The curator who said "exposure" and I calculated what that actually cost me
Group show in Berlin, 2019. Curator with a good reputation, well-known space, the whole thing sounded serious. She said there was no budget for artist fees but the exposure would be valuable. I was between shows anyway so I said yes like a fool.
I built a room installation. Three weeks of work, rented a van to drive materials up from Prague, stayed in a friend's flat but still bought food and beer for two weeks, paid an assistant for two days of help mounting things. I kept receipts out of spite, I think.
Total cost to me: 38,400 CZK. About 1,500 euros then.
The exhibition got a mention in Artforum online. One collector came through and later commissioned a small piece. That commission paid 800 euros.
So I lost 700 euros and gained a line in a newsletter nobody remembers. I tell young artists this story now and they nod and then they still do the same thing. I did it too when I was their age. Maybe you have to learn it yourself.
2
2commentsSaveFollow threadShare
This hits. I did a similar thing once in Athens, early on, gallery show, no fee, "good for your CV." I didn't keep receipts but I remember exactly what I spent because it hurt. The frame alone cost me a week's teaching income.
What gets me is we're not even asking for much. Just cover the real costs. The materials, the transport, a hand if you need one. That's not a fee, that's not profit, that's not being greedy. That's not losing money to show your work.
The exposure conversation is a trap because it sounds reasonable in the moment. But three weeks of work is three weeks of work, whether the space is famous or not. Hope you got something good out of it in the end at least.
Athens. Yeah, the "good for your CV" line. I've had that one in three languages now. Works every time on people who still believe in something.
You're right though. Nobody's asking to get rich. Just don't want to pay for the privilege of showing up. That frame you mention, I spent a month once scavenging the right kind of steel beams, then the gallery acted like I was being precious when I asked them to help store them after. Stored them in my mother's garage for two years instead. Felt like a win.