Sullivan + Strumpf

Last Word:
Do you collect?
Robert Postema and Dr Patricia Jungfer
MAR/APR 2021
Whether it is the opening of a commercial
gallery’s latest offering or a curated exhibition
at a public gallery, contemporary art has
its protocols and rituals. The attendees are frequently
dressed in a neutral colour, more probably than not in
black, so as not to overwhelm the art that is on display. If
you go to these events often enough, the faces become
familiar. There is an acknowledging nod and smile. You
start to chat with others. Connections and commonalities
are explored, with the work closest to you often the
focus of a shared commentary before the ritual of
engagement follows a predictable path.
Following preliminaries, the conversation moves on to
‘have you bought anything in the show’ (commercial
exhibitions) or ‘are you familiar with the artist’ (public
exhibitions). Not infrequently, the question then arises
‘are you a collector?’ We can recall the first time this
question was posed. We looked at each other and the
provocateur, not knowing what to answer. As time has
gone by, we understand we do ‘collect’. To us it means
supporting a sector of the community that is brave and
prepared to document and comment on the issues of
our time. It also means we have a hopeless addiction to
buying art.
Of course, and almost inevitability having made the ‘we
are collectors’ admission, the next question is ‘what is
the focus of your collection’ Our hearts would sink again
because we would then have to confess that there is no
focus, no theme and we cannot even stick to a genre.
Behind our cheery façade, we worry ‘what does the
person asking this question make of us’ because we
have an ‘eclectic’ collection. The polite description of
what we have accumulated over the years. We admire
the collector who sets out to buy only women artists,
time-based media art or some other defined or erudite
theme. We are in awe of the discipline that comes
with buying exclusively conceptual or minimalist work.
However, these are not characteristics we possess. Alas,
as well as having little self-control, we appear to have
no focus in our collection. Initially we would then smile
and quickly shift the conversation to what the other
person’s focus was. We knew this was safer ground and
terminate the squirming discomfort that reminded us
of our childhood and being caught being naughty or
undisciplined.
We don’t worry about this question anymore. We
have worked out we just like seeing, experiencing and
immersing ourselves in contemporary art. We can cope
with the dreaded question now. We can even afford a
knowing smile, when it comes up. We do in fact have a
theme to our collection. It reflects who we are and how
we view the world. No, we don’t collect one type of art
or one medium or whatever. We just collect what we love
and what speaks to us!