Checking a paid exhibition offer in the UK
Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026
Читать на русскомIdentify what the payment buys
Separate application fees, space hire, selected-participation charges, promotion and sales commission. Payment alone proves neither fraud nor quality. The key is the actual service and whether it suits your professional objective.
Artquest’s exhibition guidance ↗ helps compare routes. Reaching new audiences, selling, developing curator relationships and organising a group show involve different budgets and expectations.
Check organiser and venue
Independently confirm the address, dates, previous exhibitions and team. Contact the venue through its official channel if an intermediary approached you. Request sample catalogues, the programme and a clear description of the audience.
Check for meaningful selection criteria rather than identical invitations to everyone. “International”, “prestigious” and “collectors” are not evidence of attendance or sales. Ask previous participants about actual outcomes and whether terms were honoured.
Calculate the entire exposure
Include participation, production, framing, packing, transport, installation, insurance, travel and return of unsold work. Agree commission, VAT, payment timing after a sale and who receives buyers’ money. Do not base affordability solely on promised sales.
Artquest recommends planning what participation should achieve ↗. Establish whether you need documentation, relevant introductions, a new project or a demand test. Reduce the scale if the total is unaffordable without one crucial sale.
Agree terms before shipping
Record the works, condition, values, damage responsibility, storage, installation, cancellation, refunds and return date. Specify image permissions and duration. Sending an original for display should not become an unclear transfer of all rights.
Retain packing photographs and a signed inventory. Avoid “today only” payment pressure without documents and recipient checks. Obtain written clarification or specialist review of unclear terms. Compare open calls and artist-led projects so you evaluate genuine alternatives rather than a claimed once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.