Artist Story: Davis and Langlois

If the art world has a food chain it probably looks like this: Curator –Gallery—Artist (or "C-G-A"). That is, until you become an “art-star” then it inverts itself to: A-G-C. The “art world” is probably one of the only places within the professional working world where this phenomenon happens. Every time we have had studio visits with potential new galleries, the proprietor of the space always asks: “So how are the curators receiving the work?” Of course, we all know that this is how the art world works--if the right person likes you, you are “in.” So, it goes without saying, that when you have the right curators (a.k.a. 'the smartest people in the art world') you naturally want to blow them away with your work...that is, until you finally become an art-star, then you don’t give a shit. Until that time comes when someone taps you on the head and says “You’re it,” you put on your thickest skin and that Genesis album from 1981 (track #3) because there will be “No Reply at All.”

The first curator we ever met, Dominic Molon, just happened to be a friend who has always liked our work and has even written about us in art magazines. He included us in an exhibition at a major museum and for that we are even better friends and we love him even more. Skip the Genesis album and go straight to Cool and the Gang, “Ceee-lebrate good times com’on!” Wow this is easy!

Most artists who have never had a studio visit from a curator think that it is kind of like a graduate school critique; the usual volley of questions about content and intellectual merit. WRONG! Most curators walk into your studio not saying a word and wait for you to say something smart, cute, or at least interesting.

The second curator we met was Larry Rinder. You know, the guy who curated the 2000 Whitney Biennial. At the time, we were working with an artist group LAW OFFICE. The group, not realizing that we were being interviewed for the Biennial itself (no one told us, not even Larry) proceeded to show him slides of our peer’s artwork from a show that we curated. One week later… one month later… queue track three “no reply at all, there will be no reply at all.”

The third curator was Shamim Momin. You know, one of the women that curated the 2002 Whitney Biennial. We were not really prepared for her visit. We had just finished a solo Exhibition with glowing reviews locally and internationally; surely she had seen all of them. We had almost no work in our studio because it had all been sold. Meeting a curator in your studio with no work to see or talk about is not a good idea. Don’t assume. Track three please: “is anybody list’nin...da-da -ddddda da da.”

Now keep in mind, there have been other, lesser-known curators that have included us in many shows. However, the art world is all about name-dropping and it also helps with the curators when you drop big names. So on with the droppings. “Oh, yes, we were recently in a group show at Gavin Brown enterprises” (Just don’t mention that it was with 75 other artists).

The fourth, fifth, and sixth “baller” curators that we met with were Hans Ulrich Obrist, Gunnar B. Kvaran, and Daniel Birnbaum. You know, the guys who curated that show “Uncertain States of America.” We received a phone call from Gunnar: “Hi this is Gunnar B. Kvaran from the Astrup Fearnley Museet for Kunst in Oslo. Would you be willing to meet with me and two of my colleagues when we are in Chicago?” Hell yes!

We meet the trio in the lobby of the Radisson hotel down town. While holding court (a.k.a. “meetings”) in the lobby, we notice a lot of our peers looking nervous, distraught and one or two maybe looking as if they just won the lottery. This is not the run-of-the-mill studio visit. This is an interview to be “It!” Hans never looked away from his computer the whole time. Gunnar asked us who our heroes were. Daniel really, really liked the Space painting we made and wanted to stop by the studio. Hans yelled at him “We don’t have time for that Daniel.” All in all, we thought the conversation was great. We are “in,” we thought. After two months of high-fives and ‘you’re-the-man, no, you’re-the-man” an all too familiar blare from the horn section and the cool bass line “…no reply at all, there will be no reply at all.”

Numbers six and seven were Chrissie Iles and Phillip Vergne. You know, the two who curated the 2006 Whitney Biennial. We had an amazing visit. 2 hours from what was scheduled to be a 45 min. visit. Chrissie got the connection between the paintings; Phillip got the whole installation thing. They asked: So if you did the show, you would need a whole room right? Davis and Langlois at the same time. Exactly! After the visit we proceeded with high-fives and man hugs all around. That visit was in March, the list of who got in would be out in December. We did not push play until Nov. 31. “No reply at all, will there be any reply at all?”

There have been curators since who have put us in shows but again, they are lesser-known, for now, and they don’t really count, for now anyways. Just keep in mind that it all comes down to taste and opinions…and those are like assholes because everybody has one. So, learn from our mistakes if we made any, and keep your heads up. One day, we, or you, just might be “It.” Until then, like Phil says “Talk to me, you never talk to me, is anybody list'nin, no reply at all, there will be no reply at all!”

Robert Davis and Mike Langlois are artists living and working in Chicago and New York. Davis/Langlois is a collaborative duo that makes paintings and occasional sculpture. Moniquemeloche is their gallery - you can find examples of their work on their site.