Episode 4 The Exhibitionists

Over the last few weeks, five members of the public

have been competing for the chance to put on an exhibition

at the National Museum, Cardiff.

Mentors Osi Rhys Osmond and Karen MacKinnon have pushed

the Exhibitionists to the limit during their time at the museum.

They dropped us in the deep end with this one.

I was disappointed.

You say it's pre-war, and I'll have to go with what you say.

I don't know who any of these people are.

In the last programme, the remaining three faced the director general,

David Anderson.

They pitched personal visions of what they believed

should be exhibited at Gallery 24.

This one is of a drug addict.

She's throwing down a big idea to the public.

Only two can go through...

Da-da-da!

..and the one who left last time was Richard.

'Absolutely gutted.'

I really wanted this.

Now Julia and Efa go head-to-head,

and face their biggest challenge yet.

Oh, my God!

I got paint all over the floor.

Two o'clock. Brr-brr! Done.

I like my side better.

Who will become the museum's winning Exhibitionist?

Congratulations. You've made it through

to Gallery 24.

This will be the home of your exhibitions.

We've watched you develop through the tasks,

and you've all done amazingly well.

But you still face your biggest challenge yet.

How will you make your exhibition one that appeals to the public?

It's the public who ultimately decide

which one of you is the Exhibitionist.

Good luck!

It's going to be quite a lot of work to work out this hang.

SHE SIGHS

It's a bit like moving into a new house, I guess.

You can do whatever you want, and every house is like a little world.

I often think that when I look at my neighbours' houses.

This is like our little world now. Say what we want to say.

I'm not going to let anything slip.

No, in fact, I am going to let things slip,

that are not in there.

I'm going to say, "I've got a ten-foot alligator,

"which I'm going to mount on the wall there."

It's the tactical bluff.

With only a week before their exhibition opens to the public,

the pressure is on for Julia and Efa

to finalise their list of artworks that they want in Gallery 24.

Karen will help develop Julia's "women at home and at work" theme,

and Osi guides Efa with the ideas she has on destruction and identity.

Talking to Osi today was really good,

cos we haven't had that much feedback,

and trying to provoke our ideas,

and trying to get the best out of us, really.

Efa has chosen two photographs by internationally-renowned

Welsh photographer, David Hurn.

Did you know much about him before you chose it?

-I'd never heard of him before.

-So you just chose the images?

-Yeah.

I really like the way they look.

Like Wales - people think about singing,

like in this one, and mountains and sheep and stuff.

Obviously, we're the modern world with modern problems,

like drugs and stuff, as well.

Down in the secure stores, Claudia Williams'

mother and child painting strikes a chord with Julia.

Some of it is because of the subject,

and the style of painting.

Some of it is because it really reminded me of personal stuff.

Like I had my youngest child, Joe,

when the world is completely surrounded on the baby,

and you seem to be morphing into the background.

I haven't really thought about the way I will put things...

Efa has no specific plans on the layout of her exhibition yet,

and gets assistance from Pip Diment from the museum's design team.

However, she's determined

to distinguish her side of the gallery from Julia's.

I think if I'm colouring the walls,

colouring my cases the same colour is good.

While Efa chooses to plan her side of the gallery

with a miniature mock-up, Julia and Karen use a virtual gallery

on a computer programme in the designer's office.

It's a really useful tool, isn't it?

Originally, Julia asked for a purple and green colour scheme

for the plinths.

You can see that your plinth, your colours...

..it's too much.

But until I've seen it, I haven't got a clue, Karen,

because I've never done this sort of thing before...

Time is running out and decisions must be made,

as the hang is imminent.

Over the last few weeks, Julia and Efa have been guided

by museum staff and the mentors

through galleries and secure store rooms,

in pursuit of art works that will make up their collection.

Many of the artworks chosen for previous tasks

are now on their final list for the exhibition.

Julia has selected 12 paintings,

three ceramic pieces, two sketches and a bust...

..all of which have been created by women artists.

Among the selection is Sue Williams' Oh, from 2001.

Efa has selected four photographs, three paintings, three sculptures

and a video installation -

all but one with a Welsh connection.

Amongst her chosen works are Colin Allen's Street Scene,

from 1953,

and Shani Rhys James self portrait from 1992.

These works will soon be carefully moved out of the stores

and into Gallery 24.

Meanwhile, the Exhibitionists are about to face one extra challenge,

and an opportunity to enhance their curating powers.

Karen has met up with Julia at her local cafe in Swansea,

and Osi is about to present the same challenge to Efa

on the steps of the museum.

There's something else I haven't told you.

If you are the successful Exhibitionist...

If the public vote for your exhibition to win,

you'll get the chance to choose a work

outside of the gallery's collection.

To bring in a new piece of work

-to reinforce what they've already done.

-Wow!

