Speed Portfolio Viewing II- The Feedback

The pictures were taken with my ipod, so they have this illegal immigrant pixelated touch, which is actually very unlike the very clean, very white cube atmosphere of the L40. Big thanks to Sarie (the interns diaries) and Maria Santos (Have You Met...) !!!

We asked the artists:
What did you like? What did you not like? Would you have done anything differently? Which curator did you find most exciting and why? Which curator did you think you did not have a lot of thing in common. How did you like the brownies..

 “My first date didn’t went that good. I was made all mistakes I was able to. I was bombing the curator with images and information and the poor curator had no chance to interupt me and making questions. After the break I got more relaxed and gave more attention to the curator reactions. Speed Portfolio Viewing really makes sense for artist and curators in a city like Berlin”
_Robert Gschwantner 
www.gitteweisegallery.com/gschwantner/index.html

“12 minutes is really too short to deal in depth with certain projects, it is certainly a way to make contact with agents of the city and perhaps establish some time later alonger communication. All my partners were very nice so I can not emphasize one over the other. My impression was really good.“
_Regina de Miguel 
http://reginademiguel.net/

“ I hate networking and in this way it is bearable. It is so clear why we are all there. I think the curators should go trough the same selection as the artists+ treated equally+ pay the same fee. (most likely you do select your curator well and complaining  about the 10 euro fee is ridiculous!! I don´t mean that,  the only thing is that I thought they need us as much as we need them.... and you make this search more easy for both of us.) The talks were short, just enough to show a fast-forward version of what you do your self , (which is not bad, no complains!) but impossible to have a good idea of what the curator is doing. So the curators who run an art space or have a show, I can meet again and check out their work. The others who are here for short term, are more complicated to stay in touch with or to see how they work. So right now it is hard to say who I found really  interesting , but in any case we made' first moves', and that took away some barriers. I am very positive, l would do this again“
_Did not want the name mentioned

“I liked the speed viewing a lot ...a really great event......  but i was done talking for the day....no.. ! I liked the whole open atmosphere and the space with the beer benches and the white cube aura. I had a really great time talking to all kinds of people.....within 3 hours....... and I can’t  think of anything that i did not like......just keep up the good work and don’t change anything at all.“
_Dennis Feddersen 
www.dennis-feddersen.de/

“I was very nervous, but it was all together a positive experience for me. For me, the meeting with Colin Huerter was the most interesting. The important thing for me is people who are interrested in work that is kind of playfull. I will visit his galery this week to talk some more, we'll see if anything comes out of that. The least connection I think I had with Lorenzo Sandoval who is much more interested in conceptual art but was very nice nevertheless. In general the curators were positive about my work, but clearly because of the narative, figurative, non-conceptual nature of my work there was not always a connection. I'm afraid I missed out on the brownies... sorry can't give you any feedback on those“
_Iwan van ’t Spijker 
http://iwanvantspijker.blogspot.com

“It’s good hearing yourself repeatedly talking about your own art, you find out what is bull shit and what makes sense, it is interesting to see, that work you think is irrelevant, people tell you it is central. So I think the process itself is very helpful and fun and motivating. More people get to know your work and in the long run that is always good even if Moma is not knocking at your door next week - it was a good step! “
_Hannes Gruber
 http://www.hannes-gruber.com/

“I like the idea of speed curating in generally, because it is hard to meet curators AND talk about Your own artwork. It's networking on highest level.12 minutes are really short, but maybe this is a good excuse to invite them to my own studio. I would maybe use name tags for the artists. That would be easier in the short pauses inbetween to maximise the networking. My best date was with Matthew  and Sonja. It was my first date and it is maybe easier when you are 3. I also liked the date with Anna-Catharina Gebbers, she was so curious, wanted to see everything even as the time was over. As it is hard to explain the work in 12 minutes it is as hard to see through somebody at the same time. And the brownies were very good. Excellent soul food.“
_Ralf Tekaat
 http://www.ralftekaat.de/

“As Im living in Berlin for 2 months only, the fact that I was chosen for the Speed Portfolio Vewing II was very pleasant for me. I liked  the space where the event took place, except of the balcony, which was too small to accommodate so many smokers. As for the portfolio viewings I think that the available time was not enough to complete a conversation with the curators. I believe that 5 minutes more would had been ideal, without the stress that everything needs to be fast. Even so I  have to say that it was really interesting the communication with Annika von Taube and Lauren Reid because they are willing easily to understand the feeling of an art work. On the other hand I cannot be sure if with the other curators  I did not have things in common, so its better to say with whom I felt more comfortable. The truth is that the whole thing was perfectly organized and the brownies were super extra delicious!  And if its possible Ι would like to know the cooking recipe...“
_Sifis Lykakis
http://sifislykakis.blogspot.com/

