Filter Gallery at Sydney Contemporary; photo ArtsHub
As exhausted artists and art dealers reel in the wake of Sydney’s art fairs, packing up their booths and heading home today, we asked a number of them to reflect on what makes a successful “art fair experience”, and their tips on getting it right for next year.
Simon Bowerbank, of the Auckland gallery Bowerbank Ninow, told ArtsHub that it was simple: ‘If it doesn’t look good under the exhibitions tab on your website then it isn’t worth doing.’
Any fair takes a lot of time, energy and money, and the same rules apply whether you’re a top end gallery at an international fair or an artist presenting their work at a maker’s market. Understanding those rules could mean the difference between selling, and not.
1. Bring the right work
Fair entrepreneur and founder of Sydney Contemporary, Tim Etchells warned: ‘You can get it really right, and you can get it really wrong. It is about finding the right work to show.’
He continued: ‘I have seen on many occasions where a gallery has brought the wrong work and it hasn’t sold, and then the year later bring the right artist and it has. We understand the market.’
Listen to the fair organisers and don’t be afraid to be guided by their understanding of the market in that particular location, and its prior successes when it comes to aesthetic choices for success.
‘You have to show what makes sense to you. You can be global, but unless you are also local, then what is the point,’ added Mikala Tai of 4A for Contemporary Asian Art.
2. Get the balance right
Ian Geraghty, Directer of –f-i-l-t-e-r- gallery in Surry Hills, Sydney, said that the most important thing to aim for is a well balanced booth. ‘You want a little bit of familiarity, but then also a bit of experimentation so people ask, “Who’s this?” You need a mixed, thoughtful and considered hang.’
Geraghty added that is also a bit easier to do that when there is a little more space – both within the booth and across the flow of the fair.
‘We are looking at all the main [international] blue chip, and significant artists impacting art history at the moment, and to bring those artists over to Australia at an accessible price point for the Australian market. We saw a gap in the market. And as a new space, open just over a month, the fair was the perfect for us as a launch pad. It’s about choosing a model for 2017 that would work – a lot of people don’t go to galleries anymore.’
3. Don’t forget detail and flow
Etchells prides himself as a stickler for detail. ‘To me attention to detail is really important – traffic flow, signage, variety – these are the things we monitor really carefully,’ he said.
Manila dealer, Isa Lorenzo of Silverlens Gallery, added: ‘A good fair organiser will take care of their galleries. They will be super clear on deadlines, will follow up regularly, and look for opportunities for you aside from just providing the booth. It makes you feel a bit more secure about where you are.’
At the heart of a successful fair, however, are good walls and good lights, she added.
While Etchells was talking on a macro level when considering the success of a fair overall, he encouraged the same attention to detail be applied by exhibitor.
Think how people will move around the booth. Think what might attract “selfies” and ensure the flow is adequate around these works. How will the work be labeled, will you display prices, what collateral material can people take away to remember you by?
This all has to be thought through prior to the fair and in many cases, with give you that professional edge.
4. Advantage of the solo show
Melbourne dealer Nicholas Thompson believes that a solo exhibition within a fair booth stays in people’s minds a lot more, especially when there is so much to take in.
‘The fair is where the art world expands its borders, in a way, to new people coming through and you can show them what an exhibition in a gallery looks like, and feels like, and the importance of a strong body of work,’ he said.
Whether choosing to exhibit a single artist or a group, Thompson said that success is only reached if integrity of the exhibition is withheld. That is, to show the artist/s in their best light and with respect of their work.
Director of Sydney Contemporary, Barry Keldoulis, added: ‘In the early 2000s, when I was a dealer myself, I thought, “I can’t show my babies in this meat market”. Fairs were basically stock shows. Today artists are thrilled to be shown at art fairs.
‘There is a preponderance of solo exhibitions, of whole new bodies of work. It looks more elegant and artists can be confident that their work is seen when not in the gallery.’
5. Don’t just think it; do it – swell your contacts
‘It’s good to cover costs and meet new people, but one of the most important outcomes of an art fair is to swell the mailing list. It is really important to get all the email addresses,’ said Thompson.
This is one way an art fair can continue to “give back” on that big booth price, but you have to stay on top of that during the chaos of the fair. Don’t loose that opportunity. And remember, a list is worth little if you don’t follow up on it and use it.
It was a point shared by founder of the General Store (NSW), Ben Gavin who did Spring 1883 this year for the ‘momentum’ it created.
‘I don’t have a space and I haven’t done a big project for a couple of months so the momentum is good.’
He added: ‘I think it is good for small galleries to go to small art fairs and build networks with places around the world. It is becoming a necessity maybe.’
6. Don’t forget why
Keldoulis noted: ‘Ultimately, art fairs are about artists. The art world is very complicated and the fair is big and bold and exciting, but keep in mind that most artists survive through selling their work, and the validation they feel when that happens.’
Sim Luttin, Gallery Manager for Arts Project Australia added: ‘We are looking to make really good connections for our artists so coming to Sydney and being able to play with a space where we can comfortably connect with and meet new people and introduce the works is really important.’
7. Choose the right fair
Lorenzo of Silverlens said: ‘The quality of people coming in to the fair – and that they are interested in growing a relationship with the gallery – is key. When we have done the Miami fairs it has been very different; we never saw the same people twice. It is the difference between a one-night stand and an evolving relationship. So, choosing the right fair for you is a big factor to your success.’
