Whilst acknowledging the ramifications that the commercial side of art has had on the artist and their practice we felt it vital to gauge a response from the public sector, specifically the ICA. INTRODUCINGDUCING sat down with curator Charlotte Bonham-Carter and discussed everything from the current program at the ICA and the change that it is seeing itself have to go through at the moment. At the beginning of this year it became public information that the ICA London, like many other public institutions, was facing difficult times forcing it to re-examine itself and question its future. Charlotte comes to the ICA from her previous post at the Barbican Arts Centre London, her curatorial experience within two of London’s most influential institutions makes opinion on this topic incredibly pertinent.

INTRODUCING: As I walked through the most recent show at the ICA (Oscar Tuazon) I thought that a good place to start would be right now; lets look at the current location of the ICA within today’s contemporary art scene. How does a public institution respond to the situation that arises from the power coming from the commercial side of art. As more and more people turn to commercial galleries rather than public institutions as a place to see new art by emerging artists?

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: Well I think it depends on the particular institution that you are working with, and the way that I react to these questions is very much dictated by how I see the place of the institution that I am working for within the cultural landscape of London. I also think that this is a question that constantly needs to be re-evaluated. For example, the ICA was founded in the late 1940’s and we are very aware that obviously the situation now is so different from what it was then. This is primarily because of the two reasons that you just stated, first, commercial galleries are now a place that people who are not collectors go to see contemporary art and second, the distinction between a commercial fair and a biennial are becoming quite blurred. And the other thing that has effected the ICA’s  position within the cultural landscape of London is the proliferation of the brand of Tate as an institution, since the inception of Tate Modern. What that means is that Tate has a already existent  public for what they do and they can put on an exhibition with a relatively unknown artist people will go to see it. Whereas previously, part of the ICA’s remit was to work with artists who wouldn’t be counted as blockbuster artists .  Now, we hope to carve out a territory for new forms of art practice, so in many ways our mission has and has not changed. 

INTRODUCING: In which case, can I go on to draw a comparison with somewhere like the Serpentine and the way they have allowed themselves to become the defenders of the canon and the market, shows like their Indian Highway seem to be more influenced but the market than what is actually relevant to contemporary art. Without having the mega power of places like the Tate and the Serpentine, how do you deal with working with these virtual unknowns?

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: I think that you as an institution return to your core values. When we think about our public, it is not only the people who come into the gallery but also the artist whom we work with and one of our core values or priorities is that the ICA as an institution is an artist led institution. Given our size and the fact that we are necessarily less bureaucratic means that we can be more responsive to an artist’s practice in a manner that other institutions just can’t. As much as is possible we try to hand over the reigns to the artist, so that rather than trying to get an artist’s practice to fit within the institution, the the institution has to fit the artist’s practice. There are a number of obvious ways in which that manifests, either through commissioning work or opening up access to the spaces of the ICA, as opposed to confining the artist to the lower gallery, or through residencies that might encourage a practice that is more socially engaged.

INTRODUCING: So would you say that the ICA sees itself as a facilitator? In which case, how do you respond to the pressures of capturing and engaging with your audience, whilst having to acknowledge the bureaucratic side of working as a publicly funded space, attempting to be at the forefront of art. In order for the ICA to be progressive and represent a new direction in contemporary art whilst you are up against all of these other institutions with such defined brand images and agendas, like the Camden Arts Centre and Whitechapel, I assume that a flexible approach is necessary in everything that you do but must make this incredibly difficult. .

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: The thing about our position is that we have to constantly have to redefine and re-evaluate ourselves otherwise we wouldn’t be what we are. In terms of a core brand identity, even that is something we need constantly need to redefine in order for us for us to stay at the forefront of contemporary art. You used the word facilitator, that is quite a good word for what we do, generally we see ourselves as a platform for new forms of expression, cultural expression and creative expression. While we have historically been known for our visual arts exhibitions, we are actually a multidisciplinary arts venue, recognizing that artists today are working across these spaces.

INTRODUCING: More and more I notice that artists are working in a manner that see’s them looking outside of the art-world for their influence causing work to manifest in so many different manners, and effecting not only the content and subject of the work but also how we view it and where we place it on our cultural hierarchy. As the exchange of information continues to develop at such a rapid pace and as artists attempt to keep up with this fact, it becomes imperative that the institutions within which they work have to develop this mentality equally. Yet it remains that the major institutions refuse to step down from the pedestal, keeping art above everything else. As an institution which was established as a multidisciplinary space, how do you react to this cultural shift?

