How to Hold a Solo Exhibition (Finding a Venue)
!! I have switched this article to be free and publicly available to give you a taste of what my membership articles are like !!
For those who draw, a solo exhibition is an event you'll want to try at least once! Even if you think, 'I want to hold one!', most people probably don't know where to start.
I was also fumbling around at first, searching for various things, asking acquaintances and gallery owners, and going through trial and error...
That same person now holds about two solo exhibitions a year, one in Kansai and one in Kanto. Since I am often asked by budding illustrators and new gallery owners about how to hold a solo exhibition and the preparations I actually make, I decided to write about it on note, sharing the preparations I usually make after about 10 years of continuing to hold exhibitions.
Since this is based on my own experience, I would be happy if those of you thinking about holding an exhibition in the future could use it as a reference!
When artists or illustrators hold an exhibition, there are various ways to do so, such as group exhibitions with other artists, participating in events, or participating in planned exhibitions organized by galleries. This time, however, I would like to talk about the preparations and methods for holding a 'solo exhibition,' where you have complete freedom to display your work in a single space all by yourself.
(It looks like this will be long, so I will post it in several parts.)
The simple flow of a solo exhibition is something like this:
◆ Deciding on a theme
◆ Finding a venue
◆ Creating works and framing
◆ Creating merchandise
◆ Creating captions and price tags
◆ Promoting
◆ Packing
◆ Installation
◆ Exhibition
◆ Removal
This time, out of this flow, I will talk about these two:
◆ Deciding on a theme
◆ Finding a venue
I will talk about these two.
[ Deciding on a theme ]
First, decide on the content you want to exhibit.
If this isn't firmly decided, things will get messy later, so I think it's better to set it firmly at the beginning.
Also, depending on the venue, you may need to submit the content of your exhibition and your artistic style as part of the screening process to rent the space.
Therefore, once you decide you want to hold a solo exhibition, it is important to decide, even if just roughly, what kind of pictures you want to display and how.
For example,
I'll make it a solo exhibition displaying many pictures depicting the world of fairy tales!
or
My World Exhibition, where I display all the pictures I usually draw
Something rough like that is fine.
In my case, since I have been drawing all my pictures with almost the same theme (I have been drawing my ideal city for a long time), I don't have a specific individual theme for each solo exhibition. However, when I rent a new venue, I always provide a portfolio summarizing my past works or a link to my social media so they can understand my art style and see what I usually draw.
[ Finding a venue ]
Next, find a venue.
This can be quite difficult at first.
I think it is relatively easy to rent a venue called a rental gallery.
There are various ways to find a gallery, but it is good to search for 'rental gallery' on the web or look into galleries you have actually visited.
And it is easier to search if you decide on the criteria for your search first.
For example, if you want to hold it in Tokyo:
- A place near a station close to the city center
- A place close to your home (or the hotel you are staying at)
- A place with low gallery fees
- A place where the atmosphere of the venue matches your pictures
etc...
It's a bit like looking for a rental property when moving.
I often think about what kind of place would be easy for customers to visit from their perspective.
If it's near the city center, they can stop by somewhere else to have fun on their way home after seeing the exhibition, for example...
Going out of one's way to visit is a really high hurdle, especially for an exhibition one is seeing for the first time, so I think it's better if it's a place where people think, 'I'll go see the exhibition while I'm out having fun!'
As for gallery fees, they really vary widely.
I think there are mainly two types in terms of form.
Example 1
・6-day rental
・Gallery staff present during the exhibition (handles payments, etc.)
・The artist does not need to be present at all times
・Gallery fee for 6 days: tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yen
・Sales commission: 10-40% of the total sales of works and merchandise
Example 2
・6-day rental
・The artist is present during the exhibition and handles everything, including payments and locking up the gallery
・Gallery fee for 6 days: tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yen
・No sales commission
The difference is whether or not gallery staff are present during the exhibition.
It is truly physically demanding for an artist to be present at all times, so it is very helpful to have staff handle payments and other tasks while you are away!
However, a commission fee is naturally incurred for that service.
In my case, I enjoy chatting with customers while I'm at the gallery, so I always look for a gallery where I can handle everything myself.
I have rented galleries with staff before, and both have their merits, so I hope you can find an exhibition venue that suits you...!
Also, there are galleries that do not charge a sales commission even if staff are present, and others that do charge a commission even if there are no staff, so it is important to do your research regardless!
As for a general sense of gallery costs in Tokyo:
If you want to exhibit in a crowded area near the city center of Tokyo, I imagine it costs about 150,000 to 400,000 yen for 6 days.
For areas slightly outside the city center or places with less foot traffic, I think it's about 60,000 to 150,000 yen for 6 days.
Prices have been rising a lot lately, so it might be even higher than this...
I know the cost is a major concern, but I think the atmosphere of the gallery is also very important, so finding a place that suits your work is the best thing to do!
Also, speaking of Tokyo, I believe that the types of art that are preferred vary depending on the location within the city.
While also considering the age group that visits those areas...
I think Ginza is suitable for painting styles like oil paintings and Japanese paintings, Shibuya for subculture-style pop art, and Kichijoji or Koenji for picture book-style illustrations.
The best shortcut is to first visit the areas or galleries where you would like to exhibit!
If you want to try it, please take action!
There was a time when I used to go around visiting galleries and handing out my business card if the gallery owner was present (lol).
That sometimes led to being invited to group exhibitions, so please enjoy visiting various galleries.
This has been a long post, but I have talked about the first hurdles in holding a solo exhibition: deciding on a theme and finding a venue!
I would be very happy if this serves as a reference for those who are thinking about getting started.
I will talk about the rest at a later date!
Please stay tuned.