Frequently Asked Questions

What is ArtGraduates?

ArtGraduates is a free, independent online portfolio platform for contemporary visual artists, with no ties to any gallery, institution, or commercial entity. It receives no grants or subsidies. It offers a minimalist alternative to platforms like Behance, ArtStation, or Squarespace for artists who want a curated, multilingual portfolio without monthly fees. The platform is permanently open for submissions - each application is individually reviewed, and profiles are either accepted or declined to maintain the quality of the selection.

Each artist profile is fully translated into 17 languages (English, Czech, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Ukrainian, Swedish, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and Indonesian), making the work discoverable by collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts worldwide - through search engines and AI assistants alike.

Profiles include a dofollow backlink to the artist's own website, strengthening their search engine ranking. Visitors can also discover artists directly on the platform - by browsing, filtering, or searching. The Magazine and podcast draw additional visitors and feature in-depth interviews on artistic practice, art education, career development, and the art market.

Selling artwork directly from profiles is welcome - zero fees, zero commission, all earnings stay with the artist. No paid tier is required to use any current feature, and the platform carries no advertising.

What is the goal of ArtGraduates?

We aspire to create a genuinely useful platform for emerging art graduates, established artists, and art enthusiasts looking for quality contemporary artwork.

For artists, we offer visibility for original work – a way to stand out on the internet amidst the flood of noise, AI-generated content, and ads. We still believe in web portfolios, especially since art buyers tend to be from older and middle generations who are accustomed to them. All profiles are automatically translated into 17 languages, making your work discoverable by an international audience.

For collectors and buyers, we provide guidance on finding what they're looking for. And for curators, we offer a resource for discovering suitable artists for their programs.

We also publish a Magazine and podcast, bringing valuable insights into creative practice as well as the inner workings of the art world.

Is it really free?

Yes. The basic profile is and will always be free. There are no hidden fees and no commission on sales. Premium options with additional features may become available in the future, but the core portfolio – including multilingual translations, artwork gallery, bio, and your website link – will remain free forever.

I already have Instagram – why should I bother?

Keep your Instagram. But add a place that works for you independently – without algorithms deciding who sees your work, and without the risk of losing your account overnight. You set up your profile once and it keeps working, with no need to constantly post new content.

On Instagram, your posts disappear in the feed within hours. The algorithm is designed to keep you on the platform as long as possible – time spent scrolling and chasing reach is time away from the studio.

ArtGraduates offers a permanent portfolio translated into 17 languages and optimized for search engines. Collectors and curators worldwide can discover your work – through search, browsing the catalog, our Magazine, or recommendations.

We actively target collectors and curators, both online and offline. Our Featured Artist program highlights artists selected by an international jury. We're planning printed publications, exhibitions, and collector's nights.

You also get a dofollow backlink to your website, which strengthens your search engine ranking. Instagram offers nothing like that.

How do I submit my profile?

Once verified, your profile will be reviewed and published immediately after final approval.

I'd like to join, but I'm still studying. Can I?

Yes, you can register if you are at least 18 years old. A completed university degree is not a strict requirement, especially if you have been personally invited or recommended. Each application is reviewed individually.

How do translations work?

When you create your profile, write your bio and image captions ideally in your native language. It's beneficial for search engine visibility to make the most of the bio space – describe your practice, education, key themes, and techniques as comprehensively as possible.

Within three business days (often sooner), your profile will be translated into the remaining 16 languages using advanced machine translation. All 17 language versions are then automatically included in search, so your work becomes discoverable by collectors and curators worldwide.

Any edits you make to your bio in the original language are monitored, and updated translations are produced as capacity allows.

After logging in, you can also edit each language version of your profile independently – each translation is stored separately in the database. If you search for a term that matches a different language version, the result will appear with a notice and the platform language will switch automatically when you click through.

Until translations are completed, your profile appears in the language you submitted it in. Visitors browsing in other languages will see your original text alongside translated image captions and interface elements.

I find it difficult to set up a profile. Can you help?

Absolutely! We're happy to set up your profile for you – completely free.

Just send us your bio, a few images of your work, and a link to your website or Instagram to – and we'll take care of the rest.

I don't have any website to link to. Can I still use ArtGraduates?

Absolutely! ArtGraduates is perfect as your first portfolio if you have no online presence at all. Simply leave the Portfolio / Website field empty during registration – your profile will work perfectly without any external link.

Note: If your name matches an existing profile, the URL is typically extended with your technique and country (e.g., artist/jane-smith-painting-uk).

Your ArtGraduates page becomes your complete online identity – a single, professional link you can share on business cards, in emails, or anywhere else. Later, when you create your own website or shop, simply update the external link to direct visitors there.

I have my own domain but need free hosting

If you own a domain (e.g., janesmithart.com) but don't want to pay for hosting, you can redirect it to your ArtGraduates profile for free using Cloudflare.

Now anyone visiting your domain will be automatically redirected to your ArtGraduates profile. This solution is permanent and completely free – you only pay for domain registration.

How should I choose which artworks to display?

It is entirely up to you, but we recommend a representative selection of your work so that visitors can get a comprehensive sense of your artistic practice and then decide whether to explore more on your own website.

If you want to highlight a new series or a particular body of work, feel free to mention it in your bio.

You can easily swap your artwork images at any time through your profile editor – there is no limit to how often you update them. After logging in, you can also add captions to each image (title, year, technique, dimensions) – these are translated into all 17 languages and help with search visibility.

Do the published artworks need to be available for purchase?

Not at all. You can publish any of your works – recent or older pieces, sold works, pieces placed in collections, available works, and even works in progress. Your gallery is a showcase of your artistic practice, not a shop window.

You may note the status of a piece in the image caption (e.g. "sold", "private collection", "available"), but this is entirely optional.