“I liked the diversity of curators at the event and the layout in the space was really efficient this time, allowing for quick and easy transition between appointments. I didn't like the cardboard box seats being only for the artists- they should have been for everyone to eliminate hierachy. I would like to see the curators rotating next time, with the artists sitting permanently at tables. I enjoyed talking to all curators, but was particularly engaged by Susanne Prinz's interest in public space/site-specific projects. I think I found some connection with all- Colin Huerter was the only one who critically challenged my reasons for doing what I do, which was also good. The brownies were amazing! Thanks:)“
_Carly Fischer
http://www.carlyfischer.com/carlyfischer/HOME.html

First of all the event was making it clear to me to be concequent with pushing ideas in mind forward with courage. And to talk about it, because it makes great sense to discuss with interesting and open people, like you brought together there on Sunday! THANKS for that. I liked the atmosphere and the straight, but not tense/cramped organisation. I kind of liked the fast, fast runs from one to the other.  May be it could be a bit more clearer, what each curator is searching for or which kind of presentation he/she likes I have more favourite curators, at first Kristin Trethewey, we had really good talk, about moving not moving and not, but moving pictures. I also enjoyed the date with Stefania Angelini. Regarding the concept of her club art space Sir Robinson and a good talk about interchanging ideas came up and we chattet about that pretty fast and intense. I loved to talk about the smal things in between with Silvia Ploner. It was really strange, because I first thought the talk with Annika von Taube and Valeska Hageney would be the most interesting ones for me, but we didn't came together during the talks, think I was to unprofessional for them. But both were giving good pushes in mind and consequent answers, which was very helpfull in a way.
_Katrin Friedmann
http://www.katrinfriedmann.com/

The review was well organised and I liked that I could talk to these curators I chose in the application. There was not any direct aspect I did not like. Or maybe just the uncertainty if im having chances to exhibit at somewhere or not (but it is mostly so). And directly presenting my works would definitley bring more opportunities. Most intresting meetings were with: Kristin Trethewey, because she was quite good critical and wanted to know the direct meanings of the works. Susanne Prinz,  because she was intrested of my works and also gave good advice how I could develope my works. Anna Catharina Gebbers, because she intrested of my works and we had a good discussion about it. Because I could prechoose the curators I could meet it was not a meeting with curator, who did not had not much common with my works. Also the place was quite good for meetings.
_Ivar Vermäe
www.ivarveermae.com

I liked the brownies a lot!! Yummy!!! I really enjoyed speaking with Susanne Prinz, Anna Catharina Gebbers and Silvia Ploner, they all made questions and notes that gave me new ideas or ways to see my work. I found the 12 minutes time a bit too short, I'd make it a bit longer up to 15-20 minutes, encouraging the curators have the last 5 minutes only for feedback, since with some of the curators it seemed that there was no time for that. In generally, really good experience!!
_Elsa Salonen
http://elsasalonen.com/

I think it was a great experience and idea. It was funny to arrive in a room that actually looks like a speed dating meeting. Not so cosy, that people want to stay there for hours. Anyway, the terrasse and the people were great. Friendly, open. I was so stressed on the start, that i hardly share something with the first curator i met, Lorenzo Santoval, i felt stupid about that, because i really like what energy he has. The second one was great, i met Silvia few minutes before the all thing start, so was more friendly and relax. With her, i begin focus, and not put everything on the table. My favourite meeting was with Susanne Prinz. I dont know, was kind of magical. Check background, and fluent conversation: she even put some clear words on my work that i present in some chaos way! Love her. After all, the brownies were more than welcome!
Plus: while eating the brownie, i discover the work of Regina de Miguel, that just amazed me!
_Nicolas Puyjalon
http://www.cataloguemagazine.com/contemporary-art/magazine/selected-pieces/nicolas-puyjalon/

First in general, thank you for this really nice and exciting event. It was a good atmosphere, everybody was open and curious, and it didn't feel awkward at all, which before I thought it would, to keep changing seats and present my work in a fast, simplified and straight to the point way. I know you had the infos about the curators up on the wall, and most of the names where out before so the once I didn't know could be googled, but it is definitely something different to also have them in person present their curatorial work, so maybe a couple of minutes more could help? to cover both sides at the table? because once you talk about one party, you need to cut to turn to the other one. well, i guess there is never enough time then, or may be you could do it as in blitz chess? (I really enjoyed talking to Sonja Ostermann and Matthew Burbridge, we really had fields of interest in common: collaborative, site specifity... and also Stefania Angelini. She was really hands down and about doing stuff in the near future.)
_Janine Eggert
http://www.eggert-ricklefs.de/

