Divisions in the Art World: An Interview with the International Body of Art

Photo Courtesy: ‘Maison Européenne de la Photographie’ by ExpectGrain is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

The perseverance of nepotistic practices combined with a conglomeration of socioeconomic factors- the current cost-of-living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic- seemingly deem the art world as impenetrable as ever. The International Body of Art (IBA) is dedicated to providing an alternative space to traditional market-driven art institutions and practices. Speaking to April Kelly, a practising artist and curator currently working as a project manager with the IBA, I had the pleasure of gaining insight into the initiative and some challenges it aims to tackle.

Cia Kohring (CK): What is IBA’s main purpose? How does the organisation challenge norms within the industry? 

April Kelly (AK):  

Our purpose is to create a more diverse and accessible art world. We're trying to counter how large institutions and markets typically work and provide something counter-parallel to it. We're not necessarily trying to critique; it's more trying to offer a space for a wider community. Ultimately, our goal is to enable a proliferation of adult stories through the medium of art- we believe in art as a powerful vehicle of space. 

CK: That sounds great. Could you be more specific about how you try to achieve this?

AK: 

I came in as a curator, so my primary task was to make shows that feel different to what you usually expect. We’d try to make things that feel quite accessible and inclusive, and it was sort of engaging and unpretentious. We’d have all of our artists at the show and make sure that they were chatting, so they’re sort of networking events as well. Besides this, we use different mediums; we’ll have things that you can touch and smell, ecological bio-design and information experience, as well as traditional forms like painting. 

We also have a funding platform launching on November 14th, a crowdfunding platform for innovative and expressive projects that don’t usually get given light in more traditional art spaces. It offers a method for the public to fund and actively participate in projects they deem relevant or personal - rather than being driven by a hidden elite class.

CK: I was reading about the difference between Gen Z and previous generations in terms of the funding they recieve. Are there specific reasons for the decline? 

AK: 

There are a lot of reasons. If you look at the kind of language that's being used when advocating for arts funding within government policy, it downplays the importance of the arts, and it tries to render the arts a luxury. Funding has been slashed from the level of primary school, where kids are getting offered something like £9 a year. Obviously, art is a subject that requires material, and £9 a year just doesn’t cut it. 

The difference between Gen Z and Gen X is that Gen X wasn’t paying for art school; they were going to school at a time when it was still free. Going to art school, if you’re, let's say, working class, is a big risk because it just doesn't offer a safety net; everyone knows that it's a really difficult industry to break into. But then, to even get funding, if you’re not in art school, if you don’t know that language - because again, everyone uses this exclusive language which is difficult to pick up on if you’re not already in those spaces - they become excluded later on because they won’t have that language or necessarily know how to get funding. 

CK: It also depends on your art because that changes your required materials.

AK: 

Yeah, it’s expensive. You don’t even really get the space to be that experimental if you don’t go to art school because you don’t have a studio; you don’t have those materials. I think this kind of exclusion, lowering people in the arts, inhibits the kind of innovation we’re getting and who we will see innovation from and then, obviously, in turn, what our cultural landscape will look like.

CK: The gender gap is still a fact, especially regarding pay. What are the specific barriers to women in the art world?

AK: 

Again, there are many different ways to answer that. When you look at the highest-selling living artists, it’s around 42 million, and the highest-selling female artist is like 12 million. That’s just how the market is; men sell a lot higher. There is also a disproportionately high number of women in art school, so there are a lot of women in the business and making art. When there are so many women throughout and so few very high up, you've got to ask what's happening in the industry that's stopping women from getting to the top.

Maybe a lot of women aren’t taken seriously in their art because of the stereotyping of women being overly emotional and not rational enough. I think that probably inhibits a lot of women from indulging in the ways they want to. Women are probably more associated with craftwork and men with business, which creates some sort of dichotomy in how the two sides are treated.

CK: Finally, is there any advice you would give aspiring artists or art students?

AK:

I’d say work together. I think people look over that, and art students can be a bit scared of each other. Working together and forming collectives, being the change you want to see. If you don’t want to be involved in institutional art practices or dictated by the market, create your own collective that can parallel that. I think there's a lot of momentum there at the moment, and it’s an important method to harness. There’s power in the many, so be active, put on shows in public, be creative with how you put your art out there and don't rely on those old systems.

Also, don't get too dragged into art jargon. Use your own voice, speak casually, and explain your art in casual terms.

The IBA will be taking on new artists in the future. Follow their Instagram for now, @ibartlondon, to keep up with their developments.