Genevieve Gaignard: A Curator's Love Story
By Alexandra Terry
A curator ’s relationship with an artist is not dissimilar to a romantic relationship. The courting process can be awkward, nerve wracking and thrilling. Sometimes life changing, other times disappointing. Underneath a certain amount of ego and bravado, you can hide a lingering fear that they won’t like you or think that you’re interesting. For me, this uncertainty is most prevalent when I’ve been admiring the artist for a long time from afar. Eyeing them from across the room chatting with their gallerist as they queue for a gin & tonic at the opening reception of their latest exhibition; hoping that your friend of a friend who works at the gallery will introduce you in a way that feels natural and not schmoozy.
I first met Genevieve Gaignard in July 2018, after months of ogling her work online. I was captivated by her vibrant cinematic photographs and her immersive installation pieces that keep your eye moving through the space at breakneck speed. The vintage wallpaper, the shiny kitsch, the humor, and her confident and confrontational side-eye kept me coming back for more. I knew that I wanted to find a way to work with her, but mostly I wanted to find a reason to get to know her. I needed to talk to Genevieve because her work is powerful, and it elicited feelings in me that shifted and grew each time I returned to it.
Genevieve Gaignard, Basic Cable and Chill, 2016, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.
After admiring her work from afar and worrying that she might not think I was interesting, I met Genevieve at her LA studio on a hot summer day. Nerves aside, it was better than I thought it would be. She was fun and funny, and seeing her work in person made me so enthusiastic that I talked too much and too fast. I left feeling invigorated and excited, and as I drove back up to Santa Barbara, I imagined every possible scenario for an exhibition of her work. In the days following, I wrote up some of my ideas and carefully considered different approaches. And then I ghosted Genevieve.
We’ve talked about it since. The fact that I ghosted her. My only explanation is that the timing wasn’t right. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about her!
And then it finally happened. I found a way to work with and to get to know Genevieve. During the ten days of installing her work for the exhibition I curated at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, we laughed and listened to music; we talked about what was important to us, and I met some of her family over FaceTime.
Genevieve Gaignard, The Line Up (Orange & White), 2017, Chromogenic prints, Edition 1 of 3, 2 AP. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.
Almost two years after our first meeting, Bloom Projects: Genevieve Gaignard, Outside Looking In opened on March 5, 2020—only to close to the public nine days later because of Covid-19. After all of that, I suddenly found myself in a long-distance relationship with Genevieve’s work. All I wanted was to be surrounded by it and to introduce it to people.
The pandemic has been frightening and devastating for so many reasons. It has kept us apart from one another, and away from what is meaningful to us. In many tragic cases, it has vanquished life-giving resources. While I have been affected in many ways, I am grateful to have only had to make minor changes to my daily life. During this time, I’ve thought a lot about why my relationships with the artists that I work with are so meaningful to me. Like other relationships I’ve been in, in hindsight, I realize that this particular one has changed me. My relationship with Genevieve and her work has forced me to confront brutal truths and to question how I can best use my voice to speak out against injustice. This leads me to wonder how the meaning that I’ve found can be translated to others, so that they can form their own relationship with the artist and their work.
As I write this, Governor Newsom has begun to loosen restrictions, and our stay-at-home orders are shifting. Relief and excitement are brewing as we make plans for reopening the museum. As much as I cannot wait to reunite with Genevieve’s work, I’m most excited for other people to have the opportunity to experience and embrace it as well. It is not for me to prescribe how your relationship with this exhibition will unfold, I can only hope that you will be changed by it, as I have been, for the better.
Genevieve Gaignard, Smell the Roses, 2016, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.
Bloom Projects: Genevieve Gaignard, Outside Looking In, Installation View, Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, 2020.
The solo exhibition of LA-based artist Genevieve Gaignard, Outside Looking In, is on view in the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara’s Main Space from March 5, 2020.
Cover Art: Genevieve Gaignard, Mama Dearest, 2017, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles.
