Today was the last day of my exhibition and it’s feeling very bittersweet. Firstly the bitter part is purely financial. I’ve only sold one framed and two un-framed prints so far meaning that financially I haven’t broken even on the exhibition. Does that surprise me? Yes and no. Yes because this being my second exhibition I have a little more of a reputation and I felt this exhibition was more accessible in it’s vibe, unlike the dark and relatively moody nature of the previous exhibition. No, because the world’s economy is in the toilet and even though Australia has fared better than most economically in the last few years, when times are tough, no one is buying art especially from a relative unknown.
Over all “Freedom” feels pretty successful because I had a lot of people through the gallery. Today one of the staff at the gallery said that some days they don’t get anyone through. The gallery isn’t on a street where people just wander past. It’s the kind of gallery that is tucked away and people pretty much only come to when they know something is on. The staff member told me that while my exhibition has been on they have had considerably more people through than normal which is a great feeling and all the feedback I’ve had has been positive. While it feels nice to have everyone telling me that they love my photography when they are standing in front of me in the gallery, I take it with a grain of salt because, let’s face it, they aren’t going to tell me it’s shit are they?
Now I am giving myself a couple of years before the next one. It was two years between Shrouded and Freedom but there were delays and setbacks. This time I already have a fairly solid idea germinating in my mind to work on. No, I’m not going to say what it is, but I think it will work well.
Thanks to the 14 different models for trusting me when some of you had never posed for a photographer before, let alone nude with mates. You guys were fantastic.
Congratulations on the show. Have you explored having a show in New York City? I am aware of the expenses to mount such an event, shipping costs alone would be high I expect. Or perhaps part of a larger show? Love your photos of nude men. Randy
Have you considered making them available online? I’ve bought photographs and other artwork from all over the world that way. The setup doesn’t have to be too complex, just images and prices. I like your sensibility, and would be interested in buying some pieces.
If people are going to hang a picture of a nude bloke in their home, they want something that’s unambiguously an art nude, lest they be accused of festooing the walls with wanking material. I think the stuff from your first exhibition qualified precisely because it was a bit more dark and abstract, whereas the second exhibition is more editorial.
I love, love, love the photo you’ve used to illustrate this post. I’d buy a magazine that had this photo on the cover – but I wouldn’t buy a framed print of it.
B, you have lots of friends who would tell you if your work was shit, in a way that only good friends can. The fact that they haven’t speaks volumes. x
Don’t mean to sound horrible because you have achieved so much more than i have and you should most certainly be proud of your work. However your exhibition was literally of just semi naked men in nature, that’s it (Even the banner add on this site for swimmerboyz is doing that), there really didn’t seem to be any creativity in it at all.
There are so many people out there who are doing this you really needed to think of a way of making it different, stand out, otherwise you work is gonna stay beige…to be honest its not stuff i would hang in my place… Maybe at a local pool?? As a gay man there is nothing more i love seeing than a semi naked guy, however clothed men also can be just as appealing….Just saying.
Again i dont mean to sound rude, we dont know each other so my view is not gonna be bias…While i wish you all the best with your work you most certainly are very talented…Maybe for future reference maybe try and create something/style that people cant find on the internet after a 2 second google search….
Congratulations on making this happen. Financial compensation would be great and I can appreciate its importance, but I think it is inspirational for anyone reading your blog and contemplating following their dreams.
I would like to echo what the others have written here. I am a gay man myself and I have gay male and female friends and some of them have children. It will not be easy to invite them back if I have photos of nearly-naked men hanging in our house.
I couldn’t agree less with some of the comments posted here. I love your photos for this exhibition and could think of several I’d love to see hanging in my bedroom or even my living room.
Congrats Brenton on the exhibition. Tough times for people to open their wallet yet you should keep nurturing your talent no doubt.