The Thousands

SOLD is a recent photography exhibition at Magazine gallery. In addition to the show itself, Magazine produced a deliciously printed A4 book compiling the work from the exhibition. SOLD has diamantes and tits, beers and bright colours. I spent most of the exhibition opening staring at Harmony Nicholas’ photos. One of them was of a diamante-encrusted vibrator, held aloft by two enormous, oiled-up breasts.

You could be forgiven for assuming (on the basis of my description) that SOLD was sexed-up, hollow, glossy dross. It was pretty sexed-up and glossy. But in his introduction to the book, gallery director Joshua Fanning (who avoids the art-world term ‘curator’, but seems to have had both organisational and conceptual involvement with the show…) brings up ‘selling’. Not many people talk about selling in the art world.

Selling art is always going to be contentious talking point in a world where art is supported by government funding and advertising is a top dollar industry. Photography in particular straddles the two worlds. Transferred easily digitally and printed prettily, photography is the staple of advertisers and the eternal moot point of the fine-art world. SOLD asks some bold questions. Do photographers who sell their work to advertisers lose ‘art world’ credibility? Will people pay $35 for a book of art? They probably should – it’s got massive cans in it.