Solo online exhibition

Solo online exhibition

Some time ago I wrote a review for Art show International Gallery. It is an article about the experiences and concerns I had while applying for the open call contest through this online gallery.

Go to a previous post!

www.annakoh.com/blog/review-of-art-show-international-gallery

Some people have a negative critical view of the artist open call or various competitions, but as an artist, I think I need this kind of opportunity. Without such a passage, we will be too trapped in our own world and there will be no development. It's important to do your own work, but sometimes I think it's important to experience how the world works.

However, due to the speciality of the artist's job, where they have to fight alone for a long time in the studio, there are not many sites, organizations, or mentors that can tell which competitions are suitable, beneficial, or helpful for such artists.

  In my experience, I know these things through a lot of trial and error. I've made mistakes many times before. Maybe that's why now, after applying for such a contest, I can't accept the message from the organizers saying, "We inform you that your work has been selected for this contest. Congratulations."

 In some cases, a message is sent to everyone that they have been selected without a review or screening process, and even if there is, there are cases where it is accepted as part of marketing to maintain the organization or site. There are so many of these galleries, competitions, and organizations on the Internet that it's hard to even really know what's authentic and what's worth it. So, artists also have to do a lot of research and study. Only then can you properly publicize your work and protect your own creative world. Maybe that's why artists are given a very busy day to do just creation.

In this sense, I applied as a solo exhibition part for an online art show (Art Show International Gallery), as stated in the previous post. The entry fee was about $35, which is about the same as the registration fee for participating in an average competition, and I sent about 5 images. Then, I received a message that I was selected for an online solo exhibition.

But my troubles started after that. In other words, after being selected, additional money was requested through various options. I've emailed the director questions about this aspect. If they don't respond to my request, I will forget the fact that I was generously chosen and decide to do something that never happened.

 However, the director accepted my request with relatively common sense, even though there were several communication errors. And through this, I definitely learned about the option of holding a solo online exhibition for two months, for example for $50, without paying a huge amount of money.

 ​So, I decided to exhibit my work in this gallery for exactly two months, and we finished our negotiations with each other.

​Once selected as a solo exhibition, enter the form below, enter information such as artist statement, site, and Instagram, and upload 10 paintings to be exhibited with detailed explanations, and everything is finished. 

​For reference, I uploaded 10 pictures below. In my experience, I rarely sell a painting through this kind of contest or online exhibition. Rather, paintings are sold in galleries in the area where I live. In other words, more marketing means are needed to sell paintings on the Internet, which seems to be difficult for individual painters to handle. I think it's fortunate that even a platform that shows like this exists, but if someone really thinking about nurturing artists, it would be better if they do marketing activities together. In the case of this gallery, you have to pay extra money for this. There are many contradictions for artists who make a living by painting.