How to Join

The gallery currently has 6 full partners and 14 rookie partners.

We are currently looking for 1 new full partner and 2 new rookie partners.

Read more about both our programs below.

Read more about our team on the “About” page of this website.

dark@darkgallery.dk

Become a Full Partner

Becoming a full partner gives you the opportunity to exhibit, curate and host events at the gallery throughout the year.

For your own exhibition programme, you have full use of the gallery and can either present your own work or curate external artists. Each year, you can choose between one three-week exhibition period or two two-week periods.

You are also invited to exhibit or curate as part of our annual four-week Copenhagen Photo Festival programme and can take part in other cultural festivals and group exhibitions throughout the year. Through our new gallery exchange programme, you can also access opportunities to exhibit at partner galleries across Europe.

As a full partner, you can host workshops and events and receive support with project development, networking, grant applications, PR and more.

The gallery is staffed by volunteers. You are responsible for organising staffing for your own exhibitions and events, with support from our staffing assistant.

Your monthly contribution is DKK 1200.00. If you have a CVR, your contribution is fully tax deductible. There is a 3-month deposit plus a DKK 200 key deposit.

Benefits:

Solo Exhibitions & Curatorial Projects: Take over the full gallery each year to showcase your own photography or curate external artists. Choose between one three-week exhibition period or two two-week periods.
Copenhagen Photo Festival & Other Festivals: Exhibit and/or curate as part of our annual four-week Copenhagen Photo Festival programme, with your exhibition officially included in the festival programme. Your projects can also be linked to other cultural and arts festivals throughout the year.
Gallery Exchange Programme: Access opportunities to exhibit at partner galleries across Europe through our growing network of artist-run gallery exchanges.
Group Shows & Pop-ups: Take part in group exhibitions, pop-ups and smaller projects throughout the year, or exhibit alongside other projects when space is available.
Open Calls: Use the gallery to host open calls for your own curatorial projects, helping you discover new artists and expand your professional network.
Full Artistic Freedom: Develop your exhibitions with full artistic freedom, experimenting with different formats, media and ideas.
Keep 100% of Your Sales Revenue: Sell your work directly to buyers and retain all revenue from your artwork sales.
Discounted Printing & Darkroom Access: Benefit from partner discounts on professional photo printing, darkroom access and other photography services.
Host Workshops: Develop and host workshops in photography, film and sound art, promoted through the gallery’s social media channels. You retain the revenue, with 10% of profits contributed to the gallery, while covering workshop-related costs. Workshop hosts must have a CVR number and appropriate business insurance.
Community & Collaboration: Become part of an artist-run community of photographers and creatives, with opportunities to collaborate, exchange ideas and develop projects together.

Responsibilities:

Manage Gallery Staffing: You manage the staffing roster during your own exhibitions supported by our staffing assistant. Volunteer staffers are available to assist but we recommend being at the gallery in person as often as you can to help grow your network and benefit from higher sales.
Partnership Fee: A monthly fee of DKK 1200.00. The fee is fully tax deductible for those with a CVR.
Quarterly Meetings: Full partners meet quarterly, allowing everyone to take part in the strategic planning and to develop joint projects. You can join the meetings either online or in person at the gallery.
Deposit: A 3-month deposit is required upon signing up. You have 3 months notice. You also leave a DKK 200 key deposit, which is refunded when you return the keys to the gallery.

Become a Rookie Partner

Our Rookie Partner programme offers an opportunity to develop your artistic practice, gain exhibition experience and become part of an active gallery community.

Rookies can take part in group exhibitions throughout the year, based on projects developed by the rookies individually with support from our mentors and gallery coordinator or as part of our ongoing program of exhibitions, often giving you the opportunity to exhibit alongside more established names.

In addition, you can develop pop-up solo or group projects, host workshops and events, and take part in year-round activities . We offer mentorship and support with project development, grant applications and PR.

How it works

Your monthly contribution is DKK 200. If you have a CVR number, the contribution is fully tax deductible.

By contributing voluntary hours to the gallery – typically through staffing or other practical and creative tasks – you earn exhibition opportunities. Voluntary work qualifies you to take part in a group-led exhibitions, installations and pop-ups. By taking part in group installations you can start exhibiting after just 3 hours of voluntary work.

There are plenty of volunteering opportunities, making it possible to build up your hours relatively quickly.

Benefits:

Group Exhibitions, Installations and Pop-Ups: Rookies can take part in group-led exhibitions, pop-ups and installations year-round.
Project Mentorship & Portfolio Review: We offer monthly workshops. You can also book portfolio reviews with more experienced photographers.
Host Events: You can host your own events at the gallery
Curate: You can work with external artists on your projects at the gallery, provided this has been cleared with the coordinator.
Keep Your Sales Revenue: Retain 100% of the revenues from the sale of your artwork.
Discounted Photo Print and Darkroom Access: All partners enjoy discounted prices for quality photo printing, darkroom access and other services from our suppliers.
Host workshops: You can host workshops at the gallery in the field of photography, film and sound art. Your ticket sales are boosted through the gallery social media. You keep the revenue of your workshop but pay 10% of profits to the gallery and cover the related costs of the workshops. Hosting workshops requires a CVR and generally also a business insurance.
Community & Collaboration: We host regular social evenings where you can connect with an engaged community of artists and creatives. There are events at the gallery almost every week.

