5X7 Auction

Tonight was the opening of the Arthouse charity auction at Dunn and Brown Gallery . The walls were peppered with hundreds of tiny 5×7 artworks, all lined up in three rows. Many artists had more than one piece, displaying a series of 3. For thirty minutes, the packed room of people circled the room to identify the pieces they wanted. Some really intense people camped out by the one they wanted, becaused it is first come first serve. At 5:30, after the countdown, everyone grabbed the numbered tokens … pretty exciting.

Not only is this show a social success, but I think the show is an artistic success. It is wonderful to see so much work, from so many different artists in one place. Whether the artists are emerging or famous, handmade or high-tech … all pieces sit side by side and contain a surpising level of real effort. Seeing so much work together causes unexpected webs and connections to emerge, and the peices start to gain definition by their differences. It’s fun to try to figure out which artist made which piece (since they are all unlabled). And I was pleasantly surprised to see such a packed gallery of spectators REALLY looking at the work!