I took part in two exhibitions as part of the MA programme. The first interim show was at the Copeland Gallery in Peckham. The second was the graduate showcase shown at D block in Camberwell and Camberwell Space, together with the South London Gallery. For this exhibition I was a member of the curating committee along with two other peers from my pathway. I found this a useful experience in learning about all the aspects that go into setting up a show, from marketing to logistics. Following this experience I applied for the London graduate exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, taking place from November to January 2022, in which my application was successful.
Moving forward, following the success of applying for an exhibition at a commercial gallery, I intend to apply for upcoming shows and events in London. This will not only continue the development of my ideas, but the exposure would mean that it is more likely to sustain my practice financially.
Reflecting on the professional toolkit talks that were held throughout the academic year, they provided a basis of knowledge for all career paths one could pursue after the MA.
In particular they opened me up to the possibility of pursuing residencies and gave useful information about renting studio spaces in London at affordable rates. The information shared in these toolkit talks was not only helpful in showing a wide range of possibilities to pursue but provided important insider information, from useful websites to how to prepare an invoice, which would not have been possible to attain without these talks.
Looking to the near future, I know that I do not want to pursue my practice academically for the moment. As this is my first academic experience, I feel that it is important to take some time to reflect on all that I have learnt over the past year. The course was one-year full time, and it was fast paced. I have not only improved and learnt new skills technically, but I have received invaluable advice and guidance on my practice. This is together with the huge amount of new knowledge I have gained from the professional toolkit talks, which will have an impact on how I sustain my practice in the future. I feel that it important that I do not rush my next steps and take some time to carefully consider the direction I wish to pursue for the moment.
I have never investigated reproducing my work commercially or even selling my work at all. Ultimately my goal is to continue producing my work. Reproducing my work commercially would sustain my practice and encourage the development of new work. I am unsure of the form this will take, which is why it is important I take some time to investigate new ways of producing and reproducing my work. Also, for promotion and visibility, it is important to build a social media presence to build networks and gain exposure. This would go hand in hand with the pursuit of commercially selling my work, encouraging, and developing each of these aspects.
