My first showing at the prestigious Artist Project was in April 2022. As I prepare for my next showing in April 2023, I thought I will capture everything from my experience so far and hopefully encapsulate it for memory's sake.
Its funny, how life works. 2019 was the first time I visited Artist Project and as a new artist who was just starting out, I did not even dare to dream to be a participating artist. I walked around in awe, never for a moment thinking, I could become a TAP artist in the future. The imposter syndrome was strong in me.
In 2021, I applied for the first time, under the untapped category as a dare to myself - thinking, if I am by any chance selected, it would push me out of my comfort zone - something I was trying very hard to do at that time. Even though I was mentally preparing myself for a rejection, the rejection was still HARD. Hard as it was, fortunately I did not allow it to faze me and so in 2022, I applied under the main category.
Receiving the acceptance email is now part of my core memory. I can still close my eyes and feel the way I felt when I first read the email. For an emerging artist, getting accepted into a prestigious show like the Artist Project can be career defining. For me, this was the moment I kicked my imposter syndrome out of my head.
The weeks of preparation that followed the acceptance can only be termed as frenzied. I had so much to do, so much to prove and so little time. Over the next few days I will try and capture all my learnings, tips and tricks for first timers like me.
As we were still coming out of the post-lockdown measures, the opening night festivities/activities were mostly cancelled and I was expecting it to be less busy than previous years. But, I guess the public was ready and waiting for a reason to be out and about. The show was immensely successful and I did not see any signs of reduced attendance.