Remember when we could go to galleries? That was nice wasn’t it; moving around a mostly silent room staring at things for indeterminate amounts of time, then walking a bit more and possibly sitting down. Imagine, then, the plight of the artist. With their upcoming exhibitions cancelled, degree shows postponed, and hospitality side-jobs irrelevant, their world is collapsing around them.
No longer can a curator saunter past a degree-show work and enquire about it afterward. No longer can their big-break exhibition attract the attention of an important collector; a monetary void has opened underneath their feet and is threatening to swallow them whole.
Artists post images of work that they are willing to sell for maximum £200, then pledge to spend the same on another participant’s work once they reach £1000.
This is a crisis. Artists are fearful, insecure, and struggling to pay the bills.
Step forward, the Artist Support Pledge. This Instagram initiative, started by East-Sussex painter Matthew Burrows, has attracted tens of thousands of artists and close to 100,000 posts to its hashtag. The idea is simple: artists post images of work that they are willing to sell for maximum £200, then pledge to spend the same on another participant’s work once they reach £1000.
That’s it. The only people involved are buyer and seller. The money goes directly into the seller’s account, with the delivery workers being the only middlemen. It is a direct connection between art and audience, with the view to becoming a small, self-sufficient market grounded in trust. Away from the prying eyes, wallets and rules of the big-money art world, goodwill is all that constitutes this scheme.
Generosity is the buzzword for Burrows. “The pricing structure is deliberately low,” he tells me, “it’s an act of generosity to take part, but that makes it exciting and accessible to so many. It’s a real leveller. It’s also a gift economy, as artists selling work pledge to give back, to buy another artist’s work. It’s a moral contract and I know it’s working.”
The enforced break on arts and culture provides the opportunity for this scheme to blossom – kindness has emerged from the depths of uncertainty
The enforced break on arts and culture provides the opportunity for this scheme to blossom where it wouldn’t have done otherwise. Kindness has emerged from the depths of uncertainty. I asked Matthew if the scheme has the potential to continue beyond this crisis.
“I don’t think I could stop it if I wanted to,” he says, “the pandemic and lockdown created a space in which to think differently. I was ready to go, and I took the leap.”
As a result, artists are beginning to support one another like never before. A single purchase facilitates another artist-in-needs’ work, which facilitates another, and so on.
The playing field is being levelled. Artists of any stature can contribute to this growing network, earning money they would have otherwise missed out on and backing one another in the process . A community is coming together. I asked contributing artists Lena Brazin and Suzy Babbington, London and Yorkshire-based, respectively, whether they felt more connected to a community because of their involvement with the scheme.
Artists are beginning to support one another like never before – a single purchase facilitates another artist-in-needs’ work, which facilitates another, and so on
“Definitely. Yes. Big time.” Lena replied, “the interactions and communication that I have experienced affirm that the art scene and community in London and around the globe are strong and alive.”
Suzy echoed this belief, “I think it’s really touching how, through the ASP, the under-funding of the arts has been highlighted,” she wrote, “seeing all these artists pool together in the light of COVID-19 shows how much of a community is out there.”
How can I become part of this community, I hear you ask?
All you have to do is search #artistsupportpledge on Instagram, the work is right there for you to peruse. Pieces of every discipline, from anywhere with a stable internet connection, are available for you to own.
Finally, I asked Matthew whether this can act as a catalyst for a more kind-hearted art world after the worst of this crisis is over.
“All an artist actually needs is time and space,” he replied, “It’s a precious commodity in our usual culture. ASP is a horizontal, egalitarian economy founded on trust and generosity. It’s bound by mutual support and the inability to raise too high in rank. I think of it as a sustainable economy that supports and runs alongside or beneath our usual vertical economy.”
So, go on! Dip your toes into the virtual sea of generosity. Support the community. Buy some work.
