Ever been ghosted by a gallery and then it came back around?
I had a gallery in Paris go completely silent on me for a full year after an initial meeting. No replies, nothing. Then out of nowhere they emailed asking if I was still painting, and wanted to see new work. I was so annoyed I almost didn't answer. But I did, and it turned into a show that paid for itself twice over.
I've heard this is more common than anyone admits, galleries that are just disorganised, not cruel. But I've also heard plenty of horror stories where it was a total waste of time.
Has a gallery ever ghosted you and then come back? Did you take the second chance or tell them where to go?
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I had something similar, though not with a gallery, with a small arts org that ran a group show I'd applied for. Heard nothing for months, assumed rejection, moved on. Then an email six months later asking if I was still interested, and they were so casual about it I almost said no out of spite. I did end up sending pieces. The show itself was fine, nothing life-changing, but it taught me something. These people are just... people. Overwhelmed, understaffed, terrible at email. Not everything is a power game.
I think the trick is deciding before you reply what a good outcome actually looks like for you. If they came back wanting to pay you properly and treat you with respect, take it. If they come back expecting you to be grateful they remembered you exist, that's a different conversation.
Did the Paris people at least acknowledge the silence? Or did they roll in like a year hadn't passed?
That's exactly it, the "just people" thing. We build up this story in our heads that silence means something, rejection, bad blood, you're not good enough, and then it turns out the person was just drowning in admin and completely forgot you existed. Nothing personal at all. Almost worse in a way.
And yeah, deciding before you reply what a good outcome looks like, that's the real trick. If I'd gone into that Paris thing wanting revenge or an apology I'd have been furious the whole way through. Instead I just wanted to see the work and hear what they had to say. Made the whole thing feel much lighter.
Did the group show at least lead anywhere else for you, or was it just dead weight?