How to Approach a Gallery Without Making It Weird
You'd love to exhibit your work.
You've found a gallery that feels perfect.
Now what?
Approaching galleries can feel intimidating, particularly when you're early in your career.
But galleries are run by people.
And like most professional relationships, a little research and a respectful approach go a long way.
First: actually research the gallery
Don't send the same email to fifty galleries.
Look at what they exhibit.
What kind of artists do they work with?
Do they show emerging artists?
Do they accept exhibition proposals?
Are they commercial, artist-run, publicly funded or a hire-based space?
Does your work actually make sense there?
Being selective will save both you and the gallery time.
Check their submission process
Before emailing anyone, look at their website.
There may already be submission guidelines.
Follow them.
If they ask for five images, don't send twenty-seven.
If they have an annual exhibition call-out, apply through it.
If they explicitly say they aren't accepting submissions, respect that.
Go to their exhibitions
If the gallery is local, show up.
See the space.
Attend openings.
Understand their program.
You don't need to immediately introduce yourself and pitch your entire career to the director while they're trying to run opening night.
Just become familiar with the gallery and its community.
Keep your first email simple
Introduce yourself.
Explain why you're contacting that particular gallery.
Include a short description of your practice.
Link to your website or portfolio.
Then explain what you're actually asking.
Are you proposing an exhibition?
Looking for representation?
Asking about future opportunities?
Make it clear.
Have your materials ready
Before approaching galleries, prepare:
A short artist bio
Artist statement
Artist CV
High-quality images
Artwork details
Website or online portfolio
Instagram or relevant social links
Exhibition proposal, if applicable
Make it easy for someone to understand your practice.
Personalise your approach
There is an enormous difference between:
“Dear Gallery, I would love you to represent my artwork.”
and:
“I recently visited your exhibition featuring X and was particularly interested in the way the program explores Y. My own practice focuses on…”
Show them why you're contacting them.
Don't attach enormous files
Nobody wants a 47MB email.
Create a concise PDF portfolio or provide a link to your website.
Your portfolio should be easy to open, easy to understand and visually clean.
Follow up — once
If you haven't heard anything after a reasonable amount of time, a polite follow-up is completely okay.
Keep it brief.
If you still don't hear back, move on.
Repeated emails probably aren't going to change the answer.
A no isn't necessarily about your work
A gallery may love your work and still not have space for it.
Their program might already be planned two years ahead.
They might already represent someone with a similar practice.
They may not be taking on new artists.
Your work may simply not fit their curatorial direction.
Rejection is part of working in the arts.
It isn't always a judgement on whether your work is good.
Build relationships, not just opportunities
The strongest gallery relationships often develop over time.
Keep making work.
Attend exhibitions.
Support the arts community.
Apply for opportunities.
Develop your practice.
And approach galleries thoughtfully when there is a genuine fit.
You don't need every gallery to want your work.
You need to find the spaces where your work makes sense.
The Creative Toolkit is a growing collection of practical resources from The Rundle Collective, created to help emerging creatives navigate the business, opportunities and realities of building a creative practice.
