Art fairs are large scale events that bring together an array of artists, galleries, artworks and art enthusiasts. Usually they run for a relatively short period of time but have the ability to create a big impact. Participating in an art fair can be a fantastic opportunity to network, expose your work to a larger audience, boost sales and create more opportunities.
Whether hoping to attract collectors, curators, or the eyes of art critics, an art fair can be the best opportunity to get work noticed.
At the moment there are over 300 established art fairs around the world with the majority taking place in Europe and the USA. Art fairs such as: Art Basel that takes place in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong; and Frieze held in both London and New York, attract close to 100,000 visitors. Over a seven-month period the 2022 Venice Biennale received 700,000 visitors!
The biggest, more exclusive fairs offer the higher end opportunities to snag big buyers and collectors but the smaller scale more independent ones also offer great opportunities, especially for early-mid career artists.
How Do Artists Get Exhibited at Art Fairs?
There’s a wide range of art fairs from the most prestigious shows that usually showcase established artists from around the world, to fairs that exhibit a variety of emerging, early career and unrepresented artists, such as The Other Art Fair and the Affordable Art Fair.
Usually artists get their work selected for art fairs by one of three methods:
- Gallery representation - where a gallery has a stand and presents their artists
- Selected / headhunted by a curator - artists are spotted at other shows including graduation shows and given the opportunity to exhibit
- Open call submissions - anyone can apply. Usually there is a fee and there are criteria in regards to theme, scale, and professional level.
Open calls for art fairs are often advertised on platforms such as Art Connect.
Find the Right Art Fair
For artist's starting out it may feel tricky getting a foot in the door. There can be a lot of bogus opportunities out there that ask for high entry fees and offer very little in return. To make sure time and money is being invested wisely, it’s important to consider all the pros and cons of each opportunity and how they level up with the desired outcome.
Points to Consider:
Costs - This might include an application fee, shipping and installation costs, transport, time and printed marketing material (info sheets, fliers, business cards).
Quality Control - What is the venue like? How are transport links to the site? How secure is the artwork on display? Are the organisers professional and who is the curator? These are all important considerations if submitting work to an open call event.
Sales Commissions - Some fairs take a percentage of sales The Other Art Fair takes a 15% commission on sales but other fairs don’t charge commission at all.
Opportunities - Exposure and sales are the usual motivations for participating in an art fair. Does the fair offer a good track record of marketing, advertising and outreach? Who visits the show? What are the past sales like? Are there media partners and influential sponsors?
Over Saturation - Some art fairs, especially those that offer an open call and paid entry can be extremely over saturated with artwork. So-much-so, that the show can end up looking like a jumble sale. This is why it’s important to research and regularly visit fairs to see which ones might be suitable in the future.
Networking - Similarly to the point about opportunities, what networking opportunities does the fair offer? Is there a private view opening? Will there be curators, collectors and influential people from the art world visiting? Will there be a chance to meet other artists?
Alignment - Does the overall ethos of the event complement the artwork being submitted? For example, if an artist is making work that is opposed to climate change and the art fair is sponsored by a petroleum company that may be a conflict of interest. Likewise, if the artwork has a ‘punk, rebellious spirit’ a traditional setting may not pull in the target audience.
Offerings - Will there be a press pack, media opportunities and in-house PR? Will there be a catalogue listing all works or a comprehensive website that will showcase the work digitally with links to artists social media channels or websites?
Application Process
As applications can become costly for open calls, it is really important to do research and assess each opportunity. I always think it’s best to punch above your weight and be ambitious. Pick a couple of the best opportunities but also go for some safe bets.
- Give sufficient time to complete applications as they can be time consuming.
- Research the ethos of the show: the organization's mission statement; any theme being implemented; see what has been accepted in previous years; find out who the curator is and the selection panel.
- High quality refined images and supporting texts are usually more successful than slinging in as many as possible and hoping something sticks.
Good luck on your application process!
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