Responsibilities:

Voluntary work: Taking part in an exhibition requires voluntary work at the gallery, typically staffing and other tasks. A two-week exhibition requires 30 hours, a one-week exhibition requires 15 hours, a 1-3 day pop-up requires 10 hours, and contributing to a group installation requires just 3 hours.
Staff your own exhibitions and events: You staff your own solo exhibitions and help staff the group exhibitions you take part in. These hours are additional, however, and do not count towards hosting or taking part in upcoming shows. You may, however, be credited for some of the hours if exhibiting alongside full partners. This will be agreed on an individual basis.
Membership Fee: A monthly fee of DKK 200. The fee is fully tax deductible for those with a CVR. There is no notice time but you leave a DKK 200 key deposit, which is refunded when you return your set of gallery keys.

FAQ

The questions we receive most often from applicants

Why do I need a CVR to host workshops?

Hosting workshops at the gallery is considered a business activity. This means you must have a CVR (business number) and appropriate business insurance. This ensures clear responsibility, proper insurance coverage, and that all workshops meet relevant safety standards and are run professionally.

How far in advance do you plan the exhibition calendar?

We plan approximately one calendar year ahead.

The calendar is organised to:

Accommodate preferred exhibition periods for full partners
Set aside time for exchange programmes with other galleries
Allocate space for workshop formats

Long-term planning allows us to balance individual preferences with the gallery’s overall strategy.

However, as an experimental space we also constantly consider new initiatives and accommodate pop-ups and events.

Does the monthly gallery contribution include the production cost of exhibitions?

Your monthly gallery contribution does not cover production cost of your exhibition. However, all partners enjoy discounted prices with a number of suppliers. The gallery will furthermore support your applications for art grants and funding. The gallery also offers access to using our shared digtal technology pool for exhibitions.

What are the typical tasks of rookie partners?

Rookie partners help run the gallery on a day-to-day basis. Tasks may include:

Staffing the gallery during opening hours
Assisting with exhibition installation and events
Supporting organisational tasks (e.g. outreach and researching funding)
Creating photo documentation and social media content
Maintain and organise our gallery spaces
Helping coordinate work schedules

Rookies play an active role in maintaining the gallery’s daily operations.

How many hours a week do rookies need to volunteer?

There is no fixed timeframe.

Rookie partners are required to contribute volunteer hours to take part in exhibition activities. How quickly you accumulate those hours is up to you.

How often do gallery partners meet?

The gallery hosts Social Evenings approximately twice a month. These are informal gatherings where partners meet visitors and connect with each other.

In addition, we hold occasional planning meetings:

Full partners meet 4 times annually to plan long-term strategy and to coordinate group exhibitions and projects
Rookie partners meet to plan their exhibition activities
We offer mentorship meetings with individual partners or groups
Smaller working groups form around specific projects when needed
Gallery openings and other events are hosted weekly

We aim for a balance between structure and flexibility.

We keep in contact via WhatsApp groups.

Small print:

Deposit:

When joining the gallery, you will be billed for the first month and the deposit. Once paid, you will be given the keys to your new gallery.

When becoming a full partner, you also need to pay 3 months deposit, which means you must give 3 months notice when wishing to leave the gallery.

Note, that all partners, including full partners, will be given 3 months notice in the event of the closure of the gallery. This is due to the gallery having 3 months notice in the lease contract for the facility.

When you give notice to the gallery, we will make every effort to find a replacement partner as soon as possible, which may allow for an earlier departure. However, this cannot be guaranteed.

Rookie partners only pay a key deposit and therefore have no notice period. However, no refund or discount can be given if they wish to leave before the end of the month.

All partners pay a 200 DKK key deposit.

Fee:

Your gallery contribution is billed monthly and must be paid within 8 days.

It is up to you to make the best of your opportunities. No discount is given if you plan or effectuate less shows or other activities than you are entitled to according to the program you have signed up to.

Changing partner program:

Partners can change between our programs with a 3 month notice period.

Exhibition periods:

Full partners have a choice between one 3-week or 2 two-week exhibition periods annually. Additionally, all full partners can take part in our Copenhagen Photo Festival and our Experimental Periods.

Rookies join the exhibition periods either for the full duration of the period or for shorter, pop-up style contributions.

The exhibition periods include setup and takedown. You typically take over the gallery on a Sunday evening after closing hours and open your exhibition during the following week on a day of your own choice.

Print costs:

The gallery does not cover the expenses for materials and prints for your exhibition. We do, however, enjoy discounts with a list of suppliers. We can also assist you with arts grant application to cover your costs.You cannot charge artists a fee to be featured in your curated shows without clearing this with the gallery

Free admission:

There is always free admission to exhibitions at the gallery. However, partners of the gallery can host workshops where a fee is charged. Note that 10% of earnings of such workshops is paid to the gallery.

Taking leave:

Rookies can take leave from the gallery for longer periods, allowing them to return to the gallery at an agreed date. They can also return their keys during this period and recieve their key deposit. However, all accumulated volunteer hours prior to taking leave will be lost.

Miscellaneous:

Once a partner has left the gallery, they can generally no longer exhibit there unless invited by an existing full partner as part of their curatorial program. Additionally, such participation must be approved by the gallery.