Last Updated on 04/26/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
The Salon des Refusés route is an option to showcase your work if you don’t make it to a photography group exhibit or a gallery show.
While the art world has been greatly democratized compared to centuries ago, there’s certainly still a lot of gatekeeping from galleries, photography competitions, and collectives. However, just because your project proposals and applications are rejected doesn’t mean you can’t showcase your work. Alastair Bird tells us about his recent experience putting together a photography exhibition through the Salon de Refusés route.
First, some context: Alastair, together with Doug Doyle and Steve Pinter, decided to take on a challenge: shoot a roll of film every week for a year. They later thought of doing a show with the photos, and the local photography festival in Vancouver seemed like the perfect occasion for it. So they sent a proposal for their roll of film a week group show, to which the festival replied, “Thanks but no thanks.”
So, what’s an artist or photographer to do when this happens? As Alastair says, you follow the great 19th century art tradition of setting up a Salon des Refusés — French for “exhibition of rejects”. The term originated from the 1863 exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the annual Paris Salon, the official art exhibit of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in the French capital. But today, it now also refers to any exhibit of works that weren’t selected for a juried art show. In essence, you set up your own show, as Alastair and friends did. You take care of everything — choosing, printing, framing, setting up your exhibit pieces at your chosen location. You’d also have to take care of promoting the show and other details like food and drinks for the guests. Alastair’s studio proved the perfect venue for their own Salon, but we’re sure your neighborhood cafes, artsy shops, open spaces, and event spaces could be potential locations to set up your own exhibit.
Pro Tip: Working with a venue requires thinking about a symbiotic relationship where both of you benefit. Not just “gimme, gimme, gimme!”
For more photography tips and videos from Alastair Bird, don’t forget to check out his Instagram and subscribe to his YouTube channel!
Photos by Dyson Media used with permission