Is Instagram the New Art Dealer?

BY SAMUEL ELLIS

I guess you could turn this question upside down, and ask, how can Instagram not be the New Art Dealer?

Photo: Date 19/04/2016 by Wmag, TITLE:  wmagDidn't make it to #Coachella? @SukiWaterhouse, @SokoTheCat and @JaredLeto did. To see more celebrity attendees who stepped inside the VF portrait studio, follow @VanityFair. Photo by @BrantleyG.       Website:https://www.instagram.com/p/BEYvd59p8I6/?taken-by=wmag

Artists, Art Critics, Art Galleries, Art Enthusiasts, Art Collectors are all in some way using Instagram.  The word Instagram means “Instant Message” which is what is attracting the Art world to this phenomenon.

So what is Instagram?. It is ultimately just an online photo, videoing and social networking  service that enables it users to share pictures or videos via an app to the world. It can be used on a variety of social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to name but a few. It was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and launched October 2010 and now as over 400 million users, far more than Twitters 282 million, but is still dwarfed by Facebook’s 1.49 billion users. The site has more than 80 million pictures posted to it each day and was bought by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012. Griffin, A. (2015) Instagram gets to 400 million users - but is still dwarfed by WhatsApp and Facebook, Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/instagrgram-gets-to-400-million-users-but-is-still-dwarfed-by-whatsapp-and-facebook... (Accessed: 7th March 2016). As the data suggests, its potential market is enormous.

Instagram is extremely easy to use, it’s not even essential to use a computer, just a smart phone with a decent camera, taking a photo of your work, which you can edit with Instagram’s built-in editing tools, add a caption and post it to the world. It is quick and effective at reaching a wide audience and you can create as many posts a day as you wish. It is primarily a picture post with very little dialogue, but they do say “a picture paints a thousand words”. This is actually what differentiates it from other social networking platforms, as the lack of words helps focus the user in the visual experience of the piece of art. The user can then draw their own conclusions whether they like the work or not without being influenced. It makes the artists work raw and fresh. An added advantage is that you can post virtually anytime and anywhere.

So is Instagram the new Art Dealer? The fact the whole food chain of the art market is using it from the Artist to the Gallery to the Collector suggests it is? Each of the key players in the art world gains advantages from using Instagram, by discussing the question from each of the main player’s perspective within the art environment I guess we can conclude if Instagram is the New Art Dealer, as all parties have an influence.  

The Artist’s Perspective

The majority of artists, particularly up and coming artists are now using Instagram, it helps create an online gallery of their work and can be used to announce any new pieces of work and shows how the artist is developing whether personally or professionally. It has revolutionised how artists promote their work and gain recognition. Previously artists would have to try and connect with the public by promoting themselves through galleries and arts magazines, which tended to be difficult to be noticed by and gain recognition from. There is only so much art a gallery can display and a magazine can talk about, but Instagram removes all these barriers, millions of artists work can be seem at the push of a button. The influence of the galleries as shifted, giving the power to the artist. The artists work can now be accessed from anywhere and seen by anybody in the world. This has really opened the door for artists to be able to shine and dictate how and when their work is displayed. It gives the artist the ability to access new audiences which it could never do previously.

Photo:  Date : 30 November 2015, author: Tom Jeffreys, title: Can art exist on social media?, web:  https://www.apollo-magazine.com/can-art-exist-on-social-media/

A good example of how Instagram can give the artist access to the world is the artists Ai Weiwei’s story. His work was banned in his own country, China, imprisoned and on release his passport revoked, however, through Instagram with his 175000 followers he still managed to communicate with his audience, post new work and hold exhibitions in Germany and America. Jeffreys, T. (2015) Can art exist on social media, Available at: http://www.appollo-magazine.com/can-art-exist-on-social-media/ (Accessed: 9th March 2016). The galleries held question times with the artist via Twitter and displayed his Instagram work as exhibitions. Through this venture you can see how galleries changed the way they operated and engaged in the new digital technology and became excited how social platforms could help promote their businesses, from footfall through the exhibitions to enhancing their profile. You can see that Instagram plays an important role in bringing the artist to the gallery and the audience to the gallery and how important they are to each other. Without the social network platform both the artist and the gallery would work within limitations. It really does open up how art can be accessed and enjoyed. Instagram is a “virtual” gallery but it is important to state, the role and existence of the contemporary gallery will always be required, each complimenting each other. The audience will always want to touch, smell and see the art for “real”.

