Well when it is Conrad Carvalho, Jessica Carlisle and David Anthony Hall
it isn't a joke.
Last night I went to a fantastic presentation by the Ashurst Art Prize. It really makes it even more worth while entering prizes when they come with this level of free professional development. It was a talk about attracting gallery representation.
At the start of the evening I was talking to a very interesting Danish artist about the difference in gender relationships in the UK and Denmark. In particular about how structurally Denmark is set up for gender equality, and has been for years which means that culturally assumptions are simply already embedded in a way that they are not here, about equal maternity/paternity leave and equal expectations on women and men to have careers and take on caring roles.
Essentially this conversation and the talk afterwards were about developing relationships within a specific cultural setting: This is what I took away...
So the balance is like that of relationships, you don't just want any attention, you want the right attention. Being independent can be the best bet, and also finding a suitable gallery that offers an attractive deal and who is attracted to your work can make life easier. And you want a relationship that is not exploitative. Don't be afraid to say no to a bad deal and don't say yes to the first thing to come along just because it has come along. In developing a relationship with a gallery you both want to be in it for the long haul, so it takes work, mutual respect and understanding. There needs to be space to grow and change, and sometimes you may grow out of each other. Exclusivity deals tend to be less common at the emerging end of the market, and more likely at high end high price high reputation end which might, hopefully come later in your career.
Spend time researching galleries, in particular what is their platform? aesthetic? geographic reach? What is their price range? Do they take on emerging artists? Galleries want to work with artists they like and artists need to work with galleries they like. The basis of the relationship needs to be trust.
Develop relationships, go to their shows and see their stands at art fairs, however when making an approach choose a time when they are not busy, and pop in for a chat. Be upfront that you are an artist, and don't take up their time when they are in the business of selling. Follow up later with a bit more information, an email with a link to your website and Instagram maybe, an invitation to see you at an art fair/show. When participating in art fairs and shows always show your work at its best, spend that money on framing etc and presenting properly.
Building these relationships takes persistence, patience and trust. And an important area for trust building is pricing, make sure your pricing is consistent across platforms, or you risk becoming unsaleable.
Concentrate on developing relationships with a small number of galleries, because while you probably won't go down an exclusive route, it is only worth putting work into attracting galleries that are attractive to you, and better to put more time into less places. "Which pocket do you want to belong in?"
Do not dismiss the possibility of representation from galleries abroad.
Say no to galleries who ask you to pay for their representation, the only acceptable model is one of taking commission, and being signed up for representation by a gallery who does this is bad for your reputation. Your reputation is less harmed by attending less high status art fairs although it is better to go for ones with better names.
Don't be too disappointed if you don't sell much work at your first show with a gallery, if you and the gallery are in it for the long haul then this initial show should be about establishing you with their clients. Expect your gallery to facilitate you meeting the people interested in your work, and expect to offer commision to the gallery if one of these contacts offers you a sale direct.
Expect it to be hard work.
Jobs to do:
Make sure you have good quality images and an up to date CV.
Do your research: What is it about a particular gallery that you like, let them know directly. And have you been to a great show there? tweet about it/ review it/blog about it. Make the most of independent Art Fairs by showing your work at your best and taking the opportunity for networking and collecting contacts, once again do not be disappointed if you don't make many sales at the first one remember it is about establishing yourself with potential clients.
Consider more than galleries, what about consultants, agents, partners, sponsors and curators?
Make sure your website is focussed on your art and that the images are good quality and immediate to see. Keep your Instagram current with good quality images. Use these accounts to reaffirm real world contacts and visa versa.
Generally don't do things for free unless there are other benefits. Don't give away your work it devalues the rest of your work, but do for example loan your work to suitable institutions for a set period of time as a way of building relationships or audience.
Newsletters are for people already interested in coming to your events, should be about once a quarter, contain a big image and a small amount of text. They are not suitable for building relationships with galleries which needs to be personal and focused.
Know when to say no.
Be like Wally, become visible, be discoverable.
Also be personable, inventive, honest and true.
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| Lost Girl 2 Work in progress, 1mx1m |
This weeks work in progress is in my "Lost Girl" series. Using traditional pigments and oil painting media, I have been playing with what I can make it do and have started a new painting. Arising from my exploration of indigo as a pigment I decided to go back to other traditional pigments and explore them within a limited palette to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in building colour and tone by layering and pulling back,using different ratios of mixers, confining in order to break out, and exploring a long term fascination with tone. So above is the initial layer on the final piece waiting for more attentionn, and below are the little bits of experimenting with using tonal spectra and gloss to matt differentials to create space.
The Lost Girl series are thematically linked by creating spaces for lost memories.
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