In a sense, this is your chance to really show us

a piece of work you really care about.

You may have some ideas. You may know someone in the art world.

You may have an artist you admire.

I would like to get something quite local -

if at all possible, sort of Swansea-ish.

I think I'd really like to get something weird

-that might not usually be shown in the museum.

-Mm.

And this additional work you can choose

will only go into the exhibition if you win.

OK.

That's exciting. Gives it another incentive to win.

It does, doesn't it?

LIFT VOICE: Doors opening.

Efa has a big day ahead of her.

She is the first of the two to start hanging her show.

I have a wisdom tooth coming through,

and I wasn't able to go to sleep last night.

When I did go to sleep,

it was one of those sleeps you're not really asleep.

I was having nightmares about this whole thing going really wrong!

The last time we were here, the wall was just white,

so it's cool to see it being painted

they way I asked for it to be painted.

Efa has asked for her side to be painted Van Dyck brown,

to differentiate her exhibition from her rival's white walls.

And since both Exhibitionists have chosen this self portrait

by Shani Rhys James, the painting will bridge the two halves.

Some of Julia works have been brought out of storage,

but what does Efa think of her rival's choices?

They don't speak to me as much,

so even if I don't win, I like my side better.

SHE LAUGHS

In Swansea, Julia and her mentor, Karen,

are searching for the extra art piece

that will be displayed alongside her exhibition, if she wins.

ALL: Hello!

Eva Bartussek is a mother of three and a photographer

who lives in Swansea,

who photographed the last season at the Vetch,

Swansea City's former football ground.

Everything I'm looking at, I'm kind of comparing to this.

I kind of feel that this would fit.

The Colin Allen, look - over there.

Although Efa hasn't arrived with a specific plan

for where the works should go,

she's happy to experiment at Lee and Chris' expense.

I usually have lots of random stuff on my bedroom walls,

of my student house.

Just posters of music,

and stuff I believe in, I suppose.

I'm not careful - they're just on top of each other, messily.

I've never put anything like this up before.

SHE LAUGHS

Many of Efa's choices are politically motivated,

such as this work by Iwan Bala, Captive (Enslaved) World.

Here, the artist has framed Wales at the centre of the world.

Another politically-charged artist Efa has chosen

is Ivor Davies, with a piece called The Writing on the Wall One -

Destruction of Language and Community.

Ivor Davies inherited this shotgun from his grandfather.

That's his family bible, and he ripped them apart.

But he also broke the shotgun,

and across it, it says "knowledge is power", basically.

After directing the museum staff,

Efa is asked to help exhibition co-ordinator, Rachel Conroy,

with the display cabinets.

Didn't think I'd have to clean some boxes.

Glad I don't have to do it every day.

I think that's clean enough.

It might be clean enough for Efa,

but will it be clean enough for Rachel,

who brings in this ceramic piece by Catrin Howell

to go in the display case?

But a piece of fluff has found its way into the cabinet.

Obviously I didn't clean it very well.

Julia, Karen, and Eva Bartussek are discussing the extra piece

for the exhibition.

This provocative low-angle photograph

of a woman in Swansea colours

has a very personal connection to our Exhibitionist.

People who didn't even know my name knew my legs.

Everyone knows it's me.

People phoned me up - saw me in the book,

"Are they your legs?"

This picture was taken as a part of a set of photographs

of Swansea football fans, and it now has a deeper significance for Julia.

I feel like there's a circle, a journey we've come on, as well.

You have started me

on informally being involved in the world of art.

Somehow, this crazy journey has come to me curating

an exhibition at the National Museum of Wales.

Today is Julia's hang day,

and with Efa away, she has the museum staff at her feet.

Now I feel like a curator. Now I feel more powerful,

bringing my own art into the National Museum of Wales,

adding to the collection with my own legs.

Julia has brought the framed photograph of her legs

that will go up if she wins.

But today she will concentrate on the pieces

she has selected from the museum collection.

Feels like we're waiting for the arrival of a baby, doesn't it?

It's coming! Nearly!

Oh, my God - it's massive!

Oh, wow!

Efa is considering the extra piece that she can bring in

from outside the museum's collection.

This is one he's done.

She has brought her mentor, Osi Rhys Osmond,

down to Cardiff Metropolitan School of Art,

to introduce him to student Sam Worthington.

Hi.

Hello. How are you?

-This is Sam.

-Hello, Sam. I'm Osi.

-So, you...

-I'm the mentor.

Are you using oil paint here?

-Yep.

-I can smell it. Isn't it beautiful?

-It's lovely.

What is it about Sam's work that appeals to you first?

It's really strange, and I like the way

he mixes human bodies with machines.

Which ones are you most confident about?

It's my choice, but...

Obviously, the larger one, for me,

is a better representation of my work.

I really like that one.

