This week, in our seventh and penultimate interview with Thierry Bigaignon, we look at how things are shaping up a week before the gallery opening. We will talk about the rules of communication and marketing used to publicize the gallery and to expand its network.
We have followed Thierry Bigaignon for eight weeks and published weekly interviews leading up to the gallery opening on June 9 at 6 p.m.
Will you be hiring any staff?
The answer to this question is not obvious, for several reasons. First, galleries are rarely big in size, and start-up galleries even less so. As Baudoin Lebon said in an interview I once read, “you either have a tiny gallery, with low overhead and small staff, or you have a larger organization and need to find capital. The medium sized gallery is not optimal.” Contrary to other types of businesses, hiring is not central to my strategy. That said, in order to be able to have good working conditions and to grow, one must delegate. For the moment, in addition to numerous high-quality contractors whom I have used to help set up the gallery, I choose to surround myself with very professional, independent people from outside, like Nathalie Dran for media relations, or Marie Gayet who will be helping me at the gallery and with whom I will consult on a number of curatorial choices, as well as Emilie Poisson, very experienced in the matter, who will oversee the running of the gallery. Over time, as new needs arise, I will undoubtedly address those needs by recruiting other staff.
What role will social networking play in promoting your gallery and your artists?
Social networks are clearly essential these days, and they will become even more essential over the next months and years. The gallery will be present and active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and we even have a budget allocated for social media. That said, one must not surrender to fashions at the risk of losing sight of what really matters: the goal! To take a grotesque example, Periscope and Snapchat may very well be trendy, but these platforms do not (at least for the moment) correspond to the needs of a gallery. I believe you have to use innovative tools when they allow you to meet your goals, and not just because they’re innovative. It’s a delicate balance which one will probably be able to achieve over time, even if by trial and error!
In general terms, what is your communications strategy?
I am a strong believer in the triad of media relations + social networking + online sales platforms, each one reinforcing the others. I also think that online sales will soon account for a significant portion of the turnover of galleries. So I am very pleased that we have been chosen by Artsy, a world leader in the field, even while other galleries were not given this opportunity. And so Ralph Gibson’s new work will be available on Artsy starting next week.
This is just the first step; it remains to be seen whether we manage to finalize any sales through this channel. As for the rest, I really think that the main task of a gallery, in terms of communication, is based on proximity: knowing collectors, keeping in touch with them, and retaining their business; inviting art lovers and the media to discover the work of an artist at the gallery; being present and visible within the diverse cultural agendas, specialized guides and catalogs; and of course attending art fairs as much as possible.
One last thing on the topic of communication: when will you announce the name of the artist whose work is to be shown after Ralph Gibson?
Next week! For the moment, all my energy is focused on the opening of the inaugural exhibition, Vertical Horizon by Ralph Gibson on June 9th, but I will give you the first news of that announcement during our next and last interview next Thursday, I promise!
EXHIBITION
Vertical Horizon
Ralph Gibson
From 10th June to 27th August 2016
Galerie Thierry Bigaignon
Hotel de Retz – Bâtiment A
9 rue Charlot
75003 Paris
France
http://www.thierrybigaignon.com
http://www.ralphgibson.com