I think this time the whole thing went smoother than the first one. It was easier and more to the point. The space was pretty cool as well. I really don't have any negative comments, the only thing I personally would like to have is a wireless connection. I know many artist bring physical portfolios, but in my case it is a basic need since many of my works exist only online and are meant to be viewed on that stage. I liked two curator the most, Kristin Trethewey and Susanna Prinz. I think Kristin and I had a similar understanding of art, and Simmone was very interested and active in the conversation. I think probably Colin seemed a bit distant. Unfourtueatly I didn't taste the brownies, but they looked awesome. The coffee was great and the girls treated everyone really nice. Thank for another awesome experience!
_Santiago Taccetti
http://www.taccetti.com/

It was a great opportunity to get valuable feedback on our work. Because there was only a limited time to spend with each curator, all working in different fields of the art world, one had to come straight to the point of what your work is about, and where you are going with it. We had talks with several curators, of which Essays & Observations, Susanne Prinz, Anna-Catharina Gebbers and Annika von Taube were the most fruitful. The organization of it all went very smoothly, but that was to be expected from the capable hands of Despina. We would recommend this event to any artist who wants to broaden his or her view on themselves and their artwork. And by the way the brownies were great.
_Felix and Mumford
http://felixandmumford.com/

I thought the event was excellent and i really got a lot out of it. All of the curators were very friendly and I enjoyed talking to all the curators as they all seemed to be interested in my work, Lorenzo was perhaps the least familiar or interested in practices like mine, but he still was lovely to talk to. The brownies were delicious :) Maybe a louder alarm would have been better, as you know i didn't hear it a couple of times and was distracted talking to other artists. I was happy to meet the team from Niche but I wasn't really sure how they would engage with the artists as contacts - perhaps as studio visits for their tours? I don't know.
It was a shame I didn't get to meet the last curator as i had only brought 5 portfolios but upon reading her profile perhaps she was not so relevant to me. 
_Elizabeth Delfs
http://www.elizabethdelfs.com/

We asked the curators: 
What did you like, what did you not like about the process. 
What did you overall think about the quality of works presented, which were your favorite "dates" 
Do you think 12 min are enough for something like this? 
How important is presenting the work, would a good work lose from a bad presentation, can you give a percentage like 60-40% quality of work-smoothness of presentation. 
In an ideal world do you feel a curator should be paid to spend time reviewing portfolios?

"speed feedback: To me this is a good opportunity to discover new work, I can tell after a couple minutes if I like something or not, and when I’m interested to learn more I make an appointment  for a studio visit. So to me 12 min were perfect, I don't need more time. Should curators get paid for reviewing portfolios? No. It's part of a curator's job to do that, and most curators love discovering new positions. I discovered an artist whose work I found extremely interesting and would love to feature in the magazine some day, I consider this my compensation for having spent 3 hours on this. Should curators get better seating? Yes. Thinking in power relations is taking it a bit too far. All curators seemed supportive, and if an artist feels treated badly, well, life is not art school. The artist wants the curator to look at their work, not the other way round, and quite frankly, some of the work is bad and still I sit there and try to refrain from harsh comments and be constructive and try to point out good things. The way artists presented their work was actually quite good, I realised that good artists present their work in a good way. Good artists in this context meaning artists who have a clear idea of what they are doing, what they want to express, how they position themselves in a wider context, etc. There was only 1 artist whose work was stronger than his way of presenting both the work and himself, but as I found the work quite strong I was willing to endure a rather weak presentation. 
In general, the quality level of the works was not very strong though, i'm afraid. I don't want to review a person's portfolio who somehow works in the creative scene and is now pondering the idea of making art and makes cute little things at home... Everything was organised very professionally, and people were interested and took this serious. I think this event has great potential and is organised on a level professional enough to require a higher quality level in the artist selection. Anytime again."
Annika Von Taube- Sleek Magazine

