Hott Sheets 3: Hottest Sheet
ON VIEW JUNE 24, 2016 – AUGUST 21, 2016
A LITTLE HISTORY:
The concept of the first Hott Sheets show was born in 2010, out of the sudden heat of the summer and inspired by events in the global art market. In 2013, Hott Sheets II: Hotter Sheets followed the third hottest summer on record and reflected the heat of an art market on the rise. As we return to our Hott Sheets theme after another three years have elapsed, we find an even more staggering set of numbers: Summer 2015 made history as the hottest ever recorded, and two works of art (a Picasso and a Modigliani) shattered auction records, fetching above 170 millions dollars each. But despite its high highs, the Art Market is cooling off–especially for contemporary artists. The widening gap between what’s hot and what’s not has us wondering– how is the value of original artwork created? How is it sustained?
THE EXPERIMENT:
We created a complex and convoluted flowchart into which we can plug in any work of art. Starting from an even playing field–a 9" x 6" sheet of paper–Hott Sheets artworks will travel through a series of formalist checks and conceptual balances, until a monetary value is objectively assigned to each entry. Artworks will be installed in the gallery in ascending order of their objective & scientifically-formulated price, and will be on view (and for sale) June 24 to August 14, 2016. This year, our Hott Sheets exhibition presents an open call to artists OF ANY AGE, who wish to submit work and subject themselves to the caprices of our Hott Sheets valuation tabulator.
HOTT SHEETS 3 is presented in collaboration with the Lawrence Arts Center's HANG 12 youth-in-art-curation program.