I've been working hard on it,

ten hours a day, just to try and get it finished.

It really makes me want to win,

so I can show Sam's work to thousands more people

than he'd usually show it to.

Oh, my God!

Julia's wish list has now arrived at Gallery 24.

and among them are internationally renowned female artists such as

Berthe Morisot, Brenda Chamberlain and Gwen John.

I have got right here, right now, some of the greatest artworks

I've ever seen.

These are national treasures, obviously.

And they are ready for me to hang in a way I think is good and proper.

Should she be on this side?

Although Julia has an army of men hanging her exhibition,

and is equipped with a plan, her female intuition is failing her,

and she seeks advice from her mentor.

Hi, Karen. Have you got two minutes? Oh, brilliant!

'You know the mother and baby? Try swapping it...'

I'm happier with that. I'll tell you why I'm arguing my case,

is because I think...

But Karen's advice is at odds with Julia's original plan.

Or does that not work for you either?

'Swap the Claudia with the drawing?'

What d'you think of that?

-'Yeah, I think that would be fine.'

-Thank you.

A confirmation from her mentor seems to have clicked things into place.

Boom!

Simply going to be done by a little jiggery-pokery,

and we'll have this.

Two o'clock - brr, brr! Done. Home.

Over the last couple of days,

Efa has been writing on the walls of the museum...

..and her rebellious side is beginning to play up.

I got paint all over the floor.

I think handwriting is definitely something really personal.

Today I'm tring to make it readable

to the people coming into the exhibition.

With the pressure of winning the public over,

Efa has bowed down to museum formality.

It wasn't my idea to use the projector.

I probably would have just written it on the wall,

but this is definitely a good idea, cos it looks straight...

SHE LAUGHS

..and tidy-ish.

My wrists are going to hurt by the end of this,

but it'll be OK.

It's the last day of the hang, and for the first time,

the rivals work on opposite sides of Gallery 24.

Although they now work alone,

they have been guided and given advice

by their mentors, Osi and Karen.

Efa is a very exciting person to mentor.

She shows an eclectic collection of work.

It is quite bizarre, in some senses.

But I think the way it will speak, and paintings and objects

rub off one another,

and correspond and converse,

I think we'll create something very exciting.

'I've been mentoring Julia over the last few weeks.

'I think she's got a really strong show,

'and hopefully she's taken on board

'some of the ideas about hanging the show,'

and how it'll look together,

and a balance between the theme of the show,

and what people see when they come in,

cos I think that's really important.

Julia and Efa appear to have bonded during their time at the museum,

but will the competition create a divide between them?

She has lots of old pieces,

which were already shown in the museum.

I think mine are more pieces

that might have been forgotten if I didn't choose them.

I'm happy with that.

SHE SIGHS

I think probably, if we had to have the insurance company

in here today,

to value it,

in case, say, an anarchist was to burn it down,

mine would probably be worth more money.

A bone of contention between the two Exhibitionists has emerged today,

with the news that Shani Rhys James has specified

that her work should be hung over a white wall.

This lovely young gentleman is painting a border,

which will take some extra white over into the dark side.

Julia doesn't waste any time gloating about the white paint

spilling into the dark side.

It's nice. It looks good.

With the final works arriving, Julia gets her latex on,

so she can get physical with the delicate ceramics.

These are not easy to get on, you know.

It does feel slightly...kinky.

-Now you can help me with positioning, as well.

-Okey-dokey.

-Oh, my God! Can I?

-'Course you can.

Lovely.

Alongside the Betty Woodman porcelain,

are three pieces created by Susie Cooper -

works that have only recently been acquired by the museum.

The reason I chose those is there are lots of cups and saucers

in the paintings behind us,

in terms of the Gwen John interior and the Claudia.

Susie Cooper was a really pioneering woman.

She was the first woman from the potteries

to establish this kind of business, during the war.

Similar sort of times, really, to now.

Economic problems, and she managed to make it work.

I've got a bit of respect for her.

These are people who are coming to the work fresh.

It's work they've chosen.

It's work that means something to them.

And, hopefully - this is a big thing to say -

maybe the staff here can learn something

from the way ordinary members of the public

might put an exhibition together.

Of course, our Exhibitionists have learned a lot from the staff

of the museum,

but I sometimes think a business like this,

when it's really successful, there's an element of exchange.

Both sides, in a sense, learn from each other.

This is different to how I'd display it, which is interesting.

I'd automatically put them...

-Straight.

-Yeah.

-You're taking me out of my comfort zone.

-I know.

This unusual piece is by Claudi Casanovas,

a Catalonian sculptor, and the only artist in Efa's exhibition

without a Welsh connection, although it does fit her identity theme.

These are urns,

and there is enough space to hold the ashes of a human body.

Because of that, he wants this to remind us of our own deaths.

