Five Things to Know: Gallery Representation for Visual Artists
Featuring Insights and Advice from Artists with Gallery Representation and One Gallerist
Attaining gallery representation is a goal for many visual artists. But how do you do it, and is it right for you? Here, we provide valuable insights from:
- Asya Geisberg, Gallerist, Asya Geisberg Gallery
- Dana James, Artist (represented by Hollis Taggart)
- Stephanie H. Shih, Artist (represented by Alexander Berggruen, New York, and Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco)
Drawing upon their expertise, here are five main concepts to consider.
1. It Takes Time and Initiative to Build Relationships
Stephanie H. Shih has no formal art training; she credits Instagram with helping her gain a following and interest from galleries. After a gallerist reached out to her on Instagram, Shih took the initiative to go to an art fair to meet them in person. This led to her first solo show with the gallery and a relationship that continues to this day.
Says Shih: “So often, you just feel like you’re waiting. You’re waiting for the gallery to contact you. And something I’ve learned over time is that, like every relationship you make, it could turn into something much bigger.”
She also advises having a “wing person” with connections outside of your own. “When I’m down in Miami for the fairs, I love to be there with another artist who knows a bunch of galleries that I don’t know, and I know a bunch of galleries that they don’t know. We take each other to the parties we got invited to, and it’s all about introducing each other. It’s not just, ‘Oh, this is my friend Dana James.’ But ‘This is Dana James. She’s an incredible painter. She makes this type of work. You would really love it.’ It’s so much about connections and slowly building them.”
For Dana James, there was an element of serendipity to her gallery representation story. She had a two-person show in Brooklyn; a Director from Hollis Taggart was in the building at another opening and happened into the gallery. He contacted on Instagram, telling her he liked her work. They kept in touch, and she made a point of attending an opening of a show the Director curated to meet him in person. This led to a studio visit, which led to her first group show with Hollis Taggart, and then to representation.
In this example from Asya Geisberg, taking the initiative paid off: “I have worked with artists exclusively because they have taken the opportunity of me being at an art fair to grow our relationship. One example is, I randomly went to see a show of an artist I had heard of and signed the book. It wasn’t me wanting to work with her, I just signed the book that I saw her show. She found me in Miami and said ‘Hi, I’m blah blah.’ And I was like ‘Oh, okay, well nice to meet you.’ And we had a show together 6-7 years later that had a New York Times review. And it was 100 percent because she took the initiative to introduce herself.”
Another example Geisberg cited of an artist she came to represent shows a keen approach. When Geisberg first opened her gallery she was overwhelmed with submissions, including one from an artist based in Baltimore. The artist later noted she had works in the “flat files” at Pierogi Gallery in Brooklyn, which indicated she was established to a degree that might be a fit for Geisberg. When the artist offered to drive in some works and show them to Geisberg at her gallery, Geisberg said yes.
“The thing that really helped propel the process was her personality when she volunteered to take her time. No strings attached to drive her work just for basically like a 30-minute meeting and she wasn’t pushy but she was sort of pushing. The sense that she took all this initiative to get in front of my eyes, but she was never pushing. It was just the right level of professionalism and ambition,” says Geisberg.
2. Know Your Audience
Geisberg has found artists through art fairs, open studios, and through Instagram. She says that seeing the work in person is a must, as is the artist’s understanding of her programming.
Artists approaching gallerists should be sensitive to the situation (is it an art fair, an opening, are you visiting their gallery?) and do their research. How does the gallery describe itself, what artists are on its roster, what types of work/s are being shown, and what types of ideas are the artists exploring in their work? Consider whether you might be a fit.
Geisberg’s pet peeves include people not spelling her name correctly (if emailing), coming into the gallery unannounced trying to show her their work, and not knowing about her gallery’s focus. “My advice is, if you see a gallerist anywhere, in any context, you’ve got to read the room. You can’t just walk in with your ego and your needs, and no other thing. Sometimes we’d love to hang out, see everything you’ve done on your phone. Other times, it’s like ‘Are you kidding me?’ Say hello, introduce yourself, make that face-to-face connection, and move on. I think to take the initiative most times will be met with respect as long as it’s done with respect and nuance,” says Geisberg.
