Exit through the gift shop*

Tate Edit, Tate Modern, London

Or in the case of Tate Edit, exit past the gift shop. Tate Edit is an elegant iteration of the ubiquitous museum shop. Whilst there multiple opportunities within the massive Tate Modern complex to purchase books, catalogues, souvenirs, postcards and other keepsakes, Tate Edit is a refined and curated collection of 'Art + objects for your home.' 

The gallery/ shop is located on the outside of the building, meaning we make a choice to enter. This is in contrast to the more typical merchandising scenario in which in order to exit,  the  exhibition-goer must walk through the merchandising sale point at the end of any major museum show. Tate Edit  is presented as hybrid shop/ gallery, with track lighting, plinth displayed work, and explanatory text by each carefully selected piece.

The space utilises the idea of a guest editor, currently design retailer Momoku Mizutani of momusan shop. It deals largely in limited edition work, assisting in both affordability and having the obvious practical benefit of allowing an edit to be in place for a decent period of time, whilst still enabling 'cash and carry' for the purchaser. 

Fine art as well as design pieces are for sale. The artists generally have some relationship to the Tate, and this space helps create a bridge between major artists and the 'general' public.  For example, currently on offer is a stunning  limited edition solar plate etching by Cornelia Parker. Perhaps most well known for blowing up a garden shed (with the assistance of the British Army), and reassembling the pieces as a still life 'explosion' in the gallery, Parker is considered one of Britain's leading contemporary artists. Many might consider owning a piece of hers as unattainable, and Tate Edit dispels that belief, for a certain demographic at least. (Just by the way, since 2001, the British government has appointed an official election artist, which in 2017 was Parker. The works created by the artist in response to the election then go on to form part of the parliamentary art collection. You can read about that work here- (it goes on display on Monday).

As well as the guest editor curation, some pieces in the store have been chosen by leading industry figures from within and outside of Tate. Museum-style labels accompany these pieces, with a short quote from the selector explaining why they had chosen the piece. Many people want to buy art, but lack the confidence or encouragement to do so. For a potential buyer to have their gut reactions validated by an industry expert is a simple and effective strategy to help develop collectors. It is an idea I can see having multiple applications in the TAFE environment, as we move to encourage entrepreneurial approaches for the benefit of our creative industry students. 

Tate Edit is also part of the own art scheme, an innovative loan scheme sponsored by the UK Arts Councils, that offers a purchase plan of 10-20 interest-free payments for the purchase of art from approved galleries. Nice.

In 2016, the creative industries in the UK were estimated to be worth a staggering 91.8 billion pounds- that's 10.5 million pounds an hour, and growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy. Now that's something worth taking seriously.

*Exit through the gift shop is the title of a documentary/ and quite possibly mockumentary, directed by the street artist Banksy. If you are a fan of his work, it's a must-see. The film raises questions about art and money, in particular the politics and commerce of street art. 

Graffiti art and street art was born from a desire to 'flip the bird' to the mainstream polite art and create images and graphics that can't be bought and sold. Usually created illegally, street art doesn't wait for permission to be displayed. Amongst other things, the film grapples with the intersection of art for arts' sake and the huge sale prices some artists, Banksy being a notable example, attract for gallery versions of their work. 

On a related note, there is bit of excitement in Hull this week, with the recent appearance of three Banksy works......