How Do Artists Get Gallery Representation - Artsy

3/9/2019 How Do Artists Get Gallery Representation?
- Artsy
How Do Artists Get Gallery

Representation?
Alexxa Gotthardt jul. 25, 2017 8:00am
https://www.artsy.net/series/working-artists-guide/artsy-editorial-artists-gallery-representation 1/17
3/9/2019 How Do Artists Get Gallery Representation? - Artsy
For young artists, securing gallery representation can seem like an

unobtainable goal. But it doesn’t have to be a pipe dream.
While it’s possible to go it alone, it’s hard to understate the

importance of a supportive, dedicated gallery to your career. The
right gallerist doubles as a sounding board while you develop your
work, a public platform for your practice, and a source of income.
But whether you’re entering the art world as a self-taught creative or

an MFA graduate, the road to finding representation can be
perplexing. It’s no longer appropriate to stride into a gallery wielding
your portfolio, expecting to be discovered—so how do you land on
the radar of the galleries you already admire and respect?
First off, it helps to be honest: Blue-chip institutions

like Gagosian or David Zwirner are not exactly on the hunt for
unknown talent. But plenty of vital and exciting galleries on a
smaller scale are. Below, we speak with a group of progressive
dealers across the United States—from Catinca Tabacaru of Catinca
Tabacaru Gallery on New York’s Lower East Side to Haynes Riley of
Good Weather in North Little Rock, Arkansas—who primarily
represent emerging artists. They weigh in on the most effective ways
to get yourself on the radar.
The importance of education
Catinca Tabacaru, who opened her gallery on Manhattan’s Lower

East Side in 2014, first visited Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels’s on-
campus studio while she was in the throes of completing her MFA at
Columbia University. By the time Fels graduated, in May 2016, her
first New York solo show had been scheduled for the coming
December in Tabacaru’s space. Fels landed on Tabacaru’s permanent
roster soon after.
Artists are encouraged to challenge and develop their work while in

school. Tabacaru, in particular, was drawn to how Fels’s practice
matured while at Columbia. “Art degrees have the expected effect:
They advance artists by pushing them to think hard about their work
and where they’re taking it,” she says.
BFA and MFA programs also serve as a platform for emerging artists
to present their work to a wider community. The majority of
programs offer infrastructure artists might not be able to provide for
themselves: studio space and the organization and promotion of open
studios and thesis shows.
Aaron Harbour and Jackie Im, who run Et al. gallery in San
Francisco, are two of countless gallerists who use art schools as a
resource to stay abreast of new practices. “What open studios or a
thesis show have going for them is bulk. It’s a chance to see a lot of
work in person in one space,” says Harbour.
Harbour and Im first saw Kate Bonner’s work in person in her studio
at California College of the Arts (CCA) in 2011. There, she showed
them early drawings that were the core of her practice when she
entered CCA’s MFA program, along with new work—photographic-

sculptural objects—that she developed while there.
The visit also doubled as a valuable evidence of Bonner’s

willingness to evolve her practice: “Being struck by that work,
combined with knowing that she’d taken the opportunity of grad
school and transformed, meant a lot to us,” he says.
In 2013, when Harbour and Im opened Et al.’s doors with then-

partner Facundo Argañaraz, they invited Bonner to show at the
gallery. While at CCA, Bonner also cemented a relationship
with Luis De Jesus, the gallerist who now represents her in Los
Angeles.
Riley met the first artists he showed at Good Weather in North Little
Rock, Arkansas, while getting his MFA at the Cranbrook Academy
of Art. While in school, Riley didn’t know he’d be inspired to open a
gallery in 2012. But when he did, in the garage adjacent to his
brother’s suburban Little Rock home, he tapped artists from his
Cranbrook community like Tony Garbarini and John Zane Zappas
launched the program.
While these gallerists recognize the value of art school to an artist’s

development and exposure, they are also quick to emphasize that a
degree is by no means essential criteria. “The work is the work,” says
Tabacaru. “I’m drawn to self-taught artists just as much as I am
artists with BFAs or MFAs.”
Chicago-based gallerist Efrain Lopez, who opened his eponymous

space in 2015 and now represents 10 emerging artists, echoes the
sentiment: “An MFA is an effective badge to have, but not having
one doesn’t limit me from looking at someone’s work,” he explains.
“There are so many avenues that artists can use to make themselves
visible to gallerists and curators—degree programs are just one.”
Illustration by Tomi Um for Artsy.
Apply to residencies
While Lopez does make a point to remain aware of artists coming

out of BFA and MFA programs (he cites Yale, Rhode Island School
of Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Royal College
of Art as schools he follows), residencies have been a more fruitful
source of new talent.
In 2014, as he brainstormed the vision for his nascent space, he

clicked onto ACRE’s website. ACRE, or Artists’ Cooperative
Residency and Exhibitions, is a non-profit run out of Chicago that
organizes an annual summer program in rural Wisconsin. Over 50
artists pass through it each year. After, they’re offered a show at
ACRE’s Chicago exhibition space or at one of its partner galleries.
Lopez was struck by images of current resident Melissa Leandro’s

work that were on the ACRE site. He connected with the artist
through her own website and she invited him to a group show that
included her work; from there they proceeded to set up a studio visit.
Six months later, when Lopez opened his gallery, Leandro was on the
roster.
Residencies can also be a productive place to make connections and

scout artists in person. Riley has participated in numerous residency
programs across the country, where he’s met artists who go on to
show at Good Weather. “Initially, artists who I worked with who
weren’t from Cranbrook were artists I attended residencies with,” he
explains. The residency program at Ox-Bow School of Art,
Michigan, in particular, led to friendships and collaborations with
Ezra Tessler, Jenny G, and Sondra Perry, who’ve all mounted new
work at the gallery.
Landing
Find aa jobjob inthat’s
a gallery—whether
adjacentas toan intern,
the artassistant,
world art
handler, installation photographer, or graphic designer—can also
expand an emerging artist’s community and act as a springboard for

exposure.
Tabacaru found an artist she’d later represent when he interned at the

gallery: “Xavier Robles de Medina applied for an internship with me
before I even opened,” remembers Tabacaru. “He was a terrible
intern, but I loved his work. So I fired him and put him on the
roster!” His meticulous graphite drawings and oil paintings have
been included in two group exhibitions and one solo show at
Tabacaru’s space in the past three years.
Working as an established artist’s studio assistant can also be a fast-

track way to meet gallerists while also gaining technical and
administrative skills. The right assistant job can operate more like a
mentorship program, and the artist who is employing you might be in
a position to introduce your own work to his or her peers or dealers.
The number of well-known artists who cut their teeth in someone
else’s studio is long: from sought-after young painter
Jamian Juliano-Villani, who got her start as an assistant in
Erik Parker’s studio, to influential abstract painter Brice Marden,
who worked in legendary neo-Dada artist
Robert Rauschenberg’s studio when he was young.
Maintain an online
A 2016 study calculated that presence
American adults, on average, spend a
shocking amount of each day online: roughly 10 hours and 39
minutes. The same year, Facebook reported that users while away an
average of 50 minutes per day on its triumvirate of social media

properties: Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
We devour and exchange scads of information online, so it comes as

no surprise that gallerists also include the internet and social media
amongst their well of resources for finding new artists. In step, it’s
become valuable for artists to build an online presence.
Harbour and Im have day jobs that require them to sit in front of the
computer. In quieter moments, they browse art websites like Art
Viewer, Contemporary Art Daily, Mousse
Magazine, Terremoto, AQNB, Daily Lazy, and Tzvetnik to keep up
with the goings-on of the art world beyond San Francisco. They also
keep an eye out for artists whose work strikes their curiosity. “We’re
constantly chatting and passing links to exhibitions or an artists’ sites
back and forth during the day,” says Harbour.
Dealers look for a breadth of images of work, preferably organized

by year. Clear contact details also help. “As far as information, prior
work, CV, and an artist statement are great launching points,” says
Lopez. Having these details “helps me navigate whether or not I
want to take the next step to meet them.”
Developing a social media presence is less integral than maintaining

a website. But many gallerists use Instagram, in particular, as an
additional source of information on artists whose work they’re drawn
to. “I’ve been skeptical of social media’s role in the art world,” says
Lopez. “But I acknowledge that it’s another way for artists to make
themselves discoverable and visible.”
Lopez was introduced to sculptor Lesley Jackson’s work when she

began following him on Instagram. The digital encounter led Lopez
to Jackson’s own feed, where he saw a cascade of bright, clean
images of her pieces: elegant forms, composed of thin twigs, taut
rubber bands, and burning candles, with poetic titles like “Balancing
Eternity on Your Knee” and “Conjuring a Rose with the Moon.”
“She understands how to present her work in that context,” he
explains. “Her photography is beautiful.” A conversation via direct
message followed, then a studio visit. This month, Jackson’s work
was on view in Lopez’s group show.
Tabacaru also recognizes the value of spontaneously viewing or

sharing a compelling piece through social media. She first saw
Jasmin Charles’swork when a fellow guest at a dinner party pulled
up an image of one of her paintings on Instagram. The experience
kickstarted Tabacaru’s interest in the artist duo, CHARGAUX, of
which Charles is one half. Not long after, Tabacaru invited them to
join the gallery.
But Tabacaru is also quick to offer a caveat, when it comes to

Instagram visibility and behavior. "Is Instagram influential? Yes. Is it
crucial? No,” she impresses. “There’s nothing I despise more than an
artist who goes around self-promoting rather than focusing on
developing their work. There’s definitely a point when self-
promotion goes from being useful to being gratuitous.”
Introduce yourself to galleries—tactfully
The golden rule when introducing your work to galleries is simple:

Illustration by Tomi Um for Artsy.
Don’t bombard them. “Please don’t inundate us with phone calls and
visits, or visit the gallery weekly and say ‘I sent you a submission, I
haven’t heard back from you,’” explains Christy Wood, who co-owns
LeMieux Gallery in New Orleans. In the past, her gallery has played
host to the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Artisan Series opening reception
showcasing emerging artists. “Remember that we have full schedules
and artists already on our roster whose needs are our priority.”
But while marching into a gallery brandishing your portfolio-loaded

iPad isn’t likely to pay off, there are more subtle ways to get your
work into front of dealers’ eyes.
First, get to know the gallery landscape and find several whose
programs you respect. Those are the spaces you want to become
familiar with. If you have hopes that a gallery will eventually support
your work, it makes sense to support theirs first.
“It’s less effective to just send your portfolio blindly everywhere,”

says Wood. “Find a gallery or galleries that your work would fit well
into, and cultivate those relationships over time.”
Both Wood and Lopez suggest attending openings as a means to get

to know a gallery’s vision, artists, and staff. “Even if it’s just coming
to the openings once a month, it shows that artists are interested,”
says Wood.
Lopez has struck up relationships with several artists after they

showed an interest in his program: “They come to my shows and that
starts a conversation, which has a couple of times turned into a studio
visit, and then showing in a group exhibition at the gallery.” Wood’s
experience mirrors Lopez’s: “I can think of numerous artists who I
met and have included in group shows because they frequented the
gallery.”
Many dealers are also open to receiving portfolios or links to artist

websites via email. (Though a word of caution: if a gallery website
explicitly states that they “don’t accept submissions,” don’t send
them.)
Tabacaru makes a point of opening any and all submissions, usually

sent via email, from artists. “Sometimes I look for a few seconds and
am not interested. Other times I become obsessed and explore their
website for half an hour,” she says. “But no matter what, I look. I
want to trust the universe that if somebody thinks I’m valuable

enough to take their time to write, then I should also give them my
time.”
She most recently added the young French artist Mehryl Levisse to
her gallery’s roster. And she learned about his work in “what might
be the most uncomfortable way for an artist to find a gallery,” she
explains. “Meryl found me.”
After learning about Tabacaru’s program during his time at the

Residency Unlimited residency in Brooklyn, Levisse sent Tabacaru
an email, with a link to his website. She was intrigued. They set up a
short meeting, and Tabacaru encouraged Levisse to update her on
developments in his work. “He’d be in touch about every other
month with news about what he was working on,” she remembers.
“And I became more and more interested and impressed.”
About a year into their back and forth, Tabacaru asked Levisse for an
exhibition proposal. Three proposals later, they set a date for
Levisse’s first show, and he was added to the gallery roster.
In general, have patience: Relationships with dealers often unfold

over time. The partnership “is symbiotic and usually a slow growth
process,” says Lopez. “It’s important for artists to understand that
and not freak out about it.”
Connect with your community
Word-of-mouth recommendations are often key. When searching for
work to include in group shows or artists to add to their permanent

programs, many gallerists first look to artists and peers whose vision
they respect. “I’m constantly asking the artists who I represent: ‘Who
are you looking at?’,” explains Lopez. “I find that talented artists
surround themselves with other talented artists.”
“I ask my friends all the time, whether I’m visiting Los Angeles,
Minneapolis, St. Louis, New York, Chicago, or more recently,
Cologne, Athens, and Berlin, who I should meet and what practices I
should be aware of,” echoes Haynes. “All of these experiences have
led to meeting new people and engaging in new conversations. Two-
degrees of separation become one-degree, and then zero-degrees.”
The only way for emerging artists to enter this conversation,

however, is to make and maintain connections with fellow artists
they meet out in the world—whether through school, residencies,
group shows, openings, travel, or a great party.
“I try to encourage artists who are more introverted to engage with

their community,” says Lopez. Dialogue between artists, he explains,
is beneficial on many levels. It can inspire new directions and
developments in the work. More strategically, it’s also an effective
way to exchange information about how to navigate the gallery
landscape, a way to glean info on “how artist-gallery relationships
work and progress, and which galleries have interesting programs
and group shows or are looking for new artists,” he adds.
Lopez found several artists included in his current group show,

“Yellow Tulips,” through conversations with artists he already
represents. Monika Bravo suggested Omar Barquet, whom she met

through a group show in Switzerland last year. Manuela García’s
work was brought to Lopez’s attention by Anuar Maauad, who helms
an artist-run exhibition space and residency program in Mexico City,
where García has worked and shown.
Participation in group shows—whether at small artist-run spaces or

larger-scale galleries—opens artists to a larger cross-section of
artists, curators, and gallerists. Gallerists, in particular, use group
shows as an opportunity to get to know artists and their work.
Tabacaru routinely invites artists to curate groups exhibitions at her

gallery. For Robles de Medina’s first show with Tabacaru in 2015, he
asked two artists he admired to contribute work: Felix R. Cid and
Rui Chafes. Tabacaru took an immediate shine to Chafes’s work, a
dialogue was sparked, and earlier this year he emerged on the
gallery’s roster.
“It’s important to be visible, stay visible, and understand that the art
world is multifaceted,” Lopez says. He emphasizes that group shows
double as a strong step towards finding or developing a more
permanent relationship with a gallery. “It is as important for your
work to be included in what may seem like an obscure group show as
it is to have a solo show at a commercial gallery. They all work
hand-in-hand to build an artist’s career.”
Open your studio
It can be nerve-wracking to open a space as intimate (and sometimes,

as messy) as a studio, where an artist tests ideas and builds their

practice. But the time-honored studio visit is an integral step in
cultivating a gallery relationship—so being comfortable with the
experience is important. Gallerists don’t just want to see your art
online, or on an iPad. They’ll likely want some first-hand insight into
the way you work, and where you make it.
That doesn’t mean you need to do a deep clean or reorganization of

your space; gallerists generally aren’t expecting (or desiring) a
polished, white-cube display. “I prefer visiting studios that aren’t
highly curated,” explains Lopez. “I gravitate towards seeing the work
in a more natural context.”
Riley also “likes to see a lot going on—especially work that is a bit
unsettled,” he explains. He expects to see work he first discovered
online, in order to “understand its materiality and scale.” But after
talking through the artist’s intentions with the current work, he
“steers the dialogue to the future—to what’s not quite understood or
known within their practice and output.”
In this way, gallerists like Riley leave with a sense of whether or not
their goals align with artist’s, and how they could work together
moving forward.
Learn to speak confidently about your work

We all know that fluid communication is crucial to the success of any
relationship. The same goes for the rapport between artist and
gallerist, and the first step in this dialogue is fluently expressing the
intentions behind your work.
As Tabacaru familiarizes herself with the work of artists she’s

considering taking on she “likes understanding deeply,” she explains.
“I can enjoy by just looking, but I prefer when dialogue takes me
further.”
Lopez reiterates this desire. “Primarily, you’re looking at a visual

language, but it definitely helps if artists are also skilled at explaining
their work,” he says. “It’s important that they have a strong
understanding of what they’re doing, and are at least able to
communicate that.”
Of course, explaining the nuanced inspirations and objectives behind

your work might not come easily. The key is practice, whether you
do so by recording your thoughts in a notebook, talking through your
inspirations with a friend or curator you’re comfortable with, or
describing you work, yes, to a mirror.
Be comfortable, be coherent, but also don't make it a packaged 60-

minute spiel filled with rigid academic speech (aka international art
english). Being obtuse and pretentious won’t impress a gallerist.
They want to hear how you think about your work; they want to have
a conversation. “I love to have in-depth conversations with artists
about the context of their practice and the landscape as a whole,”
says Lopez.
Riley agrees: “I want to understand their ideologies and have

experiences with them interpersonally. I want to be invested in the
discourse surrounding their practice.”
The road to finding

