How to have an exhibition - Part 2

Through her consultancy business Arthere, Creative Producer Sandy Edwards works with photographers to develop a body of work and match it to an appropriate gallery. Some photographers are surprised by the emphasis she puts on preparation for publicity. “The first thing we do when planning an exhibition is write a press release,” she says. ‘To do that, you have to have already chosen the best photographs to send out to the press and you have to get the words right. Then you have to have a list of people to send it to in the press. This is something photographers need to be able to do themselves if they can’t afford to pay a publicist. It’s all very well to have a rental space, but if no one comes to it and no one knows it is on, then it’s the opening, and that’s it – it sinks like a stone.

”For those with time on their hands and a willingness to work the phones to ensure their press release makes it into the right hands, photographers can save money by doing their own publicity. For the time-poor or those who struggle with writing, hiring a publicist is a good option, as you benefit from ready-made relationships with media outlets and targeted, pre-warmed contact lists. Edwards works with Pop-Up Publicity for public relations expertise.

RepresentationShe encourages photographers to include curators and gallery owners on their invite lists, especially for venues and institutions a photographer wants to build a relationship with, but says it can be very difficult to get them to come. And this is particularly true of the major institutions that buy or acquire work. “They have to want to come and then they have to really like the work,” Edwards says. “They usually have a very finely honed set of reasons that they are looking for work. They are not likely to buy work from a first-time exhibitor. And photographers shouldn’t take that personally – that’s a big lesson.”

One of the ultimate forms of recognition for an artist is an invitation to be represented by a gallery. It takes self-belief but also time to build a working relationship with a gallery that suits you. A lot of work goes into representing an artist and it is not a relationship that is undertaken lightly. “When looking to represent an artist, I have to begin by saying that we look at it from a long-term perspective,” says Edmund Pearce Gallery Director Jason McQuoid.

“There are a lot of factors that we consider, but primarily it is on the basis of relationships – it is a business partnership after all, and to ensure that it is successful, you have to get along, at least professionally. With that said, we have an unwritten rule that we have to have an exhibition together. From an exhibition, you can determine how well you work as a team, as well as the response to the work. Other factors we consider are the artists’ dedication to their practice, professional attitude and whether we can see the opportunity for the artists’ work to mature over time.”

Photographer Katrin Koenning has been involved in over 30 exhibitions with her work shown in The Netherlands, UK, US, India, Malaysia, France, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Australia, Cambodia and Singapore. She started such a relationship with Edmund Pearce Gallery in March 2013, but their association began in early 2012 when her work was part of their inaugural exhibition, Still. “The great thing about having a gallery is that it means you have someone believing in and actively promoting you and your work,” says Koenning. “This doesn’t mean that you can just sit back and relax though – quite the opposite. It is very much a two-way relationship that has to be based on trust.”

Is it worth the effort?

There are advantages and disadvantages to all manner of ways of getting your work ‘out there’, whether it be exhibiting, having an online presence or publishing a book, according to McQuoid. Exhibiting should really be seen as part of the overall promotion mix.

Exhibiting does, however, provide a focused forum for your work to be viewed by peers, potential clients, writers and curators. It provides opportunities to collaborate with other artists, gallery directors, curators or other arts professionals. It adds credibility to your CV and encourages you to think deeply about what you are trying to communicate with the work.

“Normally when a photographer exhibits here, regardless of sales, what I’ve noticed is that all of a sudden they are busy work-wise,” says Tom Evangelidis, Director of Black Eye Galley in Sydney. “Exhibiting increases your profile, and it gets your name out there. There are so many photographers that if one is inviting all their clients to their exhibition and the others aren’t, this is the one that will stay in their mind. It’s about giving back to their clients as well. Instead of ringing them up and bothering them regularly, it’s saying: ‘Hey, I’m having a party, come and check out my work on the wall.’ For those few weeks you have a captive audience.”

No shortcuts

There are rarely shortcuts in developing a reputation that can sell work. But if you believe in the worth of your art, you need to be responsible for getting it out there. “I believe it is difficult for artists to get a start, but it’s a long process of working hard, ticking the exhibition boxes, the publicity boxes, hassling editors, gallery owners and being a bit pushy,” says photographer Chris Round, who to date, has had two solo exhibitions and been a part of 13 group shows, including award shows.

His work has been shown in Australia, the UK and the US. “It takes time and one has to be prepared to be rejected many, many times.”

