I would like to address a situation that is unfair for every person involved and often leads to anger and the creation of false prejudice. The issue of art fairs and artists and the bringing of portfolios by artists to fairs.
Allow me to present some numbers first off.
- Fair Rent : ~€45.000
- Fair Travel: ~€10.000
- Fair Art Handling: ~€6.000
- Fair Insurance: ~€2.500
- Fair Incidentals: ~€3.000
- Total: €66.500
The fair runs 5 days for 10 Hours divided into First Choice, VIP and Everyone day. That adds up to 50 Hours where a gallerist can sell art. If we are fair we can deduct about 20% for morning slowness and evening hectic which leaves 40 Hours.
€66.500 / 40 = €1.662,50 / 60 = €27,71
What I am saying is that every minute of the fair costs the gallerist €27,71. That translates to €138,55 for a 5 minute discussion with a gallerist. This is the economic framework in which we gallerists work during a fair.
Enter the artist: The artist invests time and money in making a portfolio which is representative of the work they make. They travel to the fair, rent a hotel room, take time off of their day job, etc..
The hope is that they can show their work to a gallerist who will be deeply moved by the work, enough to represent them or at least give them a show in their gallery.
The problem is the forces acting on both parties in this situation. They are not compatible. The staff of a gallery is at the fair to make money to cover the costs and keep the gallery running. The artists want a chance to get into the gallery.
The solution is simple, understanding. If we gallerists put ourselves in the artists shoes then we can be friendly in the way we tell the artists that the time is not right. And equally if the artists understand the pressure o=the gallerists are under they will be able to accept that maybe it is enough to say hello to a staff member, ask them if they can send some material and what the best time would be to do so.
It’s an empathy issue. Be kind in both directions and understand that a gallery does not owe an artist it does not represent anything except common courtesy. That’s just the reality of it. And artists, enjoy the fair and the work on display. If you spend time looking at the work each gallery shows, and how, then your chances of finding a good match will be much higher.
See you in the pressure cooker!
