u/0xlarissa

I’ve been hearing a lot lately that galleries are fading out.

From what I see, it kind of makes sense.

Artists can sell directly now.
Collectors can buy from anywhere.
NFTs and social removed a lot of friction.

So naturally people question the need for galleries.

But I don’t think they disappear.
I think they just have to change.

Some collectors I’ve met are totally fine buying remotely, through trust and relationships.
Others really want to see the work in person, feel it, experience it.

What’s different now is that galleries aren’t the gate anymore.
They don’t control access the same way.

So if a gallery is just showing work, it’s not enough.

Feels like now they have to actually bring something real: relationships, context, placement...

Otherwise there’s no reason.

And honestly, from an artist’s perspective, I feel like this is the best era we’ve had.

For a long time, galleries were the gate.

Now artists can build an audience, sell directly, and choose their collectors without waiting for validation.

Galleries aren’t useless but they feel more like a layer on top now (positioning, network, context), not the starting point.

Also feels like if your work doesn’t sell outside a gallery, it won’t suddenly sell inside one.

And if you can already build demand on your own, you’re not really dependent anymore.

This kind of piece is often what makes a body of work stand out , a clear element people start to recognize.

When it’s used less often, it feels more special and important. Keeping some works rare can change how people see and value them.

https://preview.redd.it/gtqtiafsr4wg1.jpg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a10f91891ffba3601db2073cd33eb9d44feacea1

Repetition builds recognition, but it can also flatten a work if it becomes too predictable. There’s a point where a motif stops generating tension and starts feeling automatic.

The challenge seems to be maintaining a consistent visual language while introducing enough variation to keep the work alive, without losing coherence.

How do you approach that balance in contemporary practice?

I’ve been repeating small ‘eyes’ across my paintings ; it started intuitively, but it’s become my signature.

It’s really important to find your signature. I see a lot of artists being everywhere stylistically, and it’s harder to build recognition that way. People tend to buy what you repeat, because it becomes something they recognize unconsciously.

This helped me a lot to grow as an artist. If I had to give one piece of advice to people trying to make a living from their art, it would be to lean into what naturally repeats in your work.