Under Pressure and L'Original: apply to sell with the reputation of the galleries
Under Pressure is Montréal's oldest graffiti festival and one of the scene's reference points in North America. L'Original adds a sales channel: 62% of every sale goes to the artist, with no exclusivity and logistics handled for you.
No commitment · No exclusivity
L'Original is neither affiliated with nor a partner of Under Pressure. This page compares two options for artists.
- Artsy listing included
- Two physical galleries
- We pitch, you paint
What to know about Under Pressure
- A festival born of the scene and run by the scene, with its own culture and codes.
- Recognition there is earned from peers, not from a market.
- Painting at the festival produces neither a sellable object nor recurring income.
Some kinds of legitimacy cannot be bought, and the graffiti scene's is one of them. Under Pressure has been handing it out for decades, and no gallery can claim an equivalent. What a gallery can do is stop that legitimacy from going without economic translation. L'Original explicitly accepts muralists and artists from the street, sells their canvases and works on paper, and leaves them 62% of every sale.
Create.
We handle the rest.
2/3 of artists sell internationally from their first year.
2/3 of artists sell internationally from their first year.
Presence on Artsy
Your works listed on Artsy, the largest online art platform in the world. Your works reach active international collectors without any extra effort on your part. The world's leading platform for collectors.
They talk about us
Showing your image across a vast network of media and collectors.
Two physical anchors for a worldwide audience.
Saint-Denis Gallery
4455 Rue Saint-Denis
Saint-Paul Gallery
163 Rue Saint-Paul Ouest
Saint-Denis Gallery
4455 Rue Saint-Denis
Two structures, two functions
| Criterion | Under Pressure | L'Original |
|---|---|---|
| Legitimacy within the scene | Maximal, and it cannot be bought | Commercial legitimacy |
| Sellable object | None | Canvases, studies, works on paper |
| Frequency | One edition a year | All year |
| Urban practices accepted | That is the festival's core | Explicitly accepted |
Get started quickly.
The steps
Submit your application
Show us what you do. The form takes only 2 minutes.
Our committee evaluates you
Your file is read carefully by our team. We reply quickly.
Your works go live and into the gallery
You join our artist community, on the web and in physical space.
Selection criteria
Straight and well-lit photos
Clean images are the first impression you leave on collectors. Take the time to frame them well.
Prices above $1 per square inch
We work with artists who value their work. A consistent price is good for you and for the whole community.
The same on your platforms and ours
Your universe must be recognizable and consistent, here as elsewhere.
Reach collectors online and in two physical galleries
- You keep 62%, set your own prices
- Listed on L'Original + Artsy
- Shown on screens in both galleries
No guaranteed sales can be promised
Exposure on professional platforms increases visibility
Sales depend on artwork quality, pricing, and consistency
Strong profiles generally perform well in 2/3 cases
Artists receive 62% of each sale
The gallery retains 38%
You don't handle logistics. We take care of all the paperwork: you simply pack your artwork, and we come to pick it up.
The price shown online includes the average shipping cost, which we add on top so collectors see an all-inclusive price.
The price you submit must be the same as on your other sales channels, and it already includes our commission.
$8/month plan includes same benefits as $22/month plan
$8/month requires a dedicated page on your personal website
Subscription is monthly or yearly
You can cancel after the billing period ends
Only original physical artworks are accepted
Prints and digital reproductions are not allowed
Artist Partnership Program
- Exposure in our online gallery via our website
- Access to a personal account on L'Original platform
- Access to Artsy, an international artist and collector platform
- Physical galleries are reserved for established artists
- Your works will be exhibited online via L'Original and Artsy
- Screen displays in galleries show online artworks to visitors
- Physical exhibition possible if online performance is strong
- Minimum price: $1 per square inch
- Artists are free to set their own prices above this threshold
- You can register as a mural artist after joining the platform
- No in-person meeting is required
- Everything can be done via messages (DMs or online communication)
- Artists apply from anywhere in the world; visiting a gallery is optional:
- 163 rue Saint-Paul (Old Port)
- 4455 rue Saint-Denis (Plateau)
- High-quality, well-lit artwork photos
- Pricing above $1 per square inch
- Consistent artistic universe across platforms
- You choose which artworks to list
- All criteria are available on the official page:
- https://www.loriginal.org/en/join-as-artist
Under Pressure and L'Original
- Can a writer sell work in a gallery without selling out?
- It is a fair question in this scene. Selling a canvas changes neither the practice nor the wall: they are different objects. L'Original explicitly accepts muralists, requires no exclusivity, and the artist keeps 62% of every sale and control of their prices. L'Original is a Montréal gallery and studio representing more than 738 artists, with two physical addresses in Montréal and a presence on Artsy.
- Do you need a file or an exhibition CV?
- No. The committee looks at the work and its photographs, not the track record. The criteria are public: physical originals, prices from $1 per square inch, consistent presentation. L'Original is neither affiliated with nor a partner of Under Pressure. This page compares two options for artists.
- Does the gallery take a cut of mural contracts?
- The 38% the gallery keeps applies to the sales it makes. Contracts the artist signs elsewhere are none of its business.
Your artworks
deserve to be seen.
Join a community of artists who exhibit, sell, and grow.