"There was not really time to get to know the other curators / artists. Was there something like an "after party"? Well I had to rush to my exhibition anyway...  My favorite dates: Janine Eggert, Carly Fischer, Felix&Mumford, Dennis Feddersen. 12 min are more than enough to get a first impression - YES!  Artists have to learn to present their works - most of them are not really good in it (and it is hard, I know), cause they never have to. So I guess, that Speed Portfolio Viewing is a great oportunity!  I don’t think curators should get paid for a 12min review, no."
Valeska Hageney  -Art Agency Berlin

"I really liked the format from the curator’s perspective. I imagine it may have been more stressful from the artist’s side in having to present their work. But I gained a lot from the experience being able to see so many portfolios. The time duration was also good it kept things moving and there is plenty of time to get in touch later with the artists. Perhaps the curators could have been asked to describe their projects as well so the artists aren’t really shooting in the dark for how to frame their work. Although I think that having them chose which curators they want to visit before gives them this control and they can research on their own beforehand. The quality of the work was quite high. I was very excited about a few artists. Santiago Teccati and Regina De Miguel fit within certain projects Im curating. But I was also very impressed with Janine Eggert. I prefer to let the work speak for itself at least at first. Im happy to ask the questions of what is happening in the work to start the conversation rather than have the artist explain. I feel like it can take away from the mystery if they tell me right away the logistics of production or even their history. That is the point of good work, that it should speak to you without a conversation. In an ideal world I think everyone should be paid for their work. I dont think that the artists necessarily aren’t doing work either. In an ideal world we would all be paid. Thanks for this event. I really was impressed and gained a lot from the meetings. "
Kristin Trethewey INDEX Festival / Independent Curator

Everything was super easy and kept simple. That I liked. I enjoyed every date i had and think that all the works have their "quality". Best I liked the performativ work that has been presented to me. 12 minutes are super speedy but i think that it`s just right for this format. I feel that I got a good impression of the way in wich the artists I talked to are heading to with their work. In this sense they all did a good "job". Dtill a presentation can in my eyes never replace seeing the work "live". In the best case scenario both, the artist and the curator, profit from a review. In that case I think both are paid. 
Sylvia Ploner  independent curator (IT)

- I think that the process was great overall. - The quality of the work was really high - very much liked everyone I met with. - As I mentioned to you the other day, I think that 15 minutes would be better.  In those last few minutes I feel I would have had a chance to discuss the work critically.  I was spending all the time simply listening to the artist.  It was valuable to me - don't know how valuable it was to the artist. - Presenting the work is 100 percent important.  What else would we talk about?- I don't think that the curator should be paid. 
Colin Huerter - Horton Gallery

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet a lot of different artists with different practises in a relaxed atmosphere. The time limit created a fun pressure to communicate quickly in a meaningful way. It perhaps would have been nice to have more of a two way street between artist and curator to foster more discussion about potential projects and ideas. There was some really high quality work presented and I hope to work with some of the artists that I met in the future.The 12 min never quite felt long enough but it kept it lively. Maybe 15-20min would allow a bit more to be covered. Presentation is very important, it is more difficult to convey a good work if it is poorly presented. I would agree 60-40% work quality - presentation. No. Curators should not get payed.
Lauren Reid- Independent Curator

- Would have liked more exchange between curators ( a short obligatory get-together before the viewing would be good) 
- Quality was very diverse; my favourite date i didn't have (the young spanish artist that dated katharina)
- Perfect period of time, also liked that eventually we could spend a minute or so longer 
- Depends on the kind of work: for time based works such as performances and/or film presentation is 75% of the deal; for material based things such as sculpture the ration is reciprocal; installtion is in-between 50/50.
- Not unless he/she is advising the artist on it
Susanne Prinz - Verein zur Förderung von Kunst e.V. am Rosa-Luxemburg Platz

We enjoyed the Speed Portfolio Viewing. We didn't really expect to, so it was a nice surprise. It seemed like a strange and overwrought idea, just like Speed Dating. But perhaps both types of meeting are a sign of the times. In any case, a nice surprise that these intense 12 minute periods could actually be enough time to get an idea of someone's artwork. The quality of the work presented was average, with some good exceptions. Most of the artists got down to "business" quickly enough. But there was a sense with nearly everyone of not having enough time. For us too, more than the artists perhaps, we would have liked more time to talk and think about what we were seeing and hearing. But that is our problem. We hope that some of the people whose work we liked might come and visit us in the gallery. Percentage wise for quality of work-smoothness of presentation: good work tends not to need special presentation, so: 80-20% 
In an ideal world curators should be paid, but artists too. The system of finance in the art world as it stands is pathetically inappropriate.
Sonja Ostermann & Matthew Burbidge

www.essaysandobservations.com