If you think about your own death, you think about your own life

and identity.

Julia's title for her exhibition is A Gallery of One's Own.

and she has decided to use vinyl footprints

as a personal viewing guide.

But time is running out.

I feel a bit panicky, cos thee was so much more I wanted to do.

So many more discussions I want to have with the team,

but I have to go back to work now.

This has been a beautiful added extra in my life,

but I really have got an employer to serve.

After three days of writing on the walls,

Efa's only a few words from completing her exhibition.

The last line is, "We write our own stories.

"We are our own destinies, our own creators".

I guess I've created this exhibition, so...good line to end on.

After an intense period at Gallery 24,

Efa returns to her house in East Cardiff,

where she is getting ready for her big move.

Tomorrow, she sets off for another adventure,

a hitch-hiking trip through Europe.

But today, Efa and Julia find out

if they are the National Museum's winning Exhibitionist.

In Swansea, Julia has a bus of family, friends

and Swansea City fans alike, to support her on her big day.

Efa and Julia will return to the museum tonight

for a momentous ceremony to announce the winner.

It's the public who decide who will be the winning Exhibitionist.

The museum is open for the public to vote.

Will they follow Julia's footsteps and be attracted to a strong

feminist agenda, featuring varied works by female artists,

or will they be seduced by Efa's dark side,

a collection of work that explores Welsh identity

through paintings, ceramics, and video installations?

A museum assistant supervises the voting box,

where members of the public can vote with a white or black coin

for their favourite exhibition.

I'm going to vote for the dark side, I think.

Very different. I can't choose.

It looks like a totally professional exhibition to me.

It's an excellent place to actually exhibit

modern people's ideas.

Julia is determined to look her best for tonight's ceremony,

and the beauty treatment begins at the nail bar.

Tonight, I'm going to be an Exhibitionist

in all aspects of the word.

I will be a work of art.

While Julia is painting her nails red,

Efa is busy painting her student house walls white,

after taking down her anarchist posters.

It's quite funny thinking that the museum walls, where my exhibition is,

represents me better than my bedroom walls.

So, of course, Efa lives in Cardiff.

It's her home patch,

and I live that little bit further away,

in the beautiful town of Swansea.

So, it's...

I would absolutely love to beat her on those grounds,

and those grounds only.

Efa's family have travelled down from Cricieth to support her,

and she's scrubbed up well for the event.

But only one of the Exhibitionists will be celebrating tonight,

once the result of the public vote is announced.

Not only will the winner will be crowned as the best Exhibitionist,

but will also have their chosen work of art

from outside the museum's collection

hung as a part of their completed exhibition.

The ceremony has begun, and both parties arrive in style.

But before the art aficionados take a look at Gallery 24,

Colin, Richard and Darren,

the three runner-up Exhibitionists,

take a peep at their fellow competitors' labour of love.

I know that's Efa's side, straight away.

Very nice. Bright, contrasting...

That's spooky, that!

Very nice indeed.

Very different.

I'm blown away, I'm so thrilled.

My two friends are both putting on an exhibition,

and it looks fabulous!

Although Julia and Efa's selection was very different,

they both chose the Shani Rhys James painting.

Unbeknown to them, the artist will be present for the award ceremony.

Please welcome Shani Rhys James.

APPLAUSE

Shani Rhys James' surprise entry overwhelms Julia.

The public vote was very close.

Having worked with the finalists,

we believe both thoroughly deserve their own exhibition here.

But the public have decided that the winning Exhibitionist...

..is Efa.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Efa's exhibition has become Gallery 24's most popular side,

and tomorrow morning,

Sam Worthington's work will also be exhibited at the National Museum.

Anybody who's seen my exhibition knows I believe in equality,

and I think if the museum keeps doing this,

we're all equal, and we can all be a part of it,

so thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I thought Julia's would appeal to the public more.

I thought Efa's was much harder for people to enjoy,

but it seems as though people understood what she was driving at.

They got the agenda. They got the message.

I feel for Julia tonight, cos it's been so emotional.

I can't stress enough how much this means to these two.

I'm a bit sad.

But there we are.

Democracy, innit?

But Julia - she's strong, she's feisty.

I think she'll be doing something else in the future.

I think it's not the last we've seen of Julia.

There's a big bottle of gin in Swansea with my name on it,

so we're going home in the bus,

off we go. Boom!

During Efa's time at the museum,

she has been driven by her anti-establishment beliefs

and dug out works that she believes

say something about contemporary Wales, and herself.

When I started this project, I was definitely more negative

about the museum than I was positive.

It still is just a huge institution.

There's still a lot of hierarchy, but they have let us do this,

so I am more positive about it now,

as long as they keep doing this kind of thing.

Efa and Julia's exhibition is open to the public

at the National Museum until the 18th of August.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd