How does one exhibit their own work? Advice please

[Redseele]

Hey everyone,

I have a question for everyone. I see that a lot of people say that they are having exhibitions of their own, so this goes especially for those who have gone through the experience of having had them.

How does one go about having an exhibition, like... in a gallery?

Last year I opened my website and released what was my first serious photographic project called BETWEEN PERSONAL STORIES AND THE CITY: CIVILITY IN NEW YORK CITY SUBWAYS. You can check it out here:

http://www.culturelookingsideways.com/subway-civility-intro/

Whilst I have been happy working on this particular project for a few years and compiling it so that it can say something narratively speaking, I have been wondering if it could make a good physical exhibition. I am just wondering, especially since I have a couple more projects that I am hoping to be able to complete this year.

How do photographers get picked and shown? Do you have to "sell" your project to a gallery? Do galleries contact you or should I be contacting galleries? Do you also sell prints in the exhibitions?

I live in New York City, so there's a lot of galleries here that I frequent, and of course not all of them show works by world-renown photographers, there's are always exhibitions by all sorts of photographers that have something interesting to say with their work.

Anyway, can anyone please give me some advice on how this can be done or at least point me in the direction (since I am completely lost at the moment). If anything, this is also part of my curiosity regarding the world of photography.

 

[calebarchie]

Have strong work and contact a curator. If you are not established, galleries have entries for local artists.

But if you think your work is not good then how can others?

 

[rogue_designer]

You need to shop it to galleries. A small portfolio and a referral or two - do you know other photographers who are showing? If so, have them mention you to their gallery first, otherwise, your portfolio will get put in a corner to review eventually. It's not personal, they just get a lot of submissions.

So steps:
1a: honestly critique your own work (level and quality - including final saleable products).
1: get to know which galleries already show work where yours is a good fit.
2: see if you know any artists there, and have them refer you to the owner/curator if they agree your work is a good match
3: if not, try to get to know some curators... attend portfolio critiques, or participate in juried shows they host or participate in.
4: try try again

alternate: rent your own space and do your own promo.

alternate alternate: check to see if you have arts councils that either specialize in what you do, or are otherwise affiliated to you (ethnicity? language? religion? subject matter?). They often offer exhibitions and awards (and grants), and might be a good resource.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Try joining a co-op gallery. You'd likely have to pay a monthly fee and would have to 'put in time' in the gallery, but that would be one of the easier ways to exhibit. Additionally, you could join a regional arts association that has an exhibition space. Here again, they'd likely have an annual membership fee, but at least it would give the opportunity to get your work out there and build up your CV.

 

[bonatto]

Check out vcphoto.org and have a poke around the site. There are submissions guidelines somewhere in there and local galleries elsewhere tend to be similar.

 

[Redseele]

Oh wow... thank you all very much for your advice. Being a social sciences PhD and a researcher, I never knew about the inner workings of galleries and photo exhibition. Not being a professional photographer or having gone to art school I guess I never realized that it is a whole different world to that which I am accustomed to. Although I do have to admit that these processes seem very similar to submitting papers to peer-reviewed scientific journals and applying for positions in universities and research institutions.

I have taken a look at some co-op galleries in NYC, their requirements, membership guidelines, etc. I have to admit that this all sounds very exciting, particularly the possibility of working with other local photographers and artists, to receive critical feedback, etc. As a social researcher this is absolutely necessary, so it is a process that I'm very familiar with and excited to be part of as a photographer as well.

Secondly, I guess that since I don't have any contacts in the actual photography and gallery world my options are limited. I guess every newbie goes through this at some point (especially if one does not go to art school), so I hope that I can work on this gradually.

So, I guess the first step would be to set up a portfolio. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to go about doing this? Or anything you could point me out to?

Again, thank you everyone for your input so far. I am very very excited to discover and participate in this new world (at least for me) 🙂

 

[Bob Michaels]

........ How does one go about having an exhibition, like... in a gallery? .........

How do photographers get picked and shown? Do you have to "sell" your project to a gallery? Do galleries contact you or should I be contacting galleries? .........

I have been exhibited in about 15 galleries and every one can be linked to a personal introduction or referral to the decision makers. Sometimes it has been a matter of my relationship with the decision maker. You have to build a network.

I have little confidence in the open call to artists as I believe most are rigged. While I have been supposedly selected from open calls, in reality both were cases where I was told in advance that I should submit and would be selected.

Personally, I believe most photographers' primary problem is that they do not have a true cohesive body of work but only a collection similarly themed photos.

 

[nongfuspring]

Why do you want to show in a gallery in the first place? There are books, zines, website, etc. Chances are more people encounter your work online in 2 days than will come into your gallery in a month. I think you need to decide what about showing at a gallery is important.

I would recommend going for open calls. Aside from making artist/photographer friends it's the most legit way forward. I think your work could potentially suit a proposal submission. Photoethnography is pretty in right now and the process of making proposals not that different from sending an abstract in to a journal. If I can make an unsolicited critique though, I think your project is interesting but not specific enough to contain a good hook for a curator to take special notice of. As it is now, your project is essentially just fairly everyday (though pleasant) photos of people on subways with some nice written context. I would find some more specific aspect of subway life to focus on, wether that be a particular social group that uses the subway, the lives of MTA employees, typologies of parasitic business practices in the subway, etc etc etc. - Then relate that to broader ideas about co-presence or civility.

I would not recommend joining a co-op. They generally have a low bar for entry and don't look good on CVs - a bad exhibition on a CV is worse than no exhibition on a CV, especially one you had to pay for. Best to make friends and start something on your own.

 

[Bill Clark]

Could this publication help:

http://www.bandwmag.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/bandwmag/?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

 

[Bill Clark]

Another idea to possibly help:

Let me preface by saying I was a pro photog. for 15 years and the best award I received, my philosophy, is when someone hired me.

Have you considered exhibiting your work on Amazon? They get quite a few eyeballs looking and buying stuff.

Thought I'd mention as I know a few folks who have sold products with Amazon.

 

[calebarchie]

nongfuspring has a good point. Although, I think it is a good experience and something to strive towards, I have artists and curators in the family and I agree it is a completely different world. Very much who you know and not what you know.

It will really change the way you understand and practice photography. One of the first things I stated is that you must have strong work, I had a look on your website and from that I think your work is not that suited towards gallery exhibition. You have some nice pieces of text though, but in the art world they pay people to write that stuff for them. You say you have been working on this for several years with 27 pictures in your gallery which I assume are your best, they are nice but nowhere near strong enough together to say something. I also assume you took many more photographs over this period so it may be a matter of properly editing, critiquing and curating your own work.

As for developing this portfolio, do not think of it as a portfolio for a client, you need to address is as a proposal in the form of a story or narrative to capture the interest of the curator aka decision-maker. Knowing them, people, referrals, art school all assist in this, if I were to look at your site as a curator without any of this, it would be a very weak proposal. Open-calls in this regard are challenging then, you must have very very strong work without connections, but it is not impossible. I've been selected from an open-call when I was 18, not at the most prestigious of galleries or anything but it was a start, the curator Sally liked both me and my work (and gasp... it was digital..)

Sometimes you have to start from the bottom and work your way up, like that hit Smash Mouth song 😉 Sorry if this may all seem harsh but it is something you are going to have to do and get used to. P.S. Being published in Tokyo camera style is probably a step backwards from where you want to be 😉

Good luck

 

[nongfuspring]

But the OP needs to go out to galleries showing photos in NYC, and get the idea of showing in them out of his system.

Start with the more conservative like Chiem & Read www.cheimread.com/, who shows Diane Arbus, William Eggleston, and then go nearby to Mary Boone, showing Ericka Beckman, Barbara Kruger, and of course to Metro pictures, representing Cindy Sherman, Isaac Julien.

Good suggestion.

To tack on the end of that, MoMA has a survey show of new photography on at the moment. I think it's worth going to, there are a couple of photographers included in the show that have something of a sociology/art crossover that may be relevant.

 

[Redseele]

A response

A response

Sorry I haven't been around the last couple of days. Busy week. But first and foremost I wanted to thank everyone for their input. Just like in academia, your questioning and critique is extremely appreciated as it only helps me make better decisions. Allow me to address some of your points specifically.

Why do you want to show in a gallery in the first place? There are books, zines, website, etc. Chances are more people encounter your work online in 2 days than will come into your gallery in a month. I think you need to decide what about showing at a gallery is important.

I guess I have two very specific reasons for wanting to do so. I am not a professional photographer; rather, photography is a complement to my social sciences and academic practices. First and foremost, I like a lot the idea that I have to force myself to "sell" my work, I really like the curatorial process that forces me to be more focused on what I want to say with my photography and how to say it. It makes my photography better, in my opinion. Secondly, having exhibitions on my CV would add a certain "seriousness" to my photography practice. I really am looking forward to making it a serious part of my arsenal of how I can say things (other than papers in peer-reviewed journals, books, etc.).

A third reason would be that I am very interested in knowing more about curatorial practices, especially since in the future I would like to work or do research for at an institution that focused on photography or art (a museum, an organization such as Aperture). Making the effort of going through this process in the flesh is, I think, quite akin to only being able to work in a journal review board after having published a few papers myself. One gets a feeling that is not just theoretical but very much practical.

I am sure that I can also get some of this experience from publishing in zines, other websites, books, etc. I just had not considered them so much before I saw so many people mentioning it here.

Have you considered exhibiting your work on Amazon? They get quite a few eyeballs looking and buying stuff.

Thought I'd mention as I know a few folks who have sold products with Amazon.

Thank you for pointing it out, I had no idea about this. I will look for more info on it.

As for developing this portfolio, do not think of it as a portfolio for a client, you need to address is as a proposal in the form of a story or narrative to capture the interest of the curator aka decision-maker. Knowing them, people, referrals, art school all assist in this, if I were to look at your site as a curator without any of this, it would be a very weak proposal. Open-calls in this regard are challenging then, you must have very very strong work without connections, but it is not impossible. I've been selected from an open-call when I was 18, not at the most prestigious of galleries or anything but it was a start, the curator Sally liked both me and my work (and gasp... it was digital..)

So... the portfolio itself has to have a theme? I think I could do that; work within some categories and tags, like "visual ethnography". Or do you mean to say that I need something much more specific, like making an example of my work as a form of narrative (like the project on civility and subways in NYC)? Thank you for your advice, this is completely new territory for me so this is all helping me hugely.

But the OP needs to go out to galleries showing photos in NYC, and get the idea of showing in them out of his system.

Start with the more conservative like Chiem & Read www.cheimread.com/, who shows Diane Arbus, William Eggleston, and then go nearby to Mary Boone, showing Ericka Beckman, Barbara Kruger, and of course to Metro pictures, representing Cindy Sherman, Isaac Julien.

This is great advice, thank you. I am familiar with a few galleries here, but I always found it difficult to keep up with the huge breadth of galleries that there is in NYC, so some guidance is very appreciated. I will check these ones out and be on the lookout for more. I really should familiarize myself with these in order to have a better grasp on how and to whom to sell my own work.

To tack on the end of that, MoMA has a survey show of new photography on at the moment. I think it's worth going to, there are a couple of photographers included in the show that have something of a sociology/art crossover that may be relevant.

I will go check this out this week, thank you for suggesting it. I know that at the moment the sociology/art crossover you are talking about is very much IN, but I still feel that there's something that's lacking. So far, from what I've seen, most of works in this intersection (particularly in the field of visual sociology) are too much sociology and too little aesthetics and poetics, which I think is a problem because art and photography are supposed to give us something different from the rationalization of the study of society, the world, etc. (that which is often done through writing). In other words, when you take that away from photography you are only left with photography as documentation, devoid of the subtleties that art that give through its own way of saying things. This is exactly the grey area where I want to make a point. I want to be able to contribute to saying something about the world that one cannot say with the traditional means of academic knowledge.

 

[Bill Clark]

Personallly, I'd skip the galleries. Using the internet and a place like Amazon allows people to view 24/7, make a purchase, can use a credit card. And I imagine the gallery would need a pretty good slice of any sale for expenses, salary, etc. Amazon has charges but I wonder how much? There are other places, I'll mention two, how about a medical doctors waiting room or a dentist? Offer to hang them up and change every 3 or 4 or 6 months.

I never used Amazon for my business but I walk with a couple of gents each week who did.