CURATORIAL
InFems: No Reserve
Marie-Anne Mancio
The site now occupied by Leicester Contemporary was once an auction house –
a discovery which inspired our show’s title. A ‘reserve price’ on an auction lot is
an amount determined by the seller and disclosed only to the auctioneer. If a lot
fails to reach its reserve, it is withdrawn from sale: a safe bet for the seller, then.
There’s something tame about the word reserve, though – to set aside, keep back,
to refrain from making a judgement. Women are praised for being reserved; a
quality rooted in notions of self-control and restraint. Conversely, a lot labelled ‘no
reserve,’ will be sold to the highest bidder without having to reach a set threshold
first. For the seller, it’s more of a gamble; for the buyer, there’s the potential thrill of
acquiring something at an unprecedented bargain. It’s this spirit that ‘No Reserve’
embodies. One of letting go, of not holding back. Of the limitless. Of taking risks.