It all began with a curiosity.
While working as a self-employed art writer and digital marketing content creator, I was always eager to make my services known to online galleries, in the hope they would recommend me to their artists. And then one day I got curious and wondered, “How much commission do these galleries actually charge?” What I discovered made my jaw drop! After picking my jaw up off the floor and giving this some thought, the idea of Ground Zero Gallery was conceived.
It can be very difficult for creatives to make a living, and I say that as someone who has spent the last five years working as a self-employed writer, so I wanted to create a more cost-effective option that could help artists earn exactly what they deserve, every time. From the time I began creating bios and statements for artists back in 2020, I have always seen myself as someone who is in service of others, and that is exactly what I consider Ground Zero to be, a gallery in service of artists.
If you’re a visual artist and would like to join the gallery, I would love to have you! Simply fill out the contact form below, preferably with links to your works, and I’ll be in touch with you shortly. You can also check out the gallery’s Instagram page, here.
Bernadette Sanfilippo
Why does Ground Zero charge 0% commission?
It’s a good question.
Before launching Ground Zero Gallery, I spent 5 years creating bios and statements for nearly 100 visual artists, both within Australia and overseas. Among those nearly 100 artists, there wasn’t a single one who, at some point, hadn’t been discouraged, hadn’t questioned their capabilities and hadn’t experienced feelings of artistic unworthiness. Many were told they would never make it, many had unsupportive parents, and many had experienced the pressures of having to put their passion aside for decades for personal and financial reasons.
But as they each told me their stories, they all spoke of the very same internal experience - the artistic yearning that could never be shaken, the creative passion that could never be ignored, and the inner calling that could never be unheard.
I feel that if I take a commission out of your sale, I am claiming an entitlement to earnings that I believe I am not entitled to. When you felt discouraged, I wasn’t there. When you had your setbacks, I wasn’t there. When you found the internal strength to keep going, I wasn’t there. And when you spent years learning your craft, honing your skills, perfecting your talent and creating from your heart and soul, I also was not there.
I charge artists a low monthly subscription fee strictly to cover the time and costs associated with curating and maintaining their Ground Zero page, ensuring they have ongoing website visibility and personalised support and, most predominately, getting as many eyes onto their work and their website as consistently as I possibly can. That’s my job. That’s the service I provide. That’s when I am there.