Ideas for displaying artwork for an exhibition

nellipope · 21 Feb 2015

I need some help, some ideas and inspiration for an upcoming exhibition.

I've never had an exhibition before and was over the moon to be given the opportunity, however I now have the daunting task of having my work printed, mounted & framed and the cost is a little daunting.
I could get away with just having the artwork mounted, but to be brutally honest it's probably just cheaper to frame it. I need some cheap resources or original / innovative ideas to display the artwork (probably around 12-15 images).

Also . . . the gallery want to take a small cut from sales. I seriously doubt anyone will buy any (if you saw my artwork you would understand) but for the duration of the exhibition the artwork will be on sale, so I'm offering digital re-prints so the quality of the framing can be simple or innovative.

Any ideas?

Penny

nellipope · 21 Feb 2015

Might help if I gave approximate sizes, A2 & A1.

Alastair · 21 Feb 2015

Ask the gallery for their guidelines. It depends what suits the work, and whether or not the location means that the work will require any protection. Being consistent across the whole body of the work of usually most effective - or consistent in the inconsistency. Weight can be important for hanging and securing the work to the wall.

You'd be surprised what sells, a local photographer had an exhibition of some very dark themes and sold a very large percentage in the opening few days. Including a triptych that even he admitted to thinking of as unsellable.

viewfromthenorth · 21 Feb 2015

Why such large sizes? Framing is expensive, especially when you're doing a lot, and you're less likely to find ready made frames for A1 and A2 as there's less demand. You could try IKEA, but no idea what sizes they have and whether the quality is good enough for exhibitions.
Alternative ideas? Depends on your budget. Maybe spray mount it to foamboard or some other backing material? You also need to consider how you or the gallery will attach it to the wall.
You also need to remember that it's your name on the exhibition and your reputation. If it looks cheap and / or badly presented, people are less likely to take it seriously or consider buying it (unless that's part of the aesthetic of course).

nellipope · 22 Feb 2015

You're absolutely right! My style (for this exhibition) is quite dark / alternative and I suppose a little bit theatrical, the gallery is a very old quirky place and the artwork for their exhibitions is hung on metal mesh on the walls. Due to the nature of the artwork for this exhibition I would love to use old meathooks, but I maybe going a little overboard, I would rather the artwork speak for itself. One artist recently used bulldog clips (i'm not so sure) I think my best bet would be to simply mount them. Think I may consider scaling down to A2.

Daryl · 22 Feb 2015

Mount large size to foamex boards. Lite and cheap to produce . Also you cut shapes instead of rectangles did one of a crowd shot into a 6 foot crucifix once.

We now make and produce exhibition prints and displays. .

What idea's were you thinking of?

DuncanDisorderly · 22 Feb 2015

I had a few exhibitions with large prints.
The Ikea frames didn't distract from the images and were very cost effective, but you'll need to throw away the included mounts.

Mine are on the left wall (and behind the camera).

That was a good exhibition, I sold nearly half my work and more than covered my costs.

viewfromthenorth · 22 Feb 2015

nellipope said:
You're absolutely right! My style (for this exhibition) is quite dark / alternative and I suppose a little bit theatrical, the gallery is a very old quirky place and the artwork for their exhibitions is hung on metal mesh on the walls. Due to the nature of the artwork for this exhibition I would love to use old meathooks, but I maybe going a little overboard, I would rather the artwork speak for itself. One artist recently used bulldog clips (i'm not so sure) I think my best bet would be to simply mount them. Think I may consider scaling down to A2.

I've heard before of people using bulldog clips hanging from a wire strung along a wall. I was going to suggest it but erred against it as I didn't know what your gallery was like.
A2 is still a big piece to mount and frame whichever way you do it, especially when you multiply it by however many you exhibit. I hope your exhibition goes well though, I've got one in myself currently - it's a lot of work and expense but very satisfying to see your work on the walls of a gallery

retrosi · 23 Feb 2015

Hello Penny have you considered 'clip frames'?
Here are some but just search for - clip frame -
Because the backs are made from MDF you can easily attach the clip frames using one of these kits & loop the wire through the mesh wall.

nellipope · 26 Feb 2015

Thank you everyone. sorry for the delay, i wanted to check out a few options before responding.

DuncanDisorderly said:
I had a few exhibitions with large prints.
The Ikea frames didn't distract from the images and were very cost effective, but you'll need to throw away the included mounts.

Mine are on the left wall (and behind the camera).

That was a good exhibition, I sold nearly half my work and more than covered my costs.

Duncan. thankyou it didn't occur to me to try Ikea, I've had a browse on their online store and they have some simple black A2 frames, these will be perfect. A simple black frame is just what I was after. I tried a number of outlets, crazy prices! But I also managed to pick up a job lot of brand new frames from on ebay seller, arrived today BNWT. I just have the arduous task of trimming and framing now.