Hanging Basics: Creating Effective Groups

Art professionals know that groups of artworks can attract and engage viewers more effectively than single pieces.

When showing artworks, it’s important to create intriguing displays, that catch the eye and engage the mind. Arranging works into groups can help accomplish this. The same basic principles apply to photographs, paintings, prints, and other 2-D art.

Many artists like to work in series that feature a common subject or theme; this can lend itself to a cluster of related images, as in Fig. 1. This four-portrait array by photographer Ananda Lima ?creates a sort of meta-portrait, showing multiple aspects of a person.

Fig. 2 demonstrates how images of doors, windows, corridors and fences can combine into a comment on space and dimension, barriers and openings.?

Even relatively small prints like these can, when grouped skillfully, create the feel of a big piece.

This designer’s-eye approach was clearly also used in the exhibit in Fig. 3. The traditionally composed central portraits command immediate attention, while the offbeat flanking images (in contrasting horizontal format) reward the viewer who lingers.

Grids are often effective, but don’t feel bound to them – the sequence in Fig. 4 has a dynamic flow that draws the viewer into the gallery and along the line of images. Lima creates her compositions by placing photos under consideration near the space where they will hang, and testing arrangements on the floor or a table to see if they gel as a unified whole. “Finally, I place them on the wall, which is the most telling part of the process,” she says. “Each step usually results in rearranging, or even rejection of certain pieces.”

Careful hanging is essential, especially for grids. Lima and many other artists and gallery owners find that a wall-mounted art hanging system, like Gallery System’s?Original Gallery System?and?GalleryOne, greatly simplifies the process, and facilitates in-place experimentation.

Enjoy the process of creating your groupings – it’s a great chance to look at your work with a fresh eye, and perhaps discover some themes that you might not have noticed.

A version of this article originally appeared on the?DontTakePictures.com?blog, an excellent site for photographers and photography lovers.