London-based Guts Gallery strives to challenge and change the traditional art business model by taking lower commission rates from artists. This model ensures that artists are financially empowered: seen as gallery partners and not employees. By doing so, they are ensuring that artists are not exploited due to their lack of business knowledge. Guts Gallery is also committed to championing artists from underrepresented backgrounds, such as Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and People of Colour (POC). Which makes their efforts relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Decent Work and Economic Growth.
In 2023, a report published by Industria and The Artists Information Company managed to show just how severe working conditions were for artists in the United Kingdom. Through an anonymous survey of 104 different artists based in the UK, findings showed that 76 per cent of the UK’s current working artists were paid below minimum wage, with an overall hourly median rate of £2.60. Yet as a comparison, minimum wage in the UK is set at £9.50 per hour. This reality further shows the importance of the fair financing system that Guts Gallery has put in place.
Guts Gallery’s artist-centered financing plan can be traced to the fact that its founder, Ellie Pennick, was once also a struggling artist. In an interview with Dixsy Magazine, Pennick shared her story of how in the summer of 2017, after working for some time as an artist, she was unable to attend the Sculpture Masters course at the Royal College of Art, all because she didn’t have sufficient funds for her tuition fees. This prompted her to think about how the art market operated as a whole, pushing her to find a business venture that could benefit artists in similar situations to herself.
The Guts Gallery was thus founded. First it stood as a nomadic gallery that later settled into their space at Sidings House in Hackney, London. This initial nomadic lifestyle showed the Guts team that a lack of accessible and supportive physical spaces for emerging artists was yet another problem in the art market. In response to this barrier, they created Guts Projects, an open call that aims to support emerging curators, collectives, gallerists, and most important of all, artists, by providing them access to use their gallery space for exhibitions for free.
Guts Projects also provides young exhibitors with other forms of support, including free exhibition photography to help them market their show, access to their press contacts, and even continuous advisory throughout the duration of their exhibition and preparations.
By prioritizing fair compensation for artists and championing artists from underrepresented backgrounds, Guts Gallery has created an innovative art business model, creating hope for a more equal future in the art market.
Find out more about Guts Gallery and their different exhibitions and initiatives by checking their Instagram at @guts_gallery.