Specifically when introducing herself to gallerists in person, Shih adds: “It’s often just my full name,* great to meet you. Love your program. Goodbye. It’s not a conversation about my practice. I might not talk about my art at all, but so much of it is about facetime. Then the next time they see you at the next fair. They’re like, ‘Oh, we’ve met,’ and then it’s like, ‘Oh, my God! Stephanie, kisses!’ you know?”
*Important for name recognition and to connect your work back to you in case they already know it!
3. It Needs to be the Right Fit for Both the Artist and the Gallery
Geisberg stresses the importance of the gallerist-artist relationship and being on the same page. “I need quick and efficient communication, I need to trust the person, and I also want to know that the person’s going to work at least half as hard as I do because I work my ass off for all my artists, and we all do, I think, in this industry. So you just don’t want to work with somebody who in any way, shape, or form feels like that’s not being reciprocated. Because it’s very much a team effort.”
The rapport and respect needs to be there. Says James: “It really should be like: the artist recognizes all the work that the gallery is putting in financially for their rent, for their shipping, everything that they do, the cost of art fairs. And if you’re not profiting off of that for some reason, and that’s not helping you then it’s probably not a good fit. Because why would you split 50% of your sales with an entity that’s not producing sales or just not helping you or isn’t making you feel good about what you do?”
Shih added: “It has to be a symbiotic relationship. A lot of artists think that a gallery is just there to help them. But actually, you really have to bring something to their program. Maybe it’s that you fill a gap in their programming, or you have a large audience, or you’re bringing a certain point of view that they’re interested in but don’t have otherwise. And on the other side, there are a lot of galleries that act like the artists are their workers that just churn out the work for them, and that obviously doesn’t work. So it really has to be equitable.”
Shih gives an example of her taking her time to find representation that suited her needs: “I was asked by two different galleries over the course of a couple years to be represented, and at both those times those galleries didn’t feel right to me. The relationships didn’t feel right. I didn’t think we had the best communication or the same working style. I think the most important thing is finding the right match and until then don’t be too worried.”
4. Artists Outside of Large Cities Can Get Representation
Not in New York City or a major metropolis? It is still possible to get gallery representation.
Geisberg has advice for you: “I would really say: find a way to go to New York or go to an art fair. Go to a place where you can get the most bang for your buck, because if you do your research, you see some programs, and you see the personality, that’s super important. Now, if that’s not going to happen, then you can email people. But then email them something that is based on research and connections, not just ‘I’m an artist. Look at my stuff.’”
As mentioned above, show that you’ve thoughtfully considered the gallery and how your work might fit in. Whether you send a link to your social media or website, you’ll want to ensure that you have high quality images that best represent your work.
James stresses the importance of good photos for artists everywhere. “Spending some time taking photos that really represent your kind of essence and your work, which doesn’t always have to be a straight-on photo of your piece, can be effective. I think it’s definitely helpful for people that are not somewhere like New York City.”
While Instagram has been instrumental for artists like Shih and James and for gallerists like Geisberg, it should be cautioned that the social media landscape is constantly evolving. Methods of gaining traction on platforms on Instagram could still work as part of your marketing strategy, but it is getting harder to keep up with the changing algorithm and more complicated in terms of Meta’s operating policies. The main idea: Shih and James used the internet to communicate with and build relationships with art world professionals–a practice that can be replicated regardless of the platform.
As mentioned earlier, Instagram was huge for Shih, who started with no connections as a self-taught artist. “A lot of it is luck. I was originally putting my work on Instagram for my friends. I had no following at all…like a couple hundred people.” She began to build a following. The following generated press, which in turn caught the attention of galleries. “I think it is still possible to get discovered,” Shih adds. “Even if you are in a city that isn’t as art-focused as New York and you don’t have existing networks.”
