SUMMER 2010 IN VAN CITY | The Cheaper Show No. 9

Just in time for fall, our perfectly logical posting strategy has had us step back into our supa’stylin extremely home crafted time machine, to bring you Skewed’s visit at the surreal Cheaper Show No.9.

Cheaper took place this past June (25th to be exact) and tore Vancouver a new one. Two hundred artists exhibited over four hundred pieces of work, every single one sold for two hundred bucks a pop. Since the show is only six hours long, hungry hungry art collectors, young things and other human looking types lined up and down the streets of G-town central to ensure having a go at purchasing that piece they’ve been dreaming about. Beside our flickr coverage of the show and its preview day, which the organizers were so lovely to let us be a part of, here are some wise words from the brain and the brawn responsible for masterminding this giant effort, alongside their small army of volunteers. Their names: (the) Graeme Berglund and Steve Rio.  If you are uninspired after reading this, we can no longer help, nor prescribe electroshock therapy on polka-dotted post-its. Word up, word out.

STEVE RIO

L: How long have you been the creative director for the Cheaper Show?
S: Well, I’m the executive director. I’ve only joined the show this past January, but I’ve known Graeme for five years. And I’ve known the show… A lot of my best friends have worked on the show.

L: Why?
S: Why? ‘Cause, you know what? I saw the show in 2008 and it was so incredible and all my friends worked so hard on it, I was totally blown away. I wanted to be involved. It was exciting. I have a business background – a strategy background – and I just wanted to bring that level to it. Just take it to the next level. And I think Graeme was looking for me to do the same thing. I think it’s super important for the community. It’s super fun. It’s all my friends. Why not?

L: Who are some of your friends? Just to name drop a little bit here…
S: Well, Adam Fryatt is one of my best friends. He built this bar, along with designing the environment along with Danny Vermette. Vermette is one of my very good friends too. Those two did all the interior stuff: painting, design and just everything you see inside here (W2  Storyeum). Jessica Delorme is one of the curators. She’s a good friend of mine. Who else? Jesse Savath is the videographer. All my homies… These are the guys we hang out with when we’re not doing the Cheaper Show.

L: What do you do, when…
S: When I’m not doing the Cheaper Show? It’s hard to remember. Yeah, hard to remember, but I do web strategy. Web design, web strategy, social media, all that kind of stuff.

L: So did you help make it this big (by using that particular knowledge)? :]
S: You know what? I think the show has built on its own. I think what we did was to prepare the show for this size and have it run smoothly. I think that I helped make it happen. This show has grown organically, and I think no one had an idea on how to manage it at this level. That’s what I’ve done. The show is big by itself.

L: Can you tell me how big (or little) it was when it first started?
S: The first show was in 2001 and it was about 200 people, and I think about ten artists. And everything was around 75 bucks. It was at The Sugar Refinery, this old jazz club which used to be on Granville Street. And it was TINY.

L: Can you believe it’s grown that much, even since last year? There are 200 artists now?
S: Well, last year there were about 150 artists and I think we had about half the amount of space, so it’s doubled in size. It’s grown a hell of a lot.

GRAEME BERGLUND steps in…

L: I have a question based on a question my friend got asked recently. What is the smell of space and… the colour of sound?
G: Is this in relation to The Cheaper Show?

L: …no?
G: …cause the smell of space is obviously marshmallow, and what was the other question?

L: The colour of sound…
G: The colour of sound…

L: (to Steve) you can answer that one, if you wish..
S: Lavender

L: Lavender?
G: Yeah. Which is oddly enough our band that we’re starting right now. We’re called Lavender Marshmallow.
S: No, scrap the marshmallow. I thought we dropped that.
G: Oh, yeah. Harshmallow…

L: Alright. I thought it would just be Lavender. I mean…
G: Those are pretty obscure questions. Have you got anything else like that?

L: This one is kind of a Skewed tradition now, that we ask a lot. What do you think of the word ‘probe’?
G: Probe? (gestures)

L: No, just the word. The word…
G: It feels awfully invasive. I’m a particularly quiet individual. Not quiet, a private individual. I don’t like people probing into my life. In the context of being in an art show, doing interviews, there’s a little bit of probing… but I’m trying to, in my life, be as honest as I possibly can. But yeah, probing I guess is necessary. It’s a form of research. It can feel good from time to time, depending if it’s a physical thing or if it’s intellectual. You know there are lots of definitions of the word probe. I’m FOR it.

L: You’re for probing?
G: I’m pro probing.
L: Should we bump knuckles for probing?
G: Yeah.

L: Why do you think it’s good for artists to actually sell their work? Is that important to validate their work or is it important to show appreciation towards it? Why is it important to attach a monetary value to something invaluable? Do you know what I’m asking here?
G: Yeah, definitely.

L: Should we just make art for art?
G: The integers involved with determining the value of art are (seemingly) rather arbitrary. There are so many different things that could take place, like who you’ve fucked, the background that you come from financially, your finances in general. You know, being wealthy can always help the whole marketing machine. l really think that it’s based on two things: your personal aspirations as an artist and who you know. My aspirations have driven me to a point where I’ve reached out constantly in my life to meet the people that I want to meet. As far as whether artists should be selling their work for money of not: absolutely.

If you build a car, it’s worth money. People are expending energy and putting time into something, and that time is definitely valuable. It’s ironic speaking in the context of The Cheaper Show, because we sell work for inexcusably cheap prices. All of these artists are making a conscious sacrifice by selling their work at the price we’re selling it for here.

You can tell by the energy in the room that this is not your average art show. People are running. They’re scratching at the walls. They’re so excited. And it’s important to have an understanding about just how exciting this process can be. It is that one night of the year that clips after 6 hours. It gives the local art economy this momentary boost, with a really resounding effect, because the artists sell two pieces tonight, but they hand out ten business cards, they meet fifteen people and they get sales of their own work for months afterwards. This is a continual story that happens within the context of The Cheaper Show.

I’m an artist. I sell my work at this point for $5000 to $12,000 dollars a piece. Just over five years ago, I was selling my work for $75 to $150 a piece, so I’m proud to be an entrepreneurial individual and to have pushed myself to meet the people that I need meet to get to the point in my life, where I have reached a certain sense of comfort. I can put food on the table by painting pictures, and I’m personally proud of myself. I also want to work to empower other people to do the same.

L: Why is that important, for young, up and coming artists? Because you’ll get old and die eventually, so when you’re not around, what do you want them to do or take from all this?
G: I think that other artists, and others in general, should recognize those that put the show together. This is based on volunteering. This is how we are reaching out and helping our community, particularly now, where we’re beyond the six billion mark on our planet. I think the whole time of me, my and mine is over. You have to work within your community, you have to help your friends. I’ve been working with my best friends, my closest people in my lifetime, and for the last ten years it’s been a constant reciprocal effort in order to help everyone out, because there’s always a friend or two that are struggling. We always help those people out. We’re collectively kind of rising up in the city, in a very communally based manner, doing positive things for one another. And I think in the capitalist world, in North America, that’s lost very easily, so I feel comfortable that we are working against that, and really trying to help our fellows personally.

For more info on The Cheaper Show
www.thecheapershow.com

And to see a kick ass example of their recently awarded Scion Session Art Grants, on Sunday, Sept. 5 The Pocket Show presents over 100 artists working in 4×4 inches or smaller, including some featured in past issues of Skewed and Cheaper Show ‘Alumni’. Do not miss it peoples!!

Now go plot on making something good happen. Whatcha waitin’ for, mon amie?

Interview by Lexa Naicu
Photography by Lexa Naicu and Mitchell Fielding Warner

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