The amount of CVs and portfolios the average gallery receives on a daily basis is immense, so having a good tactic when trying to approach one is imperative.

Even though we live in the digital age, the more or less most important factor to take into consideration when trying to get signed is where your targeted gallery is located. Because even though you could theoretically email your portfolio to any place in the world, the majority of gallerists appreciate artists that are in close proximity to where their institution operates.

This is because of several factors: 

A gallery has to consider transportation and other logistics when choosing an artist. 

Of course we would love to believe that our quality of work is the defining factor when it comes to them selecting the next person to represent, but in reality quality only gets you to the point where you’re allowed to say Hi. There are hundreds of other artists who are probably as talented, organised and hungry as you and quality here is more or less a given. 

The crucial factors to take into consideration are logistics, your ability to attend meetings, shows and other events like private views and just the fact that whenever they need you on site, you won’t be needing to buy an expensive plane ticket or a 5 hour buss ride to attend — it’s just too much of a hassle for the average small to mid-size gallery to be bothered with. 

In the end they run a business and such factors cut down on the cost immensely. 

This takes us to the next tip: Think of a gallery not as a heaven of the sublime but a normal business with needs and demands that any other seller of goods and services needs to address.

Apart from them needing their “products” to be close at hand, they also need a regular supply and a supplier that doesn’t overly complicate transactions.

We artists can be quirky and moody individuals and I guess it comes with the job, but when interacting with a gallery, of course it’s important to let our personalities shine (they are indeed one of the defining factors — nobody wants a shy, introverted weirdo that cant even hold a normal conversation with a collector, interested in their work).

The point is just not to go overboard and show that you know what a personality is and you are able to deliver yours effortlessly when needed, but can also dial it down and get serious when business has to be discussed.

Next on the list is of course having a basic understanding of how the art world works; you can’t expect them to work with an ideology-filled romantic lunatic that despises any mention of monetary compensation in freight of distressing their inner creative chakra (that is the less talked about 8th chakra, located approximately 5 cm inside the lower sphincter).

Having purpose is imperative and strongly believing in the ideals of beauty, morality and righteousness can be a wonderful faith to have, that can guard us from any mental distress we might (and will) encounter throughout our lives. But having no realistic understanding of the fact that food and rent are exchanges of goods and in order to partake in any we ourselves need money to do so, well, let’s just say a nice quick read of how capitalist Santa (Marx) viewed art couldn’t hurt.

These are more or less tips that we can apply regardless of where we are because they pertain more to us and how we view the art world and our place inside it, and in tomorrows blog, we’ll continue this conversation with more of an emphasis on things we might not be able to control or change, but have to adapt to instead.

In the mean time, may the universe flow though our creative chakras and resonate divinity and power in all of our brushstrokes and chisels.