To ‘make an exhibition of oneself’ is to behave foolishly, often with an excessive outpouring of emotion. In Exhibition, Savage resists the social pressure to contain inappropriate feelings and instead lets them be seen. The artist expresses the discomfort, anxiety, and embarrassment of sharing artwork, an activity that opens one up to the judgement of their peers.

In Exhibition Savage performs sitting with her class at Elam. The instances when she talks to her peers are cut out of the video, leaving a sequence of only listening and reacting. Visually, the artwork resembles portraiture, I.D. photography, and ‘talking head’ interviews.

The Elam Graduate Show is an event organised by the University of Auckland to advertise their Fine Arts course to prospective students. Proud and empowered students feature in the marketing campaigns for the university. The behaviour of the art student in Exhibition contradicts this image. She cries and looks uncomfortable.