Carlos Fentanes

Dear Carlos Fentanes,  
Our curator team has seen your artworks and finds these very impressive.  
PAKS Gallery and MAMAG Museum invite you to exhibit your art during the Cannes Film Festival, Art Basel Week and Carrousel du Louvre. You can also be part of these great exhibitions. 
Here i send You informations to the participations in the Biennials, as also about the possibility to be represented by the PAKS Gallery and show Your art in MAMAG Modern Art Museum. 

I received this note a few weeks ago and I thought that it could be a good example for one of my blogs. 

Gallery representation with one artwork with max size of 80cm x 80cm on the wall in the PAKS gallery + one artwork in the storage during the representation time. 
Cost of participation: 980 Euro. 

I’m not against paying for a curatorial selection for an exhibition but this is not the case, here they are not doing any kind of curatorial work: basically if you pay, you’re in, if you don’t pay you’re out. 

Why did I receive this message? Is it worth it? Can they tell me who is in besides me? Is this a serious gallery? I visit their website and what I saw is a lot of bad art with very little of proposal on it.  

What is the business model in this gallery? I mean, where most of the income comes from? Is it from selling art or from the “representation” fees? Just imagine that you have a thousand artists hungry for showing their work and you offer them an opportunity with no filters, very democratic, where there’s no necessary talent or quality, you just need to pay a very considerable sum of money if you compare it with other spaces, but they assure you an space in their gallery. That is good if you have to let your mother knows that you are an international artist with exhibitions in Europe, but it won’t help you in your career, there’s no serious collectors attending this shows. 

My advice? Do not waste your money in such events, they’re only there to take your money, not to promote your art.