Summing representation will likely be unpredictable, and
it up
include a hodgepodge of the above approaches. But several strategies
will guide almost every artist’s successful search for gallery
representation.
First, stay visible. Be open to showing your work (whether in group

shows or online), sharing information with your community of
artists, attending openings, and learning about the landscape of
galleries that surrounds you.
Second, remember that building a partnership with a gallery means

collaborating. Be open to dialogue about your ideas. Gallerists have
experience realizing artists’ visions and selling work, and most look
for artists open to advice and willing to evolve concepts together.
Finally, be patient. Keep in mind that there are lots of galleries out
there, each with its own aesthetic and approach. It may take time to
find the one that’s right for you—but as with any great relationship,
this one is worth the effort.
Alexxa Gotthardt is a contributing writer for Artsy.

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3/9/2019 How Do Artists Get Gallery Representation?

How Do Artists Get Gallery

Alexxa Gotthardt jul. 25, 2017 8:00am

For young artists, securing gallery representation can seem like an

While it’s possible to go it alone, it’s hard to understate the

But whether you’re entering the art world as a self-taught creative or

First off, it helps to be honest: Blue-chip institutions

The importance of education

Catinca Tabacaru, who opened her gallery on Manhattan’s Lower

Artists are encouraged to challenge and develop their work while in

entered CCA’s MFA program, along with new work—photographic-

The visit also doubled as a valuable evidence of Bonner’s

In 2013, when Harbour and Im opened Et al.’s doors with then-

While these gallerists recognize the value of art school to an artist’s

Chicago-based gallerist Efrain Lopez, who opened his eponymous

Illustration by Tomi Um for Artsy.

While Lopez does make a point to remain aware of artists coming

In 2014, as he brainstormed the vision for his nascent space, he

Lopez was struck by images of current resident Melissa Leandro’s

Residencies can also be a productive place to make connections and

expand an emerging artist’s community and act as a springboard for

Tabacaru found an artist she’d later represent when he interned at the

Working as an established artist’s studio assistant can also be a fast-

average of 50 minutes per day on its triumvirate of social media

We devour and exchange scads of information online, so it comes as

Dealers look for a breadth of images of work, preferably organized

Developing a social media presence is less integral than maintaining

Lopez was introduced to sculptor Lesley Jackson’s work when she

Tabacaru also recognizes the value of spontaneously viewing or

But Tabacaru is also quick to offer a caveat, when it comes to

Introduce yourself to galleries—tactfully

The golden rule when introducing your work to galleries is simple:

But while marching into a gallery brandishing your portfolio-loaded

“It’s less effective to just send your portfolio blindly everywhere,”

Both Wood and Lopez suggest attending openings as a means to get

Lopez has struck up relationships with several artists after they

Many dealers are also open to receiving portfolios or links to artist

Tabacaru makes a point of opening any and all submissions, usually

want to trust the universe that if somebody thinks I’m valuable

After learning about Tabacaru’s program during his time at the

In general, have patience: Relationships with dealers often unfold

Connect with your community

Word-of-mouth recommendations are often key. When searching for

work to include in group shows or artists to add to their permanent

The only way for emerging artists to enter this conversation,

“I try to encourage artists who are more introverted to engage with

Lopez found several artists included in his current group show,

represents. Monika Bravo suggested Omar Barquet, whom she met

Participation in group shows—whether at small artist-run spaces or

Tabacaru routinely invites artists to curate groups exhibitions at her

Open your studio

It can be nerve-wracking to open a space as intimate (and sometimes,

as messy) as a studio, where an artist tests ideas and builds their

That doesn’t mean you need to do a deep clean or reorganization of

Learn to speak confidently about your work

As Tabacaru familiarizes herself with the work of artists she’s

Lopez reiterates this desire. “Primarily, you’re looking at a visual

Of course, explaining the nuanced inspirations and objectives behind

Be comfortable, be coherent, but also don't make it a packaged 60-

Riley agrees: “I want to understand their ideologies and have

The road to finding

First, stay visible. Be open to showing your work (whether in group

Second, remember that building a partnership with a gallery means