eBusiness Weekly
Arts Correspondent
The digital era has managed to make a lot of work easier for everyone as it connects people from different parts of the world. It has created major interaction of the audience with the gallery due to screen-based content provided by the Internet.
The Internet has allowed people within any organisation to communicate and share information. Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet.
However, despite the advantages it has impacted to the society, the Internet has proven to be an enemy of art as shown by the negative impacts it has on galleries.
To note is the fact that, the Internet allows a great deal of anonymity to a large number of people who may access the different websites which could be art related.
There are a lot of deceitful businesses that have sprung up on the Internet to take advantage of business and the rest of the audience. Also artists end up opting to present their works on the Internet using different social media apps such as Instagram rather than being represented by galleries.
It is important to note that the Internet may not be an enemy of art as it has promoted artists in a remarkable way with the use of different social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.
These social media platforms which have a large following allow an artist to share artworks or videos of themselves as they work in an art studio and with this they are able to connect with a large number of people as communication will be occurring in a virtual space. The Internet has managed to get rid of geographic barriers between artistic communities. It’s possible to discover and dichotomise paintings, drawings and sculptures from all over the world.
Artists can also create their own websites and blogs to advertise their works and talk more about their art business. Thorpe (2014) states “experienced art collectors and newcomers are both increasingly using websites to find original contemporary works and ordering them for delivery like furniture. There is no need to go to a gallery or deal with frosty gallery owners. Instead, art can be viewed, paid for and returned if it does not match expectation.”
An example of such a website is Artsy. Artsy is an online website designed to connect art fanatics and art collectors. Such websites aim to make art accessible to people in different parts of the world via the Internet.
Technology has changed the way that art is produced, distributed, marketed and even preserved.
The art world is experiencing a moment of change as noted with how any information relating to art is now readily available with the help of search engines such as Google, and Yahoo.
There is an enormous amount of information available on the Internet for just about everything that is related to art and anyone with a smartphone and access to the Internet can use these search engines and websites dedicated to art to find qualities of articles and papers at a single click of a button. This makes work easier for researches who might be interested in studying an artist’s type of work.
It is also important to note that the Internet has helped promote tourism in the sense that if anyone who might be in Italy comes across an artwork of a Zimbabwean artist online, they might get intrigued to visit Zimbabwe and physically view the artwork.
A lot of art galleries are beginning to create online websites for their organisations. For example the National Gallery of Zimbabwe has its own website where it informs the audience about any exhibition that could be taking place. It also has social media pages on different social media platforms. These pages help the organisation interact more with its diversified audience.
However, on the other hand one has to note that the Internet could become an enemy of art. Laundry (2014) states “the arts community has grown less real and more superficial because of things like social media and sites like Facebook”.
Although social media serves as a good marketing tool for art galleries and artists, it has also removed an important part of the art world equation and that is community.
In this instance the job of the gallery is to build that community, which will create a real social network and connect people into one social community.
When one gets to visit art galleries, it creates a feeling of closure between the person and the art as one gets to learn and understand the meaning that lies beneath be it a sculpture or a painting.
One can never get that feeling of closure by viewing art online. Galleries hold strong roots in our culture and provide contemporary art that tells an African story bringing people together, however the Internet is dismounting the importance of these galleries as anyone can easily view and purchase art online.
Despite all of this, one does not have to turn a blind eye as the Internet has managed to increase the connectivity of people from different parts of the world.
Moreover the Internet might be viewed as an enemy of art and art galleries as it does not offer proper audience engagement. Art galleries offer a chance for people to engage with each other face-to-face, and with this digital age there is a high chance that it is no longer happening as people now spend half of their time glued to their smartphones. Gebore (2017) states that It is often assumed that viewing artwork online can be compared to someone viewing through a pair of dirty glasses, and in order for one to get a gist of what the artwork is trying to express then there is need for one to be physically present to truly get a feel for a painting.
Above all it is important to note that the Internet has not become the enemy of art as it has promoted artists to reach a wider audience as they exhibit their works online. It has also managed to link artists and art dealers from different parts of the world through websites such as Artsy.
However, despite these advantages, it has somehow reduced the importance of galleries to the rest of the community as a number of artists are now presenting their artworks online rather than getting representation from Galleries.
The Internet has dissolved proper physical engagement between the artist and the audience therefore diminishing the traditional role of galleries in the world.
