Galleries Prioritize Vision Over Market Trends

Leading curators discuss the driving forces behind artist selection

Discerning galleries are increasingly prioritizing artists who challenge conventions and expand artistic dialogues, rather than focusing on immediate market appeal. This approach is shaping the landscape of contemporary art, highlighting a commitment to groundbreaking work.

Defining Artistic Excellence

Sadie Coles, a prominent voice in contemporary art and founder of Sadie Coles HQ in London, champions a forward-thinking curation strategy. She seeks out artists creating significant and boundary-pushing art.

Coles’s gallery showcases a diverse yet focused selection, featuring conceptual innovators like Darren Bader and Richard Prince, alongside accomplished figurative painters such as Isabella Ducrot and Georgia Gardner Gray.

Expanding the Canon

Echoing this sentiment, Stefan Benchoam, director of Proyectos Ultravioleta in Guatemala City, explained his gallery’s artist acquisition philosophy. The focus is less on market implications and more on an artist’s ability to push and expand the canon.

Benchoam’s gallery represents influential artists from his region, including Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Vivian Suter, Edgar Calel, and Regina José Galindo.

Embracing New Media

Coles, who established her gallery in 1997, believes that continually updating an artist roster is crucial for relevance. She noted that recent additions to her program, such as Karimah Ashadu, Meriem Bennani, Diego Marcon, and Arthur Jafa, all work with film and video.

She stated, That is in part because I think so much work being made with moving image actually represents our time so brilliantly.

A Shift in the Art Market

This emphasis on artistic merit and innovation aligns with broader trends in the art world. For instance, the global contemporary art market saw a significant increase in the value of works by emerging artists in recent years, reflecting a growing collector interest in pioneering creators (Art Basel & UBS Global Art Market Report 2023).