The gamifying of art has its roots in neoliberalism Credit: Travers Lewis/Alamy Stock Photo
The big game show: that seems to be the only way television can get to grips with art these days. Just look to the new reality TV series,
Next Big Thing, devised by James Nicholls, the chairman of London’s savvily commercial Maddox Gallery, for the latest example, following on from
Cash in the Attic and
Flog It!
Art on television has come a long way since John Berger’s 1972 series,
Ways of Seeing, introduced the UK’s Morecambe and Wise watchers to French post-structuralism. But so, too, has the entire framework of reference within which art is now viewed and discussed.
From where will the UK’s next art superstar be discovered? Traditionally, market darlings are carefully crafted from a fine-tuned machine of dealers, critics and collectors, all reliant on the word of certain mouths. But as today’s art world increasingly professes to address issues of accessibility and anti-elitism, a new open-sourced reality TV competition on the London Live channel aims to provide a uniquely democratic platform to discover the next big thing in art. “Auction houses and established artists are doing okay,” says James Nicholls, “but how can an emerging artist expect to get recognised now?”
The show was envisaged during lockdown by the TV presenter and Maddox Gallery chairman James Nicholls, who will serve as its host. “During the pandemic, the gallery has continued to make tremendous sales of investment art for ultra high net worth individuals,” he says. “But what about the young people? Auction houses and established artists are doing
Attorney Ed Pilot has put his legal deftness to use in and out of the courtroom for over three decades. The Malibuite has helped clients become U.S. citizens thanks to his knowledge of immigration law, represented individuals in personal injury cases and, 20 years ago, Pilot worked as an agent for professional hockey players.Â
Pilot, a lifelong basketball fan, dribbled his legal skills into another court earlier this year. He became a certified National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) agent. He said his interest in law and love for sports work well together in the NBA player representation field.
âMy passion in sports has always been basketball,â Pilot said. âIt is quite an undertaking.â
Image courtesy The Next Big Thing.
A new television series airing in 2021 will pit young artists in London’s booming art scene against one another in a test to find the next hot-ticket artist.
The show, called “The Next Big Thing,” aims to boost the profiles of emerging artists while their standard vehicles for visibility degree shows, open days, and gallery exhibitions are out of the question.
The competition is open for applications through midnight on December 23. Entrants must be aged between 17 and 30 and are invited to submit images or videos of existing works that fall into one of five categories: portraiture, photography, street art, sculpture, and landscape.
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