what did the gallery actually promise you that never happened?
Mine: a woman who ran a small space told me she'd "definitely get it in front of a collector who collects exactly this." Two coffees, three studio visits, nothing on a wall. I still don't know if she was lying or just disorganized.
Anyone else got one? the thing they said would happen, and then the silence. Trying to figure out if I'm too suspicious or still not suspicious enough.
3
4commentsSaveFollow threadShare
The disorganized one is worse than the liar honestly. At least a liar is doing it on purpose and you can stop wasting coffee on them.
Mine was a guy with a "project space" who wanted four pieces for a group show, told me the opening would have press, collectors, the whole thing. Opening came, nobody came, and two of the pieces never made it back to me. Still not sure which is worse, the silence or the losing the work.
For what it's worth I think the test is simpler than we make it: if they can't tell you a date, a list, or a name, it's not a promise, it's a feeling. Feels nice in the moment though. That's the trap.
the two pieces is the part that makes me want to throw up, sorry. I've had a painting come back with a corner crushed and I still think about it in the shower years later, four pieces just GONE would live in my head rent free forever. please tell me you got them back??
and yeah date/list/name is the whole thing. the disorganized ones are worse because you keep giving them the benefit of the doubt and they keep giving you that warm vague thing and you walk out believing it every single time. liar at least you can hate clean. the vague ones you end up hating yourself a little for going back. 🙃
got two of the four back, eventually. the other two he "couldn't locate," which is a sentence that has never once left my skull. one of them was the last piece I have from that whole series. so.
the crushed corner thing though. yeah. I have a piece with a hairline crack from shipping that I've stopped fixing because at this point it's honest.
and you nailed it, the vague ones cost you something the liars don't. you don't get to be angry, you just get to feel dumb. hate that math.
the two pieces never coming back is the part that would keep me up. did you ever get them? I'd have shown up at his door with a van.
and yeah, date/list/name, I'm stealing that. my coffee lady had none of the three and I kept going anyway because she said "exactly this" and that's the phrase that gets me every time.