How I Got Gallery Representation and What I Learned from Exhibiting Internationally in My First Year
In 2021 I set up a new Instagram account.
No strategy. No plan. Just a place to share work I was making quietly in my spare time while working full time in the VFX industry.
My first very amateur DIY photoshoot (in my living room) for my new instagram account.
Two weeks later an email arrived from a gallery in Madrid.
I thought it was a scam.
It wasn't.
The First Gallery - Van Gogh Gallery Madrid
The Van Gogh Gallery offered me representation and an exhibition. I said yes, partly out of excitement, partly out of disbelief that it was actually happening.
That first show led to four exhibitions with the gallery across two years:
- Insight - Contemporary Art Exhibition, Van Gogh Gallery, Madrid. January 2024
- Bruxelles International Art Fair, Brussels. November 2023
- UN/FAIR Milano - Milan International Art Fair. March 2024
- Stage - Contemporary Art Exhibition, Van Gogh Gallery, Madrid. April 2024
Four shows. Three countries. All from an email I nearly dismissed.
The Second Gallery - Artio Gallery, Toronto
Then a second cold email arrived. Artio Gallery, based in Toronto.
Same moment of - is this real? Same answer: yes.
Artio took my work further than I'd imagined possible in such a short time:
- Interconnecting Lines - One Art Space, New York City. April 2024
- Beyond Borders - European Museum of Modern Art, Barcelona. June 2024
- Women in Art Biennale London - Chelsea Old Town Hall. September 2024
In London I received the Women in Art Excellence Award, recognising outstanding achievement and impact in the visual arts.
New York. Barcelona. London. Seven exhibitions across six cities in under two years.
What I Actually Learned
A few honest things nobody tells you about gallery representation and international exhibitions at this level:
It costs money. Exhibiting internationally isn't free - there are fees, shipping costs, framing, travel. Going in with eyes open about the financial reality is essential. I funded everything myself and learned a great deal about cash flow the hard way.
The work has to be ready before the opportunity arrives. Both galleries contacted me cold, I didn't pitch to them. What was ready was the work and a visible Instagram presence showing it. That was enough. You cannot manufacture that moment but you can make sure the work is there when it comes.
Saying yes to everything isn't always the right answer. Seven exhibitions in under two years while working full time and building a business from scratch is ambitious. I learned the value of sustainable pace, of building the foundations properly so that when the next opportunity arrives, you're ready to make the most of it.
The credibility is permanent. The exhibitions happened. The award exists. That CV follows the work forever regardless of what comes next. Every show you do adds to a body of evidence that the work is worth taking seriously.
The Liverpool studio - where the work became serious.
What Comes Next
I'm back in the studio, building toward the next chapter of exhibitions - this time with the business infrastructure, the website, the collector base and the brand properly in place.
If you'd like to be among the first to hear about new work and upcoming shows:
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