If someone is interested in a particular work, they will contact you directly through your website link to discuss availability or the possibility of a custom commission.

Can I sell artwork here?

The directory is primarily designed to boost the visibility of your own website, but we don't prohibit selling artifacts directly from your profile or linking to your e-shop.

Feel free to add prices in gallery image captions and include your contact information directly in your bio – just keep in mind that this information will be publicly visible. ArtGraduates does not assist with sales in any way and bears no legal responsibility for any transactions.

Are all published artworks available for purchase?

No. There is no guarantee that any artwork displayed on the platform is currently available for purchase. Artists use their galleries to showcase their practice, which may include sold works, pieces in private collections, or works in progress.

If you are interested in a specific piece, please contact the artist directly through the link to their website and inquire about availability. Many artists are also open to creating similar work on commission.

How can I search and browse artworks?

You can search for artists using country and/or category filters combined with full-text search, which also works for terms in other languages – if your query matches a translated profile, the result will appear with a language notice.

Alternatively, you can follow your visual instinct and switch to Works browsing mode, where a randomly generated selection of artworks from ArtGraduates artists is displayed in a visual stream. Even in Works mode, you can use all the search and filter options.

We are a gallery. Can we submit artists we represent?

Yes. Although our platform is primarily designed for individual artists, we welcome galleries to register profiles for the artists they represent.

Please note that each profile requires a unique email address – it is not possible to register multiple artist profiles under the same email. If you represent several artists, each will need their own email address for registration.

What is the Magazine?

Our Magazine publishes in-depth interviews translated into 17 languages. We talk to a diverse range of people connected to the art world – from renowned, commercially successful artists to independent creators who don't care about self-promotion; from small collectors for whom art is an important part of everyday life to major collectors; from curators and independent gallerists to art educators and other interesting voices who have something to say about topics like inner authenticity, art education, the role of online promotion, artistic practice, and professional careers in art.

As capacity allows, we also produce AI-narrated podcast versions of selected interviews, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major platforms.

We welcome your tips for future guests – feel free to contact us with suggestions.

For details about our editorial team, publication frequency, and licensing, see the Masthead.

What is the Featured Artist / ArtGraduates Award?

Featured Artist is a distinction awarded to winners and finalists of the ArtGraduates Award, which we plan to hold regularly with an international jury of renowned artists, curators, and collectors. The award will include financial prizes.

Featured Artists receive temporary highlighting and priority placement in the catalog on our website.

The Featured Artist tag is not tied to any payment or entry fee.

How to edit or delete my profile?

To edit: Log in to your account – you'll be taken directly to your profile where you can update your bio, images, website link, and other details anytime.

Remember that a thorough description of your artistic practice and carefully written image captions help you get discovered in search. You only need to edit your profile in your own language, but you also have the option to switch the language in the main navigation and edit each language version independently.

To delete: Log in to your account, scroll down and click "Delete my profile". This action is immediate and permanent – all your data and images will be removed from our servers.

If you can't access your account, contact us at and we'll help you.

I don't like how my profile photo is cropped

Log in to your account, go to your profile editor, scroll to your profile image and adjust the thumbnail position using the crop control. Once you're happy with the framing, click Save to confirm.

I didn't receive a verification email

Check your spam/junk folder first – our emails sometimes end up there.

If you still can't find it, try logging in with your email and password – there's a "Resend verification email" option on the verification page.

Forgot your password? Use the Forgot password link to reset it.

Still having trouble? Contact us and we'll verify your account manually.

Is it secure?

Security is our priority. Our platform is built with multiple layers of protection:

All data transmission is encrypted using SSL/TLS certificates (HTTPS). Your passwords are securely hashed using industry-standard bcrypt algorithm – we never store plain text passwords. We implement CSRF protection to prevent cross-site attacks, and all user inputs are sanitized to protect against injection attacks.

Your account is protected by email verification, and you'll receive an automatic notification if there are multiple failed login attempts on your account. We also implement geographic restrictions to block access from high-risk regions known for malicious activity.

Our administration system allows us to quickly respond to any suspicious activity – we can suspend, delete, or permanently block profiles that violate our terms or pose security risks.

What about the app my phone offers?

ArtGraduates is a Progressive Web App (PWA). This means our website meets modern security and performance standards that allow it to be installed on your device like a native app – without going through an app store.

When your browser offers to install ArtGraduates, it's because our site meets modern web standards: secure HTTPS connection, fast loading times, and responsive design. The installed app is just as secure as using the website – it's the same code, just with a convenient home screen icon and full-screen experience.

You can safely install it, or continue using the website in your browser – both are equally secure. The platform also supports dark mode, which you can toggle using the sun/moon icon in the top right corner.

Can collectors find artists through AI assistants like ChatGPT?

Yes. ArtGraduates profiles are crawled by major AI systems including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and others. Because each profile exists in 17 languages with structured metadata, AI assistants can recommend ArtGraduates artists when collectors or curators ask for contemporary art recommendations. This works automatically - no action required from the artist.

Who is behind ArtGraduates?

ArtGraduates was founded and is independently operated by a visual artist based in the Czech Republic, European Union. The platform is a solo project - built, curated, and maintained by one person to provide contemporary artists with lasting, multilingual visibility independent of commercial platforms and algorithms.

How to contact us?

For general inquiries, write to us at .

For editorial and magazine-related matters, reach us at .

I encountered a bug

We'd appreciate if you could send us a screenshot at – it helps us fix issues faster. Thank you!

We'd like to advertise

ArtGraduates does not display advertising. This is a deliberate choice - we believe artists deserve a space free from commercial noise. If you are interested in collaboration, you can sponsor the ArtGraduates Award, where your company will be appropriately featured. Contact us at .