Photo: February 05 2010, by Martin W Smith, How Damien Hirst Changed The Art World,  http://www.scenttrail.com/damien-hirst-changed-art-world/

Prior to the launch of Instagram, artists were beginning to realise the importance of the internet and

social media in promoting and gaining recognition. The artist, Damien Hirst broke all the rules of the art market back in Sept 2008, by selling x200 pieces of his work not through the orthodox gallery route but by auction at Sotheby’s, all in one day, marketing through YouTube and the media around the world. He by passed all the conventional distribution channels for selling art, taking control of his work, which is what Instagram is allowing the artist to do today. It is available 24/7 to virtually the whole world, with the artist having the ability to control how their work is displayed, with the possibility of gaining access to a wide audience very quickly. Damien Hirst saw the benefits how internet platforms could help with his career and used them to his advantage, which is the norm for artists today. Kupp, M., Reckhenrich, J. and Anderson, J. (2011) Damien Hirst and the contempoary art market, Available at: http://www.esmt.org/damien-hirst-and-contemporary-art-market (Accessed: 5th March 2016).

Artists can gain fantastic exposure from the platform and gain instant feedback for their work via “Likes” or “Comments”. This feedback is important to the artist and helps build their reputation, but there is also the thought from the traditionalist artist that this could influence future work. If the artist is overwhelmed with “likes”, would that influence the decision to continue producing similar pieces and the imaginative process would be suppressed and new directions not explored. I guess what is been suggested is that does it de value the work, which is really an opinion and cannot really be measured and is probably from the side of the market who do not like change and do not see Instagram posts as pure art.

The fine arts photographer may fall into the category of is Insatgram de valuing their profession, where as they have spent years learning their trade and expertise and now anybody can take a photograph with a Smartphone, connect to a Wi-Fi signal, create a post and call it art. This could be very frustrating, but it is technology helping the creative process, it is like listening to live music or vinyl music, both have a role to play in enjoying listening to music. Whether you think Instagram is good or bad, it is only a tool, the same way the camera is the tool. It is influencing how art is created.

Instagram may seem the approach by artists to gain instant success, but that’s not guaranteed. It may help open doors or draw attention to you, but the platform does need to show all aspects of your work and life. Posts need to be constant and interesting, to keep the audience interested. There is an extensive amount of art that can be viewed on the platform and it is easy to be overlooked.

The Gallery’s Perspective

The galleries have certainly embraced Instagram, possibly lead by the artists using it so proactively and being afraid of been cut out of the market. The Galleries have used the platform in various different ways, albeit from a slow start, realising frequent and exciting posts can increase the footfall to their premises, ultimately increasing the interest and the sales. It is a time consuming and creative process but they can reach a far larger audience than just opening their doors x7 days a week. They can create a “feel good”, “must see” factor for each of their exhibitions. Being able to display art via the internet also increases the amount of “art” they can display, having only limited space; the internet removes this barrier. Although you cannot buy directly from Instagram, it guides you to the artists or the gallery. It is no doubt an impressive marketing tool for galleries. 

The top five best London Gallery’s to follow on Instagram are as follows,

Saatchi Gallery – 466k followers, displaying known and unknown artists work.

Tate – 329k followers, displaying work from Liverpool, St Ives and the x2 London locations.

Gagosian – 268k, displaying work from x15 locations worldwide.

Barbican Centre – 103k, displays art and videos.

White Cube – 72k followers, displaying art from the likes of Marc Quinn, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst.

Craig, Z. (2015) The Best London Art Galleries To Follow On Instagram, Available at: http://londonist.com/2015/10/london-art-galleries-on-instagram (Accessed: 6th March 2016).

As the statistics show the number of followers is vast and could never be recreated by the gallery itself. The power and the influence of Instagram to the galleries are overwhelming and cannot be ignored.

As well as promoting artists work, some of the galleries do sell pieces on line. Saatchi Art is the largest on line Art Gallery, typically taking a 30% commission. Grant. (2016) 10 Ways To Sell Your Art Online, Available at: http://www.moma.co.uk/10-ways-to-sell-art-online/ (Accessed: 6th March 2016).

The influence of Instagram reaches far beyond the galleries just posting pictures of their up and coming art exhibitions, as they are now creating exhibitions purely showing the posted photos from artists. The Tate Modern during 2016 is about to host the first-ever Instagram series presenting it as art. The intriguing series documents the life through photos of a young woman named Amalia Ulman, featuring kittens, striped pyjamas and post-shower selfies. Papenfuss, M. (2016) Tate Modern:London art museum to host first exhibition of Instagram posts, Available at: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tate-modern-london-art-museum-host-first-exhibition-instagram-posts-1538902 (Accessed: 6th March 2016). This may not be to everybody’s taste, but it does emphasis that the galleries are taking Instagram very seriously and using the technology to push the boundaries of what art is which I guess is a natural progression and one which both the artists and the galleries should support.

