Gallery Girls

This show is driving me absolutely insane. I have this weird obsession with good bad reality TV--I can watch America's Next Top Model and The Rachel Zoe Project for hours on end-- there is just something enertaining about how the things that go on in reality TV can be so ridiculous. But also, there is a genuine appreciation for what's being done, despite the tacky "drah-mah" manner in which it's presented; for example, every outfit or shoot that Rachel Zoe styles for is impeccable--in the same way that the photos taken for ANTM are amazing and it's great to see different perspectives come from different photographers. I think this fascination with craft is also at the bottom of more craft-related reality TV shows like Project Runway or Work of Art. (Obviously, I am never going near Jersey Shore.)

My friend Net recently got me watching Gallery Girls and I was pretty hesitant to check it out at first because I have a tendency to instantly dislike shows or films about people who are supposedly "like my crowd"; it feels like judgement a lot of the time--writers are supposed to be like this, dress like this, go to these things, an artist is supposed to look like this. But I ended up watching it anyway because the premise was just too intriguing to pass up--the show basically revolves around the careers-in-the-making of 7 girls from different factions of the art scene in New York. 

And despite the fact that this show also falls prey to the "drah-muhh" predicament of shows like The Hills or The City, I find it so funny and have gotten through all the episodes because of the honesty that comes with watching supposedly "deep" people be catty idiots on screen. It's been my experience that a lot of people involved in making art or getting galleries set up or holding book signings can be extremely clique-ish and the show is relentless with that. On one hand, I can see how certain people would fall into the trap of romanticizing a "Gallery Girl" but also some of the things that happen are just so ridiculous that it does the opposite of that--it fleshes out this "industry of cool" and reveals the tough circumstances of the so-called Art World too.

(Image from Bravo TV; Chantal Chadwick)

My favorite people are the girls from End of Century--Claudia and Chantal (as seen in the photos above and below). I like them because they're both trying to get something intimate and engaging out there but are always struggling with things like the want for money and the want to attain "cult status"; it's funny. Also, they're the only ones on the show who are ever shown fixing things; it's like a lot of the other girls just sort of stand around and say the word "art" but none of them actually go and set up an exhibit or go check out other artists. These two are two sides of the same coin--they're both from the Brooklyn scene but are completely opposite; Claudia is extremely anxious and neurotic and Chantal is a space case a lot of the time. And my annoyance at them has very quickly turned into an odd sort of endearment.

(Photo from Bravo TV; Claudia Martinez Reardon & Chantal Chadwick)

I don't want to spoil what I think of the other personas (while reality TV is supposed to represent a sort of reality, I refuse to believe it is actually "real" and/or a judgement of the person so I think persona cuts it okay) because some of you might want to go and watch this show. :) While this isn't something for people who get irritated quickly, it is definitely fun to watch for those of us with a morbid fascination for this type of TV show. On the reality TV scale of 1-5, I'd give this a 4.5 because as I told my friend Net after watching the last episode of this season, you can't help but care--"so much bullshit, so many feelings".