Taking a leap and booking a gallery space for your first exhibition is huge! It’s scary, risky and unbelievably fun. Alana Naylor has bravely plunged in, displaying her digital drawings at The LAB for Project Play.
Alana is based in Cairns, has traveled the world and this year she won the Adelaide Fringe Poster Competition with her artwork ‘Fleurs de Fringe’. This amazing recognition has catapulted her from experimenting with her drawings through her Project Play Instagram account to collaborating with a team of creatives to pull off a genre-defying, visual art experience. I first came across her work when I saw the Fringe poster competition announced and was totally delighted by her crisp vector illustrations. Alana contacted me to officially open the exhibition, which I see as an absolute honour and privilege. (Here’s hoping I don’t talk too fast and say limited ummmms). I jumped at the opportunity to support a female led project in the digital space. With Alana Naylor making her playful illustrations and Grace Coy producing the event, this is going to be incredible!
So did Alana just hit the jackpot and get lucky? Absolutely not. Getting your first gallery gig might seem like it came easy for some, but it always comes with a lot of hard work, leading up to that moment of finally having a body of work to show the world. It takes guts and I’m totally amazed by Alana’s humility and grace preparing for this exhibition. She’s admittedly scared, but she’s walking with her head high and putting in a bucket load of planning and hard work into making it happen.
My three suggestions for getting your work in a gallery are apply, apply and keep applying. Work hard and keep applying. There’s really no simple equation for getting your first solo exhibition, but take inspiration from Alana by applying for opportunities and connecting with other like-minded creatives. That’s what will lead you toward your goal.
Alana has a unique style and I can’t wait to experience the event on Tuesday 21st Feb 2023 at 6:30pm. The moving artwork will be accompanied by Bend, a 10-piece band, that generate high energy improvised music and playful tunes. All the event details are here.