The mechanism, and the money.
A purpose claim that cannot be examined is worth nothing. This page sets out how AARTY participates in the complete value chain rather than acting only as a gallery or a marketplace — and exactly how creators are paid.
From finding an artist to opening a market.
Discover
Finding artists — through artisan networks, institutions, open submission and word of mouth. Selection is on the work.
Develop
Working with an artist on format, scale and finish so the work suits contemporary interiors, without asking them to change their method.
Create
The artist makes the work, in their own material and their own tradition.
Collect
AARTY takes the work in on consignment. The creator sets the price and keeps ownership; the Studio holds it and offers it for sale.
Enhance
The studio adds value: framing, mounting, hand-texturing, surface enhancement, colour refinement, finishing, adaptation.
Curate
Works are selected into collections, ordered by a named curator, and photographed in controlled light.
Brand
The work is presented under the artist's name, with a credit line they have agreed to.
Connect
The work reaches buyers, designers, developers, hospitality operators, corporate and institutional collections.
The value addition, listed.
This is the part no marketplace does, and it is what a premium price is for. Every product page lists which of these were applied to that particular work.
The creator sets the price.
A creator decides what their work is worth, and keeps ownership of it. AARTY holds the work, finishes it, photographs it and offers it for sale. When it sells, the creator is paid their asking price in full, within seven days.
The retail price carries the creator’s price, the cost of the value addition the studio performed, and a margin. AARTY earns from the value it adds and the market it opens — never from paying an artist less than they asked.
This is income, not aid. There is no application assessed on need and no donation to distribute. But it is consignment, not purchase: until a work sells, no money has changed hands, and the work is still the creator’s.
A creator can take their work back at any time on two months’ notice. If a work has not sold after twelve months, AARTY will say so and ask the creator to collect it within thirty days. In both cases the creator settles the cost of the value addition already carried out on the work.
- Who sets the price The creator
- Who owns the work The creator, until it sells
- When they are paid Within 7 days of a sale
- If the work does not sell It goes back to the creator after 12 months
- Taking a work back early 2 months' notice
- Cost of getting it back The value addition already done
- Who holds copyright The creator
- How the work is credited Under the artist's name, as they agreed
Eight markets, not one shop.
A single gallery is one door. The reason the Grid can absorb work at volume is that it sells into several markets at once.
The ones worth asking.
Who can submit work? +
Artists, artisans and emerging creators. There is no qualification requirement and no age limit. Selection is on the work.
How is work selected? +
On whether the studio can find a market for it at a price the artist is happy with. Circumstances decide how AARTY supports someone reaching that market — never whether their work is good enough to be there.
Who decides the price? +
The creator. AARTY will say if it thinks a price will not sell, but the number is theirs.
When am I paid? +
Within seven days of the work selling. AARTY holds work on consignment, so nothing is owed before a sale.
Who owns the work while AARTY has it? +
You do. Ownership passes to the buyer on sale, never to AARTY.
What if the work does not sell? +
After twelve months AARTY will tell you and ask you to collect it within thirty days. You settle the cost of the framing and finishing already done, and the work is yours again.
Can I take my work back early? +
Yes, on two months' written notice, settling the cost of the value addition already carried out.
Do I keep copyright? +
Yes. AARTY buys the object, not the image rights. Reproduction is agreed separately and in writing.
Will my name be used? +
Only as you agree. Some artists are credited in full, some by first name and district. That is recorded, and it can be withdrawn.
What if I am under eighteen? +
A guardian must give verifiable consent before any personal data or image is processed. That consent is recorded, and a guardian can withdraw it at any time.
What does AARTY change about my work? +
Framing, mounting and finishing, and sometimes format or scale — agreed with you first. Never the method, the iconography or the composition.
How long does it take? +
From submission to a work being listed, typically six to twelve weeks, most of which is photography and finishing.
Four ways in.
For artists, artisans and emerging creators. Submit your work, or build a collection with the studio.
Submit your workFor buyers. Bring work into a home or a workplace that was made by someone whose name you know.
Shop the GridFor companies, institutions, CSR teams and designers. Commission, exhibit, mentor, sponsor, or open a market.
Partner with the GridFor anyone with a voice and a network. Making a creator visible is not a small contribution.
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