Through persistence and self-belief, it is possible to build a reputation if your work is strong and you’re sufficiently dedicated. Once the momentum begins, it can quickly pick up. For Round, engaging Edwards was a critical turning point. Being recognised in awards also helped. “The Kodak Salon at CCP is a great way have work seen. After entering in 2012, I was subsequently invited to show at the Ballarat International Foto Biennale Projections ‘13. I started entering some award shows and actually found myself being named a finalist, both internationally and locally. In 2012, I won the Regional Landscape Prize at the CLIP awards at the Perth Centre for Photography and I think this really helped locally. I was also a finalist at Exposure 2011 and received a few other ‘Commended’ and ‘Finalist’ placings in 2012. In 2013, I was shortlisted at the World Photo Awards and was a finalist at the Head Off Landscape Prize and a few others. It goes without saying that these things help because more of the right people see your work.”

Koenning agrees. “Being an artist means you have to work insanely hard; you have to be a workaholic really. In the initial years, the workload can sometimes be daunting, particularly because you may feel as though you aren’t really getting anywhere. To be an artist, you have to have patience as well as perseverance. There are always knock-backs and rejections, and it is important to learn to be okay with that, and to just keep working. Believing in your work is crucial.”

Once an artist is established in Australia, there are still international frontiers to conquer. In Koenning’s career, festivals have played a significant role locally and in opening doors abroad. “Festivals are a fantastic avenue for getting your work seen by a wider audience. I consider them an extremely important part of our industry. They are hubs for critical thinking, discussion, new ideas, inspiration and, most of all, for the sharing of passion, which is invaluable. You get to meet great, often like-minded people. When I showed work at FORMAT Festival in the United Kingdom, I won one of the festival prizes. The prize was a show at The Front Room in London, which was amazing additional exposure. It is difficult to know exactly what influence exhibiting overseas has had on my career, but I am sure it has instigated international publications and further shows.”

When doors aren’t opening easily, there is one critical reason to conquer the set back – it may limit what you do in the future. “It might mean that you don’t have the right personality to be an artist because you have to be really sure that what you are doing is good and that it doesn’t really matter what other people think in the end,” Edwards says. “Yes, there are people whose opinions you will respect, but choose them carefully. Have your own little set of mentors to guide you. Try not to be a lone trader.”

When an artist discounts their own ability and work, curators have no chance of changing their mind. “When I give submission feedback, I am very blunt, very honest and I always say please submit again in the future,” said Evangelidis. “I don’t know what that person is going to come up with next week.”

When heard in perspective, honest, informed criticism can lead to your best work. The rejections you receive today may well contribute to your best work and a hugely successful future exhibition.

Advice from the experts

Stay busy
“The most important thing in my mind is to actually keep making work, or working on something constantly. This doesn’t only mean making pictures, but also researching, thinking, re-evaluating, reading, visiting galleries and museums, looking at other artists, and basically anything that benefits the development of your vision and fuels your inspiration.”
Katrin Koenning, artist.

Look at all your options
“Without doubt, it is difficult to achieve commercial representation and a public gallery exhibition. Gaining a place in either sphere is an iterative process and often commences through exhibiting in an artist-run initiative, in an informal space, such as a café, as well as submitting work to prizes and awards, of which there are many. Publishing and participating in online forums can also be helpful. In my experience, what photographers really want is for their work to be seen and engaged with by viewers, so I advise taking a broad and imaginative approach to commencing an exhibition career.”
Naomi Cass, Director, Centre for Contemporary Photography.

Go all out
“Try and make as big a splash as you can with your first show. This is very dependent on resources of course, but things like PR and the right list of contacts is extremely important. Make sure you have a tight body of work that has a good narrative or idea that will pique the interest of gallery owners, critics and collectors. I made sure I had a strong theme that could form the basis of a good proposal. It’s also very important to understand the gallery’s aesthetic and see if your own work ‘fits’.”
Chris Round, artist.

invest in your reputation
“Opportunities online like Flickr, blogs and slideshows are all really, really good contexts and ways of learning how to get your voice and images out there. But clearly, when you get to the point of putting works on the wall, you just know immediately that it’s much more serious because of the costs involved. It’s about how important it is for you to be seen and heard in that way.”
Sandy Edwards, Arthere creative producer.

Look for support
“You can’t underestimate the confirmation or the back up of having a known gallery as your exhibiting place. You can’t replace that with anything.”
Sandy Edwards, Arthere creative producer.

Do your research
“The most common mistake some photographers make is not doing their research first, and some work just does not fit within our curatorial direction. The other general mistake is a lack of follow up. Sometimes a photographer will submit work and due to our schedule, it might take us a while to respond. A simple reminder will go a long way.”
Jason McQuoid, Edmund Pearce Gallery, Melbourne.

Contacts

Centre for Contemporary Photography - ccp.org.au
Sandy Edwards (Arthere) - arthere.com.au
Tom Evangelidis (Black Eye Gallery) - blackeyegallery.com.au
Katrin Koenning - katrinkoenning.com
Jason McQuoid (Edmund Pearce Gallery) - edmundpearce.com.au
Chris Round - roundtheplace.com