Kudos acknowledges and pays respect to the Gadigal and Bidjigal people of the Eora nation. They are the traditional custodians of the land Kudos operates on. We create, design, share, and exchange our work and knowledge on this important meeting place. We pay our respects to elders past and present and extend that respect to any First Nations people who engage with Kudos. This is and always will be Aboriginal land.
What is an exhibition?
In simple terms, an art exhibition is where artworks are showcased to an audience. There are several different types of art exhibitions, including solo, group, curated, and public. These can be held in various locations including art galleries (commercial or institutional), experimental art spaces, public spaces, artist-run-initiatives and more creative and DIY sites like homes and kitchens. Different factors of an exhibition will determine where it happens.
What factors of an exhibition dictate it‘s space?
When putting on an exhibition there are some key elements you need to consider. For example, choosing the space where your exhibition is going to be held is dependent on a multitude of factors. For example, when choosing a gallery for an exhibition based on art discipline, a painter might want sparse white walls to highlight their artistry while an installation artist might opt for a space that they can completely transform leaving the walls redundant. If you have a exhibition with many artists, you may want to have a large space or choose intentionally to have a small one to give the visitor a cramped feeling. If you’re thinking conceptually, the site of the gallery may play an important role in your exhibition e.g. Kudos hosted Double Happiness (囍), an exhibition showcasing a contemporary take on the female experience within familial and romantic relationships in Chinese culture, in the heart of Sydney’s Chinatown, Haymarket. If you’re hiring a gallery, your budget may dictate the sort of space you can get access to.
How do galleries work?
Some spaces allow you to hire their venue, others do call-outs to apply. By doing a call-out, spaces then have the authority to decide what shows they wish to hold in their space and for what timeframe. To exhibit in a commercial gallery, you generally need to be represented by them or curated into a show by the organisation. Exhibitions at commercial gallery spaces are often an avenue through which to sell artwork. Institutional spaces like the Art Gallery of NSW or the MCA have rigorous internal procedures to decide who and what is showcased on their gallery walls. You can also choose the DIY method, to host an exhibition in your home, kitchen or another space you have free acess to.
What are the different types of exhibitions?
Solo exhibitions are when one artist showcases a body of work. It can either be a specific series they have been working on or a retrospective on years of practice. Group exhibitions involve multiple artists, designers and/or writers come together to put on an exhibition. This may be due to overlaps in their disciplinary practice or the concepts/themes their art practices explore. Some artists choose to work in collectives, that regularly showcase their work together. Curated exhibitions involve a curator who decides on a curatorial concept, bringing together artists’ work that explores their specific theme. Most major galleries work with curators to conceptualise shows and to determine which artists’ work will be showcased. Public exhibitions showcase art in spaces outside the gallery. Exhibiting work in public space is a great way to broaden the groups of people that interact with your work, however, it comes with an extended list of logistical requirements.