For artists
Submitting your work to Osner Gallery
We are asked about representation almost every day, and we are glad of it. This page explains how we represent artists now, what we look for, and how to submit your work so that it reaches our curator in the form we need.
How it works
How we represent artists now
Osner Gallery moved from a very large space at the Cape Quarter to a smaller gallery in Hout Bay, and there is simply not the wall space to hang whole portfolios for new artists. So we have changed the model. Rather than represent an artist’s entire body of work, we choose individual pieces, or a curated group from a portfolio, and represent those.
What representation means
- Selected works are shown and sold through our online gallery, osnerartgallery.com, with worldwide distribution.
- Work is produced as print on demand, so nothing sits in a storeroom and every print is made to order.
- Photographic work is printed to archival standard, with pigment inks on acid free fine art paper, and carries a digital signature.
- Osner Gallery issues a certificate of authenticity with every purchase.
- Some selected work is also shown on the gallery walls in Hout Bay, or in an exhibition, when the opportunity is right.
What we ask of an artist
- Full disclosure of every gallery and online platform where your work is represented or for sale. We do not compete with our artists, so work that is already established for sale online elsewhere will not be considered.
- Exclusivity on the works we select, or on the portfolio, if a whole portfolio is selected.
- A full resolution, print ready file for each selected work.
- The gallery commission is agreed individually once work has been selected.
What we look for
Work that belongs on our walls
Osner Gallery sells predominantly southern African work, and everything we show has to sit comfortably beside the fine art photography and mixed media of Martin Osner and Samantha Lee Osner. We are looking for work that moves people, not work that records a place.
We are looking for
- Fine art photography.
- Mixed media built on photography.
- Work with an emotional charge, that a viewer stops in front of.
- Work that can be produced as a print on demand.
- Work made predominantly in southern Africa, or by artists who practise here.
We are not looking for
- Paintings, because they cannot be produced as print on demand.
- Calendar style or postcard style work.
- Historical or archival photographs.
- Work that is already established for sale online through other galleries or platforms.
- Snapshots. If a photograph does not carry feeling, it is not for the gallery, however well it was taken.
What to send
Seven works, and the reason behind each one
Choose the seven works you feel most worthy of representation, fewer if you prefer, and for every one tell us why you made it. Not how it was made, what camera or what technique, but why. What is its purpose, and what do you want the viewer to feel? That story is as important to us as the picture.
With the work we need an artist statement, a short biography we could publish, a portrait of you, your contact details, and where in the world you practise.
What happens next
You will get an email confirming that your submission has been received and placed on file for our curator. If an opportunity arises for your work, we will contact you directly.
Please understand
We are a small team, and we are not able to give feedback on submissions. Please do not resubmit the same work. If you do not hear from us, it is not a judgement on you, it means there is no opportunity for that work at the moment.
Submit your work
Ready to send us your work?
The form takes about twenty minutes if you have your statement, biography, portrait and seven files ready. You will need a Google account to upload your files. Your details are kept on file for this purpose only, as set out in our privacy policy.
Do I need to be represented nowhere else?
No. Many good artists have a gallery already. What we ask is that you disclose every one, and that the works you submit to us are not already established for sale online elsewhere, because we do not compete with our artists.
Can I submit paintings?
Not at present. Everything we take on is produced as print on demand, and a painting cannot be. Photography, and mixed media built on photography, is what we are looking for.
What size files should I send?
JPEG files with the longest side around 2000 pixels are enough for the submission. If a work is selected we will ask for the full resolution, print ready file then.
Will you tell me why my work was not chosen?
We wish we could, but with the number of submissions we receive we cannot offer feedback. Your submission stays on file, and if an opportunity arises for it we will be in touch.
What does the gallery take?
The gallery commission is discussed individually once a work or a portfolio has been selected, not before.
Who are the artists you represent now?
You can see them on our represented artists page.