Cautioned James: “I also owe a lot to Instagram, but it’s also important not to rely on it completely because of the way Instagram changes. And I’m sure everyone is noticing. You know, there’s less people on it now. Or the algorithm changes or this or that happens and it can cause you to sort of freak out because your career is riding on this thing you have no control over. But I do think it’s useful for sure.”
Our advice: Prioritize relationship-building online and off. Because building a following (and getting your content seen!) can be difficult, we recommend not concentrating all of your energies exclusively on social media. It is challenging to create your art and then carve out time for the business side of your practice–including promotion–and you want to maximize your efforts. At the end of the day, consider overall relationship-building as foundational to growing your arts career.
5. You Don’t Need Representation to Succeed as an Artist
You don’t need representation; it is just one way that artists are navigating how to get their work shown and sold. Typically, getting represented by a gallery takes time, research, luck (your work needs to speak to the gallerist!), and some tenacity. Much like dating, this relationship is both optional and meant to be beneficial. It’s up to you whether you want to be partnered up, and what you want that partnership to look like!
This information is from the recent panel discussion “Paths to Working with Galleries,” presented by NYFA in partnership with Northern Virginia Local Arts Agencies (NVLAA), a collaboration of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts, Arlington Cultural Affairs, and ArtsFairfax. The conversation was moderated by Kelly Olshan, Program Officer, NYFA Learning.
About the Panelists:
With a resume that includes artist, writer, and curator, Asya Geisberg got on the dealer track in 2010 when she opened her namesake space. Her gallery, which recently relocated to 45 White Street in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City, represents young emerging artists as well as international artists otherwise unrepresented in the US, many of whom work across multiple media such as ceramics, textiles, painting, photography, and sculpture, with an interest in world history, archaeology, and cultural politics from a non-US perspective. The gallery’s artists have been reviewed in The New York Times, Artforum, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and international publications. The gallery has shown at art fairs including The Armory Show, NADA NY, UNTITLED Miami, UNTITLED San Francisco, ExpoChicago, ZONAMACO, Photofairs, Future Fair, and Art Los Angeles Contemporary (ALAC). Asya Geisberg Gallery is a proud member of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) and ArtTable.
Dana James is a painter and New York native, based in Ridgewood, NY. Since graduating from the School of Visual Arts in 2008, her work has been exhibited extensively and can be found in private and public collections around the world. James is represented by Hollis Taggart Contemporary in New York City, as well as Bode Projects in Berlin, Germany. Her recent solo exhibitions include Pearls & Potions (2023, NY) and Hushed Neon (2024, Berlin), with a new solo show upcoming at Koenig Gallery in Berlin. James was named as a “Top Artists to Watch” by Artnet; most “sought after” by Artsy; and one of the “Top 20 Artists Shaping the New Decade” by Daily Collector in 2020, in which her work was described as “simultaneously dark and feminine, creating worlds marked by duality.” James’ 2019 two-person show, The Thread at M.David & Co. Gallery, was chosen as a must-see exhibition by New York Magazine, and her 2017 solo show, Sometimes Seen Dreams, at the Lodge Gallery was featured in the Art Critical Review Panel. She has been featured in publications such as Artforum, Two Coats of Paint, ArtSpace, LE MILE, and Hyperallergic.
Stephanie H. Shih’s painted ceramic sculptures explore the way cultural identities transform as they migrate with a diaspora. Her work has been exhibited at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; American Museum of Ceramic Arts; Cantor Arts Center; Syracuse University Art Museum; Middlebury College Museum of Art; Bowdoin College Museum of Art; and Bradbury Art Museum; and is held in institutional collections across the United States. She has been awarded grants from New York State Council on the Arts/New York Foundation for the Arts and the American Museum of Ceramic Arts, and residencies from the Corporation of Yaddo, John Michael Kohler Art Center, Silver Arts Project, and Lighthouse Works. In 2023, she was a finalist for Brooklyn Museum’s UOVO Prize. Community work is central to Shih’s practice, and she’s used her art and platform to raise $550,000 for victims of state violence since 2017. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
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