Durden and Ray
Address: No fixed address as we are project orientated and nomadic in form.
Contact: Max Presneill
Email: DandRart@gmail.com
Website: www.durdenandray.com
How is the project operated? For-profit, nonprofit, artist-run, etc.
Artist run. Our invitational-only membership decides all projects by majority vote.
How long has it been in existence?
2 1/2 years.
What was your motivation?
Self-help and support for active artists develop exhibiting opportunities and to branch out into other activities, to provide a ready-to-go team to support projects, to share knowledge and experiences in practical ways and allow for ambitions to be realized due to system of willing and able team members and also to network and act as cheerleaders and references for each other. To bypass any reliance on commercial galleries, although most of us are also represented by commercial galleries too, so that we can ‘work for ourselves’ when needed and follow any interests we may want to that are perhaps outside of the interests of those galleries.
Number of organizers/responsible persons of the project.
Each member of the group has an equal vote. We currently have 14 members and most members act in multiple roles professionally – most actively pursue curatorial activities to some extent. Several write critically. Some teach.
How are programs funded?
Project by project with most funded by each member contributing a portion. Some sponsorship for particular projects can be sought also.
Who is responsible for the programming?
The group approves projects, to be dedicated D&R projects, suggested by membership and members sign up to participate as either/and exhibitors and/or organizers.
Number and average duration of exhibitions/events per year.
About 8-10 projects per year.
What kind of events are usually organized?
Ranges from standard exhibitions of members alongside invited others, to art fair participation, to non-art site projects, gallery and touring shows instigated by D&R, curated projects without D&R members included, to panel discussions and to collaborative art making.
Facilitating and supporting each members own individual careers and practices – via help in shipping, installation, PR, etc – strength in numbers and friends in times of need.
How is your programming determined?
All projects are suggested by members at meetings or in D&R email exchanges, voted on and if approved then individuals sign up to join the project if they wish to do so.
Do you accept proposals/submissions?
Only for project partnerships and exchange proposals.
What is your artistic/curatorial approach?
As varied and wide as our membership’s interests.
What’s working? What’s not working?
The democratic approach works very well for us. With the invitation to join D&R coming due to an artist’s quality of practice but also in their work ethic and concern for group action and support we only invite those that are willing to inject ideas and proposals as well as follow them through with leadership to completion. This keeps an engaging range of projects in constant development for the future and retains the high level of commitment.
What kind of role do you hope to play in your local art scene or community?
Encouraging mutual support and interaction amongst artists, not just those in D&R. Providing opportunities for all.
What idea are you most excited about for the future?
We are exploring the nature of history and its perception via group video reenactments that move away from objectivity into subjective recounting of events, divorced from ideas of acting and coherent narrative, while formulating a multi-positioned retelling with an extremely self-reflexive modality.
Images courtesy of Durden and Ray unless otherwise noted.
Sarrita Hunn is the managing editor and co-founder of Temporary Art Review. Over the last decade, she has worked with many artist-run and alternative spaces and projects across the globe including recently at Koh-i-noor (Copenhagen, Denmark) with sponsorship from the Danish Arts Council. www.sarritahunn.com
