he was simply "looking" and "absorbing."

When I presented my current body of work I ran into a very annoying technical mishap. I didn't notice that one of the prints, which I had recently taken out of its frame, had some tape residue on the back. So when I took it out of the box it was stuck to another photograph; I had to peel it off. Very embarrassing, but ultimately, Thomas was very kind and willing to listen despite his hectic schedule.

Our trip was also a great opportunity to plunge face-first into the invigorating art chaos that is present in New York. At Thomas Erben Gallery we took in its exhibition Iran via Video Current, and by coincidence we met Amirali Mohebinejad, one of the artists that is participating in Gallery 44’s upcoming Iranian photography exhibition. We spent a lot of time with him throughout the week.

Also, we went to see a great exhibition in which the artist/curator Sanaz Mazinani invited us to and was also participating in at Interstate Projects. It was called Status! Status! Status! and showcased the work of international artists who reside in NY and are seeking status in America. It was very inspiring to witness the support these artists were receiving from the gallery and the surrounding artist community.

There was a talk given by immigration lawyer Eric Shaub who helped international artists to obtain immigration status and the following day a free workshop was to be given to the participating artists and other interested people on administrative issues that international artists have to face and how to resolve these issues. We weren't able to attend the workshop but it all sounded amazing. There was a real sense of wanting to join forces and merge the arts via numerous cultural exchanges. People were eager to converse and not simply ask you what you did but also where you were from, as well as to exchange contacts. This sort of dialogue was incredibly constructive. We got to meet so many great artists; there was such a large and creative discourse!

Well, just wanted to tell you about our trip. We wanted the challenge of presenting our work within a different arts environment and to see what kind of response and experience we would gain.

All the best and see you soon,

Marvin

Marvin Antonio is a Toronto-based visual artist whose image and video works take an analog approach to contemporary subjects. He serves on Gallery 44's board of directors.