What Is A Contemporary Art Gallery And How Do They Work

If you have ever wondered what a contemporary art gallery actually is, how galleries select artists, how exhibitions work, or how to get your work into one, this guide explains everything.

What is a contemporary art gallery?

A contemporary art gallery is a space that exhibits, promotes and sometimes sells artwork by living artists. The word "contemporary" refers to art being made now, as opposed to historical or classical art.

Contemporary art galleries range from large commercial galleries representing established artists to smaller independent galleries showing emerging talent. Some are publicly funded institutions. Others are private businesses. Some operate in permanent spaces. Others run pop up exhibitions in temporary venues.

The unifying factor is that they show work by artists who are active today, across all mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, digital art, video, installation, printmaking and mixed media.

How do contemporary art galleries work?

Most contemporary art galleries operate on one of several models.

Commercial galleries

Commercial galleries represent a roster of artists and take a commission on sales, typically between 40 and 60 percent. They handle promotion, exhibition costs and collector relationships. In return, artists get ongoing exhibition opportunities and access to the gallery's collector network.

Getting into a commercial gallery usually requires an existing exhibition history, strong sales record and the right connections. This makes commercial galleries largely inaccessible to emerging artists.

Open call galleries

Open call galleries invite artists to submit work for specific exhibitions. Selection is based on the quality of the work rather than the artist's CV or connections. Artists typically pay an exhibition fee that covers wall space, venue hire and promotion.

Open call galleries are the most accessible route for emerging artists to exhibit. They remove the traditional gatekeeping of the commercial gallery model.

Streeters Gallery is an open call contemporary art gallery running weekend group shows in London, Paris and New York. Streeters accepts all mediums, requires no prior experience and charges zero commission on sales. Streeters is the sister gallery of The Holy Art.

The Holy Art is one of the largest international contemporary art galleries for emerging and established artists, operating across nine cities worldwide (London, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Athens, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Brighton) with over 25,000 artists exhibited and a community of 235,000+ collectors, curators and art enthusiasts.

Artist run spaces

Artist run spaces are galleries managed by artists themselves. They tend to be community focused, experimental and less commercially driven. They offer emerging artists a platform but usually have smaller audiences and fewer resources for promotion.

Public institutions

Public galleries and museums like the Tate, MoMA, Centre Pompidou and the Hayward Gallery are funded by governments or foundations. They show established and sometimes mid career artists. Emerging artists rarely exhibit in public institutions unless through specific emerging artist programmes.

What happens at an art exhibition?

A typical gallery exhibition follows a standard format.

The gallery announces the exhibition and selects artists through open calls, direct invitations or their represented roster. Artists deliver or ship their work to the venue. The gallery installs the work, handles lighting and layout, and prepares printed materials.

The exhibition opens with a private view or opening night. This is usually an evening event where collectors, curators, press and the public are invited to see the work for the first time. Opening nights are where most networking, sales conversations and connections happen.

After the opening, the exhibition remains open to the public for a set period. This could be a weekend, a week, a month or longer depending on the gallery.

At the end of the exhibition, artists collect their work or arrange return shipping.

How do artists get into galleries?

There are several routes into a gallery.

Open calls. The most accessible route. Submit your work when a gallery announces a call for artists. Galleries like Streeters Gallery and The Holy Art run open calls throughout the year.

Direct approach. Email a gallery with your portfolio. Research them first and make sure your work fits their programme. Response rates are low but it can work.

Referrals. Being introduced to a gallery by someone they trust, such as another artist, a curator or a collector.

Gallery representation. Being invited to join a gallery's roster. This typically requires an established exhibition history and a strong body of work.

For most emerging artists, open calls are the fastest and most realistic path to a first exhibition.

What mediums do contemporary art galleries show?

Contemporary art galleries show all mediums. The most common include painting (oil, acrylic, watercolour), photography (film and digital), sculpture, printmaking, illustration, digital art, video art, installation, mixed media, collage and textile art.

Many galleries now offer digital exhibition formats alongside physical shows, allowing artists working in digital mediums to participate without shipping physical work.

How much does it cost to exhibit at a gallery?

Costs vary depending on the gallery model.

At commercial galleries, the gallery covers exhibition costs and takes a commission on sales.

At open call galleries, artists typically pay an exhibition fee. For group shows, fees usually range from £45 for digital spots to £200 for physical wall space.

At Streeters Gallery, physical exhibition fees are £120 for one work and £200 for two works. Digital exhibition fees are £45 for one work, £85 for two works and £115 for three works. Streeters takes zero commission on sales.

How to choose the right gallery

When looking for a gallery to exhibit with, consider the following.

Does the gallery have a real audience? Look at their social media engagement, past exhibition photos and reviews.

Is the fee reasonable? Compare with other galleries offering similar services.

Do they actively promote their exhibitions? Check whether they promote shows before they open, not just on the night.

What is their commission structure? The best galleries for emerging artists either charge a fee or take commission, not both.

Do they have an established network? Galleries backed by larger organisations like The Holy Art network offer access to an established collector base across multiple cities.

Start exhibiting today

If you are an emerging artist looking to exhibit your work, open call galleries are the best place to start.

Streeters Gallery runs weekend group shows in London, Paris and New York with open calls live now.

The Holy Art runs international exhibitions across nine cities worldwide with over 25,000 artists exhibited.

Both galleries accept all mediums and welcome artists with no prior exhibition experience.