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: As you are probably aware, we have gone through a restructure recently and everything has been shifted, and this has given us the opportunity to re-evaluate yet again one of the core principles which we have been working towards, and this is how to genuinely work together across departments. Physically we have blurred all of the boundaries in our space for example in November of 2009 we had Calling Out of Context, a season of experimental music, taking place in the lower gallery, and the upper gallery became a studio for different artists recording tracks throughout the time. Another way that this change can become a reality is as simple as who you work with. There are naturally going to be artists who are going to occupy different spaces in different ways. As an institution, we tried to let the nature of the work determine the time and space available to the artist.  As mentioned, we see our role as being as flexible and responsive as possible, and as a smaller institution with a history of radicalism, we have a lot of leeway to do this.

INTRODUCING: In response to the fact that the ICA see’s itself as an agent for change I want to want to recall one of the first shows that I saw at the ICA when I moved to London as an art student. It was Tino Segal’s second installment of his trilogy, which took me on an unconventional tour of the ICA revealing a lot to me about time and relationship to my surrounding, I remember being genuinely confused and uncomfortable about what was happening to me and I am not entirely sure I could say now. This is such a rare feeling for me particularly when it comes to viewing art, I venture to suggest that visiting galleries has not only become a predictable ritual but has also become remarkably easy. I am really forced to remember a time when a show has had any lasting effect on me and my relationship with art. Is it getting harder for contemporary art to have any effect and if so is it the job of institutions like the ICA, Whitechapel and Camden Arts Centre to drive change in not only what is being made but also the present attitude about art?

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: I think it is partly influenced by the reality that an institution like Tate Modern which has been in place for ten years now, has really changed the way that people understand contemporary art, causing it to become a box that you tick on your cultural agenda whether you’re involved in the arts or not. People talk about seeing the major exhibitions at the Tate in the same way that they talk about going to the cinema on a Friday night. What that means, I don’t really know, but it does mean that there is a general acceptance of contemporary art. But, I think it is important to think beyond the numbers of people going to see exhibitions, and instead to think about the quality of their experience.  At the ICA,  I am constantly asking,  how do we engage our audience? So it is not just the quantity of people coming through the doors but also the level of their engagement. I think that is something that we are always working towards. As well as using our space in a different way, on an interpretive level we are trying to ensure that activity that is going on at the ICA is all part of a common discursive framework. I don’t know how that relates to your question of being surprising…

INTRODUCING: Well if I am gathering it correctly, I see what you are doing is physically creating an experience that interlinks everything which has the ability to subconsciously link things in peoples mind, bringing an end to this feeling the there is ‘this’ and there is ‘that’. We need to understand that influence grows from more than just what is in the art-world and artists don’t just make art because art has happened! Where every institution is influenced by something as every artist is influenced by something does the ICA see their influence coming from the artist whom they work with in comparison to a place that sees their influence coming from a place like market trends or a political agenda. 

The ICA website suggest that it was  initiated as ‘a "laboratory" or "playground" for contemporary arts, it continues to challenge traditional notions and boundaries of art forms essentially by working with artists, curators, musicians, directors and thinkers who share a desire to investigate issues relevant to the wider concerns of today's world.’ This ideal may have very well been not only novel but absolutely essential in terms of furthering contemporary art’s progress, however, although not in these exact words, numerous other London based public galleries have similar ethos. How does ICA see its role in furthering the contemporary art scene in UK?  

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: The ICA has the unique position of creating a space for new and emerging forms of art. We work with young practitioners and those who might not have had extensive exposure in a public gallery before. The ICA does not need to shy away from its politics, we are a radical institution and can wear our left leaning position on our sleeve.  We can incorporate our politics into the programme, where appropriate. We don’t have a huge budget for realising exhibitions, but often rely on creativity and grass roots avenues for getting things done. We feel a particular responsibility to the London art scene, and hope to provide opportunities for key players in the London art world who might not yet have received the recognition they deserve. We hope to establish a discursive framework around what we do, creating an engaged public

INTRODUCING: With all the art fairs (Basel, Miami, Armory, Frieze, Hong Kong, Shanghai… ) and biennales (Venice, Berlin, Documenta…), as a result, the contemporary art scenes around the world are connected. Now the context extends beyond Europe or/and America. How do you see this phenomenon? and how do you see it affecting the art scene in UK?

Charlotte Bonham-Carter: There is always the local and the global to consider. It is not only art fairs/biennales that have changed the art world and how we experience art, but also phenomena like Youtube. That said, there is still a London art scene with a set of practitioners who meet at the pubs in the East End, and those conversations they have, and the people they meet on a day to day basis, will influence their work.  So, again, you have to look at both the global and the local, together.