I was recently approached by the Van Gogh Art Gallery in Madrid, through my art Instagram, to potentially exhibit my work with them. I was initially very skeptical, as I often am, and did some research into the gallery itself and the requirements they were asking for this exhibition. They had got my name wrong in one of our correspondence which seemed like a bit of red flag and also made me feel like I was one of many they were contacting, rather than taking the time to proof read and be attentive to the artists they are communicating with.
The gallery space as I can find it on Google:
Online Links:
• Website: http://www.vangoghartgallery.es (ETA: no longer live?)
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vangoghartgallery.es/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vangoghartgallery/
Information from the PDF:
• The requirements included that I send 3 specific sized canvases, shipped to Madrid, for the gallery to sell. It was not specified whether they would cover shipping costs or not.
• The participation fee seemed alarmingly expensive at €1000.
My immediate thought was to reach out to tutors, who pointed me in the direction of support from the Fine Art department.
Reflection of Experience:
This was certainly a learning experience for me, happened at a good time in my practice where I'm still learning and don't have to feel pressured into anything, and it raised a lot of questions for me. Am I too early in my practice to consider exhibiting? Do I want to exhibit at this time? The answer is no. I feel like I don't have a big enough body of work and I still work relatively small. The canvases I paint don't tend to exceed A4 or A3 rectangular canvases (and everywhere in between) and smaller shaped canvases (square, circle, triangle and hexagon).
I'm still very much emerging, figuring out my painterly tone of voice and use of visual language with line and mark-making, and getting used to materials and what they can do.
I think it was important and served me well to remain skeptical, critical and vigilant as we don't know who is trying to scam and make money through social media platforms - especially one as accessible as instagram where many emerging artists sit within. Not long after this, I was sent another invitation to exhibit at another Spanish gallery (https://galeriaazur.es) I thanked them for approaching me, for the opportunity to exhibit with them, but that I am unavailable at this time. I wanted to remain professional to stay respected but this is not an avenue that I will go down at this time - especially in terms of sending work abroad.
It was insightful to learn about participation fees, shipping costs when sending larger paintings and whose responsibility it should be to pay for that, and how much a gallery makes on artists' work (upwards of 30% of the sale price). Fees usually aren't usually more than £100 to participate in an exhibition.
This experience has been insightful and educational. I would like to continue building on the foundations of my practice.