Globalization and digitization go hand in hand. And both are the defining factors of this generation.
However, in conventional structures, the art market is a western thing. New technologies allow lowering the threshold of entry for many usually excluded from cultural distribution and income generation.
On NFT marketplaces, we see that mostly young artists from areas typically considered to be periphery are part of a global discourse. It is interesting that they honour the possibility of staying anonymous. And some managed to pay off their debts, earning some $10.000 in cryptocurrency.
3 responses to “To a global digital culture”
Harald, this is a very complex and ambiguous situation. In my opinion, active intervention by auctions like Christie’s, has a very strong influence on the pricing of this phenomenally fast-growing market, and often collections of dilettante works are ranked unfairly at both price and hype after successful sales. There is a re-evaluation of the value of visual art, and there is a danger that many talented artists in pursuit of money are being converted into manufacturers of the possible Crypto Punks and Crypto Apes instead of creating real works of art.
Thank you for your post. I believe you are right, hype caused by big players can lead to a mainstreaming towards simple but successful visual culture that adapts to the structures of short-term success. But it could also be a phenomenon of the first wave and in the long run, quality will be another path. Maybe we can view it in parallels to history: With the rise of cheap prints, great paintings were still in demand–but in another niche.
In any case, we can agree that the art world is changing rapidly and those, who create collectively negotiate the way forward.
Also, your exhibition on oncyber.io is wonderful!
https://oncyber.io/lckgm_collection