GALLERY Y (Patreon)

Minsk quickly became my third home (after Berlin and Frankfurt) where I spent months and had many friends. One of my friends, Olga, came up with the idea of exhibiting my work at Gallery Y, one of the best contemporary art galleries in the city. To my surprise, she made some calls and arranged a one-day exhibition in May. All I had to do was print my photographs and bring them to Minsk. Olga and the gallery took care of everything else.

I selected about 20 images and edited a few art videos, then flew from Paris to Minsk to see the gallery. After that, I took a train to Minsk to print my work before returning to the gallery for the opening.

I was thrilled to have about 100 people attend the opening of my exhibition at Gallery Y in Minsk, including my friends and frequent visitors of the gallery. One person was particularly impressed and bought eight of my photographs on the spot, paying me in cash. He planned to use them to decorate one of his hair salons.

This was the first time my work had been sold, and it was an incredibly exciting experience for me. I was able to use the money to cover my travel expenses and printing fees, with some extra left over. It showed me the potential of exhibiting photography and left me eager to pursue more opportunities in the future.