‘Dear …….,’.

As a newcomer in the Danish artworld I am unqualified to curate an exhibition of Danish painting. This is the premise of the exhibition ‘Dear …….,’.

I selected a painter based in Denmark and sent them the following letter of invitation.

‘Dear …….,

I am putting together a show of ‘Danish’ painters. It will work as a game of tag. As a newcomer here I am outside the history and politics, gossip and rumour of the Danish art world. Which in many ways is a great benefit and in others a disadvantage. This exhibition will acknowledge my naivety and release me from my usual dictatorial position of choice within my gallery. I am handing over responsibility of choice to the artists. It will give me a crash course in contemporary Danish painting (hopefully).

It will work like this – I will choose a painter who lives and works in Denmark, then, they will anonymously choose a painter who lives and works in Denmark, then, they will anonymously choose a painter who lives and works in Denmark. etc. This will carry on until the same painter is chosen twice or somebody says no. So, the show will be a random, meandering journey through what is being made here. I will then curate the show by visiting each artists studio and selecting the work(s) to be shown. These might be brand new or earlier works. The show will open here early March (March 5th).

You have been anonymously selected by another painter to be in the show. All you have to do is say yes to being in the show and choose someone else to be in the show. I will then approach them and send them this text. You can select anyone painting here in Denmark now. Someone you think represents what is happening now, or is forgotten, or overlooked, or needs reappraising, or deserves their first break, or is busy showing but their work is so great we should show it some more…just remember that they will then anonymously select someone else.

David Risley Gallery