Is social media killing art or bringing it to people?
A. It’s a dramatic statement, but is it true? While many decry social media for the general dumbing down of culture, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the art world, whether artists or gallerists, who can’t see an upside to social media.
B. Stephanie Kelly is director of the Affordable Art Fair, which holds 230 fairs in 14 cities, including Hong Kong. She is adamant that rather than killing art, social media is democratising it. “Look at the evolution of art, from caves to the church to rich merchants to museums where the public get access to it. And slowly, more and more people are getting access to art with more museums. It’s the next step in the democratisation of art,” Kelly says. “A lot of people feel intimidated by the art world and think that you need to be a millionaire to engage. People are now starting to believe that they can be a part of that tribe. You can go to Art Basel, take a photo and feel like you have got ownership, virtual ownership,” she says.
C. Claire Hsu, who co-founded the Asia Art Archive in 2000, admits she’s not a big fan of social media, but as part of an organisation that is dedicated to making knowledge free and accessible, she can’t ignore it. “The beauty of social media is that you can create content for specific communities.” Hsu says.
D. Catherine Kwai, the founder of Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery on Ice House Street, recently returned from a trip to Europe, where she visited museums in Paris, Vienna, Milan and Zurich. She stood to one side and watched to see how people responded to the art, and whether they took photos. She was surprised to see that very few did. “In Asia, people are so crazy about taking photos and letting you know where they are. A lot of people who go to Art Basel and other art fairs don’t go to understand the art. They want to take a photo and immediately post it on social media to impress their friends. It’s an identity,” Kwai says.
E. Magnus Renfrew, former Art Basel Hong Kong director and founder of ARTHQ Group, recalls visiting European galleries in his youth at a time when there were signs telling people not to take photos. He says some art works lend themselves more easily to being shared on social media, particularly ones with geometric compositions, strong colours or with the square format favoured by Instagram. And he acknowledges claims that the medium has encouraged artists to create work in formats favourable to social media.
F. Kelly recently watched a TED Talk that raised the concern that if art is led by social media, there is a risk that artworks will be created to fit an algorithm. “Art going into an algorithm is a potential danger, whether it’s artists creating crowd-pleasing art or collectors not being exposed to something outside their remit,” Kelly says.
G. Social media may or may not be changing what artists produce, but there is no doubt it is changing the industry’s business model. Particularly in high rent cities such as Hong Kong, some galleries can’t afford a bricks-and-mortar shop space, and are instead opting for a smaller offices with viewings by appointment, and having a visible presence on social media and at art fairs.
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