Working on “Between War & Peace” by Sören Sommelius

How do I prepare a new exhibtion? What does it take? What’s the process toward some kind of good presentation and how does it strengthen our social relations and friendship?

Not everyone, I assume, who visits a photo gallery – or any other gallery for that matter – has a firm idea about the work that goes into producing a good exhibition.

The process of planning and decision-making has many aspects – such as the artist choosing what to show and “killing a few darlings”, then comes processing the pictures, printing them, framing them, hanging them and producing a catalogue, discussing price setting etc. It’s quite a job with – as in this case – 62 pieces that make up my next show with photos by my friend Sören Sommelius.

After selection, he handed me the raw jpg files and we discussed picture by picture how I would process them because, as is always the case, 99% of all raw shots can be improved, if even just a tiny little bit, by being “photoshopped”. With a gentle care, most photos benefit from a little sharpening or cropping, burning here, dodging there, levelling here and perhaps a little cloning there.

I processed all 62 pictures and it was a great experience for me to work with somebody else’s photos. Sören of course would accept each and sign them – or ask me to redo a print. Then I printed all A3+ and the few A4 formats while my “master” printer Anders Jönsson did the 7 big A1 pieces.

Here is a picture from a working lunch – my wife Christina, Anders and Sören. Then one from the framer, Willy here in Lund.

LunchTommy

We opened the exhibition on July 14 and 75-90 people came. So much fun, joy and appreciation – worth it all.

Now we are only hoping that a lot of people will turn up after the opening too.

PS This is my 7th exhibition. Se the earlier ones here.

Would love to read your views, ideas or suggestions here

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