THE APOLLO TRILOGY PART 1/3
By Samista Jugwanth
Visual art has evolved significantly throughout human history: from early humans using mud, saliva, and birds’ eggs to record their experiences and environment to the invention of moving pictures and the metaverse. In 2022, the global art market was valued at a substantial $67.8 billion.
According to a 2023 survey by Statistica, the top three reasons for purchasing art included:
Personal emotional benefits,
Creating a positive social impact,
As a financial investment.
Art is constantly evolving, adapting to the shifting behaviours and desires of upcoming generations. Building on previous discussions about these emerging trends, we foresee the following six future developments:
#1: Desire for immersive experiences
By engaging multiple senses and offering a sense of presence and agency, immersive art transforms passive observation into an active experience, making art more impactful and memorable.
In terms of visual immersion, there are three categories:
Virtual reality (VR) fully immerses users into a digital environment,
Augmented reality (AR) overlays digital elements onto the real world – this is seen in street art in Milan,
Mixed reality (MR) blends real and digital elements and worlds.
These technologies create hyper-realistic environments and break down the fourth wall between the artist and those experiencing the artwork. The participative nature of art allows individuals to explore and interact with art in ways that traditional forms cannot offer.
The Colour Factory in New York is an example of a future art gallery – it’s multi-sensory (sight, smell, taste, sound and feeling) approach allows their visitors to fully immerse themselves in a vibrant, playful environment.
#2: Evolution of sculpture to printing
3D printing uses inks (such as plastics, resins, metals, and even ceramics) to build three-dimensional objects layer-by-layer from digital models. This results in complex, intricate sculptures that would be difficult or impossible to achieve by hand. Doob 3D in Kansas City creates small figurines of their customers after taking 3D scans of themselves, their families or pets – it could even be used for realistic wedding cake toppers.
#3: Attack of the AI
There is an exponential rise in art generated by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. To some, the lack of technical skill involved in the creation of this art, prove this artform to be less valuable and unauthentic. However, as a tool, AI can allow any user – with a creative vision – to create unique and relevant pieces that further communication, are aesthetic and challenge traditional artistic boundaries. The human skill in designing and curating these algorithms, furthermore, imparts a level of authenticity and talent. A famous example is the “Edmond de Belamy” – auctioned for $432,500 in 2018 – over its estimated price of $7,000 to $10,000.
#4: Rise of NFTs
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets that are authenticated using blockchain technology – shifting art from the physical world to the digital one. They are desirable to investors (market predicted to grow by 9.10% p.a.) due to their exclusivity and therefore potential for appreciation as an investment tool. Artworks on blockchain can be showcased in virtual galleries reaching audiences that might not visit physical galleries, increasing the exposure of both the artist and global audiences.
#6: Use of Blockchain
Besides being used to authenticate NFTs, blockchain technology can be used to create an immutable ledger to verify authenticity and ownership history of any art piece, reducing the risk of forgery and fraud.
Smart contracts allow the terms of sales to be directly written into code automating various aspects of art sales (e.g., blockchain can ensure that artists receive royalties every time their work is resold benefiting artists financially). Due to this, there would be a decrease in the need for traditional art markets. Blockchain enables artists to sell their work directly to collectors without intermediaries, thereby democratising the art market – allowing more artists to reach global audiences and retain a larger share of the profits from their sales.
Blockchain also benefits the owners as it can easily allow for fractional ownership, enabling multiple people to own a share of a single piece of art. This makes investing in art more accessible to a broader market, increasing the demand.
The current disadvantage of blockchain is the large amount of electricity it consumes to access its computational power, contributing to carbon emissions and environmental degradation.
Ethics of art
With knowledge becoming more accessible, the art industry is facing a number of ethical questions, such as:
The shift towards generative AI and 3D printing raises questions about the authenticity and definition of talent in the art world, challenging long-held notions of what constitutes legitimate art – is it the output, or the process that gives art its value?
Although art will continue to be a powerful tool for propaganda (for religion, politics, and social control), declarations about its intent and origin will become more transparent.
With big data, is it acceptable to track and collect data regarding viewer movement in galleries? Who does this data belong to? And should this information be used to understand and perhaps dictate public taste, or does it risk undermining the genuine appreciation of art?
Meaning is important to future audiences, and so the role of art galleries public art education will grow. Ensuring accessible and numerous art galleries for the public will be essential to foster an environment where art education thrives, and diverse artistic expressions are celebrated.
© Samista Jugwanth, 2024
Samista is a professional engineer and Technical Director at Zutari. Her specialization is in the design and construction management of water infrastructure. She strongly believes that for infrastructure development to be effective, designs should be human-centered and must be developed through continuous engagement and inclusion of environmental, economic, and social aspects.
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