WHY DO ARTISTS WEAR BLACK TO OPENINGS? - Spark Box Studio

And now the question you have all been waiting for.

The key that unlocks all the mysteries of the art world.

“Why do artists wear black to openings?”

I kid you not, this was actually a question that was sent to me via email. I couldn’t help myself, I needed to know the answer. Why do artists wear so much black to openings? Is it the slimming effect? Does it make us look more professional? Does it cause us to seem deeper and smarter than we are? Here to reflect on this burning question are a few of my favorite artists.

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From illustrator Kevin Merritt:

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Printmaker Morgan Wedderspoon says:

“There are no rules about wearing black to an opening. It’s about wearing whatever makes you feel good and professional, which needn’t be black. As artists, we can get away with looking a little eccentric, especially when celebrating our hard work, so why not have a little fun? Black? Nah.”

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Illustrator and Founder/Director of Papirmass Kirsten McCrea responded with:

“I *always* wear black and I have no idea why. I have been actively trying to steer myself away from it and into the world of colour, but it’s so hard.

Maybe we go neutral so that the art can be the focus of attention.

Maybe it’s slimming.

Maybe because it hides the red wine stains.

Maybe we are lazy and clueless and it’s easy.

Maybe because it’s harder to tell the difference between cheap clothes and expensive clothes when they are all the same colour.”

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Printmaker and painter Genna Kusch thought:

“I bet it’s because we can’t afford many nice outfits and black is versatile. It is also likely the only colour that doesn’t show all the paint/ink stains so it’s the safest colour to buy. Also, it’s slimming. Or, maybe artists wear black because we are all frugal conservatives at heart. Honestly, I don’t know … the last opening I went to I wore purple and grey.”

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Illustrator Zosienka wrote:

“Black, the uniform of an artist. It’s not possible to narrow this choice down to a single logical explanation but the key factors seem to be:

Blending in whilst standing out: The complex relationship between the self-conscious artist and his audience means he craves attention but simultaneously crumbles at the thought of being noticed. Wearing black at the opening allows the artist to slip in out of the shadows at whim, like a batman, while calibrating his anxiety. Dipping a Dr Marten into the spotlight, inching toward a painting and eventually, five beers later, taking a fully illuminated, well earned bow.

Disguise: The open doors of an opening can bring any number of undesired people in to your personal space. The art of dodging is exercised here with the aid of the black outfit: one moment you are the sophisticated artist, exuding thought provoking prose on your practice to a dealer, the next you’ve seamlessly transformed into a waitress, grabbing a few empty glasses and swiftly side stepping toward the back room until your nemesis has given up the hunt.

Stains: Colourful paint stains on the face, hands and hair are highlighted by contrasting black clothing. You don’t want anyone having any doubts as to who made these works!”

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Mixed media artist Alison Thompson responded with:

“I like my artfit just like I like my coffee.  Black.”  ~ Artist Uknown

It is a Thursday evening and I am meeting some friends after work and heading off to a gallery opening to see some show or another.  As we stop for a bite on the way one friend asks, “Am I dressed ok for this?”  This makes me wonder for a second, I remember that teeny tiny myth about dress code for openings, which in itself is a teeny tiny little myth about artists in general. Apparently we have a uniform, and apparently it’s all black.

“Yes, your outfit is just fine.” I say and continue eating my burrito while that small feeling of insecurity sneaks through my own psyche.  Was I dressed ok for this?  Of course I was. I mean the opening didn’t state “wear black clothes only”. Truth be told, this myth is perpetuated consistently by the volume of black fashion statements frequently made at galleries.

When we have a myth supported by an active fashion trend there must be historical relevance.  As an artist I have had plenty of opportunity to observe my species in its natural habitat and now have three hypotheses about the black outfit habit in the arts.

Theory 1 Dirty Birds:  The making of certain things can be a messy stain filled process.  Therefore, an individual wearing a dark colour will avoid the evidence of the process rubbed into their clothes.  I can recall as a teenager being proud of how messy my clothing became when painting.  I wore my dirty clothes like a badge of honor which, in hindsight was an indicator of my maturity level at the time.  Paints, among many other chemicals, used in many art practices can be quite toxic and anyone would be foolish to want to wear them.  However, if you must wear your stains on your sleeve wearing dark colours could save you from the following embarrassing conversation at a cafe:

“Hey, why are you covered in all those stains?”

“Oh, these, yes, I’m an artiste and these are the entrails of my work splattered on my garments.”

Theory 2 Conflict with the Work:  As work is being presented some people do not like to dress as a distraction, they feel it takes away from the experience of viewing the art.  Which makes sense, however, I have been to openings where the artist has dressed to match their work and found this to be completely delightful (as well as a good signifier of authorship).  At an opening where everyone is wearing the same black uniform it is hard to discern the artist from the audience.  By dressing with a dash of panache the artist can help the audience avoid this embarrassing conversation:

“Hi, are you the artist behind this work?”

“No, the artist is over there, he’s wearing a black turtleneck and black rimmed glasses. He’s the one drinking red wine.”

“Oh.”

Theory 3 Red Red Wine:     A compound stereotype of sorts would suggest that artists like to drink and wear black at the same time.   While it may seem fashionable to sip a glass of Merlot while wearing a dark and brooding colour it is actually quite practical.  The potential for awkwardness at any opening is quite high and what a better balm for social jitters then a dash of red wine. Of course jitters lead to a higher consumption of wine, which can lead to spilling, which means you would have been clever to wear black in the first place.  Black clothing is a measure of protection against looking like a spilly fool.

While black is still prevalent in some circles I see it is a little wee bit passé as a standard artfit.  Nowadays we are not so bound by this conformity and can wear any number of colours to any event.  The structure of expression we can access in fashion relates so well to the structure of expression in art that we would be missing out were we not to take advantage of it.

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So what do you think? Leave a comment below if you have some insight on this very important artistic question.

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