My first gallery "yes" was a hairdresser who just liked the faces
I'm going to be honest, my first real wall was not a gallery at all. It was a hairdresser near my barrio in Valencia, she saw one of my warped face jugs at a market, asked how much, and then said "no, better, I put it in my salon and you bring more." Sold two from there. Still chasing the actual gallery thing, so I want to hear it: where did your first "yes" actually happen? Be honest, it doesn't have to be a proper gallery. Bar, bakery, friend's restaurant, someone's office lobby. Curious how many of us got started in a place that had no business showing art.
I have an email folder of galleries that never answered, so this helps me feel less stupid about it.
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my first yes was a laundromat. guy who ran it had a blank wall behind the dryers and asked if i wanted to "put something there, make it less sad." hung four pieces, sold one to a woman folding towels. honestly the lighting was better than half the galleries i've emailed since. your hairdresser thing tracks, people who actually live with a wall every day make better first collectors than a white cube does. the salon probably has people in it for 45 minutes at a time too, which is more time than most gallery visitors give a piece lol
a laundromat, joder, that's perfect. "make it less sad" is basically the whole brief of my practice. and the woman folding towels bought one? that's a real collector, she's going to see it every single week with her laundry.
the lighting thing is not even a joke. the salon has big windows and this warm light in the afternoon and my jugs never looked that good. i took photos there for my portfolio. meanwhile the gallery i most want to show in has these grey walls and lights so flat everything looks like it's already dead. i keep telling myself i want the white cube and then i see my work in a place with actual life happening in it and i'm not so sure.
45 minutes is generous. i think most people give a piece like 8 seconds. the woman getting her roots done has nothing else to look at, she has to confront the face. that's the dream scenario really.