NCM Participant Profile July 2014: Matthew Krishanu

Matthew Krishanu, an NCM programme participant with SPACE, is a painter based in London.

What impact has New Creative Markets had on you?

I joined New Creative Markets at the beginning of 2013. At the time I was preparing for my two-person exhibition Another Country at The Nunnery, so it was perfectly timed to have support and advice for the forthcoming show. In particular, one-to-one advice from Mat Jenner (Relationship Manager, Arts Council England) helped me to obtain funding from ACE for the show. This had a direct impact on the work I made for Another Country — giving me the time and materials required to make larger and more ambitious work than before.

All the marketing and publicity advice (both workshops and one-to-ones) was really helpful, both for that show, and my forthcoming projects.

What aspect of the programme do you see yourself implementing?

There are various time management and organisational tips I received from the programme that I find myself regularly using. Beyond that, there was an overarching strategy and momentum I got from one-to-ones with Paul Hedge (Hales Gallery), that has helped me to focus on both developing my paintings and targeting venues I want to place them in.

What is the most useful thing you have learnt on the programme?

I think the advice on selling my paintings was perhaps the most useful thing for me — in terms of pricing work and making it available for sale. Working out a pricing structure with a couple of advisors really helped give me confidence in my prices, which then led to a number of sales.

Thank you to Matthew for answering our questions, we are looking forward to the new show!