My Degree Show & Paintings.

Mirta Imperatori's Paintings 2015

I have finally recuperated from my last year at University and the Degree Show. I had all my energy focused on the dissertation, painting, and setting up for the Degree Show which was nerve-wracking, glad I had a friend to help me out during the Degree Show. Straight after it was the Graduation Ceremony which was great but I sat in utter stupor, I just could not believe it I had finally made it. They were three stressful years due to having continuous deadlines, group work, and the addition of high tuition fees. The fear I would not pass when the fees are so high just takes stress to a whole new level. Other students felt very stressed because of it too. I wasn't really prepared for the Degree Show; it went so quickly and it went really well even if I was not ready to have so many people interested in my paintings and wanting to buy them. During the Degree Show I had several people coming up to me, I wasn't expecting any attention and I really didn't know what to say. I was going around the gallery hiding behind a pair of colourful sunglasses but I was cornered in my spot by a benevolent group who were trying to make conversation with me. One told me you should be promoting your artwork, go and speak to people, I think I just said all the wrong things to whoever spoke to me apart from one lady who turned out to be a psychoanalyst who totally understood my paintings. I didn't have to explain anything to her, which was a relief and she wanted to buy some of them; but I priced my paintings really high because basically I did not want anybody to buy them as I really like them myself so whoever buys them has got to like them more then I do (terrible for business, and I do sell other paintings I have), I hang them in my studio. I surround myself with this particular set of paintings and meditate with them, I have not released them into the world just yet, I am holding on to them.

Also I find it hard to speak to people I have never met before in groups about my paintings generally. In the current art world artists are supposed to smile, be pleasant, sell their work, chat to people and basically get on with it or so I was told by other art students and visitors. Instead I felt nervous during the whole process and I felt more comfortable speaking to people on a one to one basis.  I was shocked by people's reactions to my work, I had students saying it was amazing, had a couple of visitors who were just looking at technological art and completely ignoring any painting or sculpture that was in the same room. Some people just looked me up and down, looked back at the paintings and walked off, others said: your work reminds me of Turner or well done what an accomplishment someone important will buy it; some didn't like what I said about my work, others loved it. It was all rather baffling and I was not prepared for it. At the time I thought I was doing well but I didn't feel comfortable and had a bad reaction afterwords. It has taken me, what? 6 months before I have been able to write about my Degree Show. How does a very sensitive artist like me survive the art world, the process? I am quite happy to hide away for months and paint for hours on end; as a painter do I need to be part of groups all the time? It's good to be challenged by others and discuss things in a group, there is a lot to learn from it, I guess it is just how it is done. I find people putting people down under the pretence of being an art critique unhelpful and rather childish. In some Art Universities in the UK they push massively for group work, but how does an autistic fit into this when you are in a course with 100 students or more that you really don't know? Because autistics are stronger at tasks than with social interaction. Some Art Universities in the UK choose students for their course according on how they would fit within the group. How does an autistic fit into this type of selection? Have autistics been put at a disadvantage before even starting on an art course and being charged for applying for something to which he/she will never be selected?

I have to say the support at my University was excellent, the teachers were great and I enjoyed my course, it was an excellent learning curve and I did very well on it. After the Degree Show I started receiving emails from people who came to my Degree Show some turned out to be good others utter time wasters. You know the ones that offer you an exhibition but then they disappear or they ask you for money to take part in a competition.. you pay them but then they don't choose you even when they told you they would take you. I have heard quite a few stories from other emerging artists about London galleries taking advantage of them because of the high number of artists applying. One student told me Charles Saatchi went inside a couple of rooms bought something but then ignored all the other rooms. Again, too many art students to see so he limited his choice. One particular buyer was just buying artwork from people with a first not anybody else, so if you had 2:1 he wouldn't buy your work.. I found this rather amusing to just choose works from students with a first class Degree, what a way to choose a piece of artwork to buy?! Most of the people that came to the Degree Show were white middle aged men and they were also the buyers...

Mirta Imperatori's Paintings 2105

The Graduation ceremony was great, it went too quickly and then is the question of what to do next? Several students I bumped into after graduation were doing all sorts of jobs just to keep afloat. Yes because while tuition fees have tripled, jobs in the arts are still limited and low paid so the students I spoke to said they were taking anything to pay the bills, some were working in Galleries, others in pubs, or retail. Life after the Degree for the artist is not straightforward or easy.