GALLERY REPRESENTATION
There is no magic trick to this: do your thing, do it well, get it seen in independent spaces. If you build it, they will come. Generic proposals for exhibitions, internships or other opportunities are easy to spot and rarely responded to. Approaching galleries – if you are sending an unsolicited proposal to a gallery, ask yourself:
- Have you researched their current programme?
- Do you have a named person to send it to?
- Are you clear about why you are approaching them, and have you considered how you might make yourself appear relevant to their concerns?
- Is their programme focused on solo exhibitions or groups shows?
- Do they tend to exhibit young artists or focus more on those who are mid-career?
- Is the gallery especially suited to the kind of work you are proposing and have you visited or engaged with them in any other way? Galleries get so many requests from artists – don’t just spam them. Choose the galleries you want to work with and tell them why. The best is to be able to invite them to a show. If you can’t, send them a portfolio and biography (or website links). Don’t send too much stuff. Don’t be disheartened if they don’t respond – galleries hardly ever take on artists this way. It can be worth trying a few times, but only if there are developments which you can update them on/invite them to.
Get your website sorted out: simple and strong is good – the better your online presentation, the greater the chances that people will at some point want to see your art in the flesh. Gallerists listen to artists in their stable and to artists they respect. Galleries want to know that you are serious about your art and committed to it. They are looking for long-term relationships. Ultimately you want a gallery to propose to you – not the other way around.
WORKING WITH GALLERIES
Don’t just go with the first gallery that wants you – you need to respect them and believe in what they are doing just as much as they need to respect and believe in you. Find out about a gallery thoroughly before signing with them – talk to their other artists, look online, ask around. Most galleries take a 50% commission on the sale of consigned art. That’s a lot, but they also do a lot. In an ideal world they should:
- catalogue images
- help with storage
- develop relationships with collectors
- find other galleries to represent you
- insure your art on their premises
- take your work to fairs
- enable or pay for shipping to collectors and exhibitions
- seek commissions
- assist with your career development
- pursue museum shows
- track sales
- sell your work Lots of smaller galleries simply cannot afford to do as much for you as established outfits. They are often just managing to pay the rent on their space and working for pretty much nothing because they believe in art and what they are doing. Be willing to take this into account. Galleries can be emerging too. Hopefully you are entering a lifelong relationship. Every one of these needs trust, mutual respect and appreciation. Understand what is expected from both parties. Clear, open and on-going communication is essential to any successful artist/ gallery relationship. If you don’t trust your gallerist, you should not be working with them. Accept that their side of your career is showing and selling – listen to them about this. Equally, you don’t have to take shit from them telling you how to make art. Don’t sell work behind your gallerist’s back. This is a partnership – keep up your end of the deal. A lot of people ask about whether a contract is important with a gallery. Some people insist that it is, but the reality is the art world, particularly in the UK, is still very much run along the lines of a gentleman’s agreement. You have to decide if you are comfortable with this, and remember you have to keep your word as much as the gallery does. It is always worth having something written about which works are consigned to the gallery and when – at the very least in an email. (See more about Contracts below and in the Q&A)