"If I were the gallerist Iâd want to wring their necks, and if I were the artist Iâd be popping champagne before the ink even dried."
Monday Bitch #7 - When loyalty costs more than ambition
Gallerists, youâre there from the start. Youâre the one who discovered them. You took the risk when the work was still raw, when nothing was guaranteed, when the only person convinced this artist mattered was you. Youâre the one who showed up, pushed, defended, explained, carried.
And then, out of nowhere, on some random Tuesday, a mega gallery suddenly develops a massive crush on your artist. They act like theyâve discovered some rare treasure, completely ignoring the fact that youâre the one whoâs been polishing it for years.
And artists, your reality in that moment is a whole other thing. When a big gallery calls, something flickers inside you. Itâs flattering. Itâs surreal. Itâs like someone just opened a door you werenât even sure you were allowed to knock on. You immediately picture the bigger booths, the louder buzz, the slicker operation. No one can blame you. Youâve been hustling. Youâve earned the attention. The fantasy writes itself in about three seconds.
Which brings me to both of you, because this moment belongs to everyone involved. I work with galleries that actually care about their artists, the ones who hold you up, who steady you, who catch you when you wobble. Not every space does that, and sadly not every artist notices the difference until itâs gone. Because yes, you can rise fast. But if you slip from the top floor, who grabs you on the way down? It happens more often than anyone likes to admit, even though I wish for every one of you out there that it never does.
But hereâs where it gets real, for both sides.
Some artists leap. They chase the height, the spectacle, the machinery. Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes the fall from that height is brutal. Every path is different.
But some artists stay.
And that choice is everything.
Some stay because loyalty means something to them.
Some stay because the person who discovered them is the person they trust.
Some stay because the bond matters more than the glitter.
Some stay because community is not a cute slogan to them, itâs the spine of their work.
Some stay because they know exactly who believed in them before the world pretended it always did.
And gallerists, those artists who stay with you, they are your proof. Proof that your labor, your risk, your belief, your discovery was not a stepping stone. Proof that the story you built together has weight.
And artists, those galleries who saw you first, who discovered you, who held the line for you when nobody else cared, that is not something youâll easily find twice.
In the end, the artist chooses and the gallerist accepts, and whether the story ends or keeps growing, what you built together deserves its place. Respect goes to those who earned it. Always keep that in mind.
đ What do you think matters more, the leap or the landing?
Heart lighter.
Monday Bitch. Every Monday.
And yes, spill your own Monday Bitch in the comments.
Author: Dominique Foertig is the founder and editor of Catapult, The New Munchies Art Club, a Vienna-based curatorial and editorial platform for contemporary art.
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