What Is a Virtual Solo Exhibition - And Is It Right for You?

A group open call puts your work alongside ten, fifteen, or twenty other artists. That context is valuable – but it is not the only context that matters. Sometimes what you need is a space that is entirely yours: your work, your story, your practice, presented in depth without being one piece among many.

A virtual solo exhibition is that space. Here is what it is, what it includes, and how to know whether it is the right step for where you are in your practice.

What a virtual solo exhibition actually is

A virtual solo exhibition is a dedicated page on a gallery website presenting a single artist’s body of work. Unlike a group exhibition – where each artist has a section within a larger whole – a solo exhibition gives you the full space. Your work is the exhibition. There is no competition for attention, no context set by other artists, no theme you need to fit into.

At Marea Gallery, a solo exhibition includes a dedicated page presenting up to 15 of your works, a curatorial introduction written by curator Tamara Perusic, full artwork details and your artist statement, social media promotion on Instagram and Facebook, a YouTube video presentation, and archiving on the gallery website for one year.

How it differs from a group open call

Scale. A group exhibition typically shows one work per artist. A solo exhibition shows up to 15 – giving collectors, curators, and followers a complete picture of your practice, not a single representative piece.
Focus. In a group show, your work shares space and attention. In a solo exhibition, every element of the page – the introduction, the layout, the sequence of works – is built around you.
The curatorial introduction. A solo exhibition includes a written introduction by the curator – a text that frames your practice, your themes, and your work for the viewer. This is something a group show cannot offer, and it adds a layer of editorial credibility that self-published content doesn’t carry.
The timeline. Group exhibitions are tied to edition cycles. A solo exhibition opens when you are ready – the timing is built around your work and your schedule.

A solo exhibition gives collectors, curators, and followers a complete picture of your practice – not a single representative piece.

Who a solo exhibition is for

A solo exhibition is not the right next step if you are very early in your practice and still finding your direction – not because early work doesn’t deserve visibility, but because the format works best when there is enough work to show a coherent body, not just individual pieces.

If you are at that stage, a group open call is the better starting point. Build exhibition credits, develop your statement, grow your body of work – and return to the solo format when you have more to show.

What the process looks like

You submit an application at mareagallery.com/exhibitions/solo-exhibition – including a short bio, an artist statement, a description of the body of work, and a link to your portfolio.
Tamara reviews your application and portfolio within two weeks and confirms whether the work is a good fit for a Marea Gallery solo exhibition.
After confirmation, you send up to 15 high-resolution images with full artwork details.
Tamara writes the curatorial introduction and builds the exhibition page.
The exhibition goes live – with social media promotion on Instagram and Facebook, a YouTube video presentation, and the page archived for one year.

Apply for a Marea Gallery solo exhibition

Solo exhibitions at Marea Gallery are available to visual artists at any stage of their career – the selection is based on the work and the readiness of the body of work to be presented as a whole, not on exhibition history or credentials.

Find out more and apply at mareagallery.com/exhibitions/solo-exhibition.