--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I stepped back from the gallery I…" description: "\"When I stepped back from the gallery I was in a phase where I thought I wasn't going to be making work for a gallery context for a while. People were l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/kalup-linzy-20386_disrespect_when-i-stepped-back-from-the-gallery-i-w_896050.jpg" --- # When I stepped back from the gallery I was in a phase… ![“When I stepped back from the gallery I was in a phase where I thought I wasn't going to be making work for a gallery context for a while. People were like, "You should never leave a gallery if you didn't have somewhere else to go," but I wasn't trying to disrespect the gallerists in that way.” quote by Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/kalup-linzy-20386_disrespect_when-i-stepped-back-from-the-gallery-i-w_896050.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/kalup-linzy-20386_disrespect_when-i-stepped-back-from-the-gallery-i-w_896050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/kalup-linzy-20386_disrespect_when-i-stepped-back-from-the-gallery-i-w_896050.jpg) > “When I stepped back from the gallery I was in a phase where I thought I wasn't going to be making work for a gallery context for a while. People were like, "You should never leave a gallery if you didn't have somewhere else to go," but I wasn't trying to disrespect the gallerists in that way.” [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist stepped away from gallery expectations, choosing a personal creative pause despite external pressure to stay within the gallery system. **In simple terms:** An artist can pause gallery work to explore new directions despite others' advice. Key Takeaway Allow yourself creative breaks without feeling disloyal to institutions. Themes artistic freedom career breaks industry pressure creative autonomy self‑direction Mood thoughtful determined Type creative career When to use this quote - personal sabbatical - portfolio development - new medium experimentation - networking - public speaking Key Concepts artist identity institutional critique creative cycles Questions to Reflect On - What does a creative pause mean for you? - How can you maintain relevance while stepping back? A Different Perspective Leaving galleries may reduce visibility and financial stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Disrespect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disrespect/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“The gallery context of Scotch Myths puts the objects on display in an interrogatory framework in a way that their presence in souvenir shops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-mcarthur/the-gallery-context-of-scotch-myths-puts-the-objects-on-display-in-an/) Colin McArthur > [I remember when I first started putting things on the web and people were writing about it. I totally didn't keep up with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-remember-when-i-first-started-putting-things-on-the-web-and-people/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I almost feel like if I didn't have the gallery and museum content it would be easy to get lost. People's attention spans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-almost-feel-like-if-i-didn-t-have-the-gallery-and-museum-content-it/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [If I have a piece that's solely based on the web and it's going to also exist in a gallery, it needs to exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/if-i-have-a-piece-that-s-solely-based-on-the-web-and-it-s-going-to/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I'm actually looking for a gallery, but the thing is some galleries just want to show the video work and some are just interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-m-actually-looking-for-a-gallery-but-the-thing-is-some-galleries/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [In a gallery, there's an expectation of high prices and a somewhat elitist atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cotton/in-a-gallery-there-s-an-expectation-of-high-prices-and-a-somewhat/) [Will Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cotton/) > [I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-always-believed-that-my-work-should-be-unfinished-in-the-sense-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [“Your names and your photos give you a unique identity. Make and maintain a good name in the hearts of people. Paint good photos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-names-and-your-photos-give-you-a-unique-identity-make-and/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [My dream since I was a kid was to show in a gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/my-dream-since-i-was-a-kid-was-to-show-in-a-gallery/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [I don't have a favorite place to see art. I like to encounter it anywhere, museum, gallery, home, studio, street... I do prefer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nares/i-don-t-have-a-favorite-place-to-see-art-i-like-to-encounter-it/) [James Nares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nares/) > [The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball, they fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-shoup/the-galleries-are-full-of-critics-they-play-no-ball-they-fight-no/) [David M. Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-shoup/) > [There are so many great galleries and museums in London, but they can be very crowded during the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/there-are-so-many-great-galleries-and-museums-in-london-but-they-can/) [Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/) > [While I was still going to embrace social media, I knew I had to do things that nobody else was doing. I decided I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-edward/while-i-was-still-going-to-embrace-social-media-i-knew-i-had-to-do/) [Mark Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-edward/) > [My works are dear to me, each in its own way, I shall have to answer for them on the Day off Judgement. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-works-are-dear-to-me-each-in-its-own-way-i-shall-have-to-answer/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## More by Kalup Linzy > [I have the dream to continue being in an art context, but also be able to continue doing stuff in television on the web.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-have-the-dream-to-continue-being-in-an-art-context-but-also-be-able/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [ I was trying to release emotions, exercise emotions, and then I entered the art world. Even after grad school, some of \[the earlier works\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-was-trying-to-release-emotions-exercise-emotions-and-then-i-entered/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [If I want to do something in the TV industry, I should be allowed to explore that, but not in a way where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/if-i-want-to-do-something-in-the-tv-industry-i-should-be-allowed-to/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I guess I cringe, because sometimes I don't even watch my live performances back. When I edit, it's this feeling of seeing my mistakes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-guess-i-cringe-because-sometimes-i-don-t-even-watch-my-live/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [Even though the art world goes through trends, you do know that it'll come up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/even-though-the-art-world-goes-through-trends-you-do-know-that-it-ll/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [People say if you keep making work and keep putting it out, better things will come. I think artists should never forget that. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/people-say-if-you-keep-making-work-and-keep-putting-it-out-better/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I cast people from right around me. I was at my alma mater. It's special to have most of the graduate students in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-cast-people-from-right-around-me-i-was-at-my-alma-mater-it-s/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [ I realized \[using my own voice\] is what creates the performance in the performance art and that's what helps creates the distance for the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-realized-using-my-own-voice-is-what-creates-the-performance-in-the/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I've been in some biennales, and some I haven't. I always like the idea of how you meet the curator, hang out, and figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-ve-been-in-some-biennales-and-some-i-haven-t-i-always-like-the-idea/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [If you want to be somewhere, you should go to that place and check it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/if-you-want-to-be-somewhere-you-should-go-to-that-place-and-check-it/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [Sometimes you divorce a part of yourself to save yourself emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/sometimes-you-divorce-a-part-of-yourself-to-save-yourself-emotionally/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [Every artist's world is an individual experience and no one thing can prepare you. You have to go in and go where those roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/every-artist-s-world-is-an-individual-experience-and-no-one-thing-can/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [Sometimes I just cringe. I can feel the emotion, that whole anxiety of being in this new world that I sort of evolved into.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/sometimes-i-just-cringe-i-can-feel-the-emotion-that-whole-anxiety-of/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I'm actually looking for a gallery, but the thing is some galleries just want to show the video work and some are just interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-m-actually-looking-for-a-gallery-but-the-thing-is-some-galleries/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [I was in that generation where I was torn if you should put it on the web because you're giving it away for free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-was-in-that-generation-where-i-was-torn-if-you-should-put-it-on-the/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) [Explore all 31 Kalup Linzy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I stepped back from the gallery I was in a phase where I thought I wasn't going to be making work for a gallery context for a while. 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