 The million dollar question is how many actual art sales are generated by Instagram for the galleries? This seems to be up for debate, but it certainly as a big influence, as the app can preview and generate interest in a piece of art and then direct the buyer directly to the gallery. It is better to have more marketing options, creating the opportunity for the buyer to see the art, than limiting the buyer to having to visit the gallery to make a choice.

 An interesting example of how the platform can influence sales in conjunction with the galleries, is when the actor Pierce Brosnan visited the Phillips auction house in London, in 2015,snapped a selfie in front of a piece of work by the designer Marc Newson called “Lockheed Lounge” and posted the words “Let the bidding commence” to his 164 000 followers. Later that week the piece of art broke the world auction record for a design object and sold for £2.4 million.

Photo: Cait Munro, Wednesday, August 5, 2015, Art World Are Pierce Brosnan and High-Profile Collectors Really Using Instagram to Buy Art?,  https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pierce-brosnan-instagram-art-sales-party-322683

Nobody can be sure if this was the one factor that created the record but it would be foolish to assume it had no effect at all on the outcome. It shows how the platform can help the galleries and as a partnership can create interest and ultimately increases sales. Siegal, N. (2015) Instagram Takes on Growing Role in the Art Market, Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/arts/international/instagram-takes-on-growing-role-in-the-art-market.html?_r=0 (Accessed: 5th March 2016).

Instagram certainly gives the gallery a good deal of positive opportunities although it has taken some of its power away and given it back to the artist, and may take more in the future as the platform develops. Ultimately I do believe both parties need each other, as the audience will always require the physical gallery format, where you can truly appreciate the piece of art by seeing it for real. For sure more and more sales will be carried out on line, cutting out the gallery, but there is a role for the gallery within the market, they have got to exists together to each other’s mutual benefit.

The Collectors Perspective

Instagram is a great innovation for the collectors, they can view lots of art all at once without having to wade through many non related posts, videos or news stories that over platform sites, such as Facebook and Twitter post. It is instant and you have the ability to check out any artist that posts whether known or unknown. This is a great tool for seeking out up and coming new artists and following their journey, and discovering who else is interested in the person or piece of art. It allows the collector or critic to discover and evaluate the art without any pre conditions, ignoring the reputation of the artist and without lots of flowery words; it takes the art back to a purest state, just the viewer and the art.

photo: Apr 19th, 2015 7:49 pm, by eLENA SOBOLEVA, Title: Art Market Implication, web: https://www.artsy.net/article/elena-soboleva-how-collectors-use-instagram-to-buy-art

The collector can view all this art from the comfort of their home or even when they are on the move, as it is easy and quick to use. The collector can view more art in one hour than he could ever view in a year if they were to visit the actual galleries. It allows the collector to view more than they could ever see for real, although the quality of the art may not be as good as a gallery exhibition, which has been vetted and selected in advance. The collector still values the real experience of the gallery, but Instagram helps in the selection in which he may visit.

Statistics suggest that Instagram is being used seriously by collectors, an Artsy. Net survey April 2015, showed 87% of surveyed art collectors look at Instagram more than twice a day and 55% check it five or more times.

The data also shows 51.5% of these collectors have bought artwork from artists they have originally found via the app, with each purchasing an average of x5 pieces by the artist. Soboleva, E. (2015) How Collectors Use Instagram to Buy Art, Available at: http://www.artsy.net/article/elena-soboleva-how-collectors-use-instagram-to-buy-art (Accessed: 4th March 2016). The survey suggests once a collector as used the app, they find it extremely useful and in a sense slightly addictive.  The app does encourage the collector to purchase the art. Taking this to the extreme is the example of Leonardo DiCaprio spotting a Jean-Pierre Roy’s painting Nachlass,2015 on Instagram and buying it without even seeing it for real. Munro, C. (2015) Instagram Art SalesExposed - artnet News, Available at: http://www.news.artnet.com/art-world/pierce-brosnan-instagram-art-sales-party-322683 (Accessed: 6th March 2016). I guess this is not particularly good practice, and one not to be advised, but it does show the power of the app. A real risky venture buying art direct from the platform without a physical viewing, as the collector may not like the piece on receipt. The image on the app may not be a true likeness of the art in real life, as all the filters that can be applied to the image may change its appearance.

 Art should really be appreciated with the feeling of texture and observing the effect of the light, how the size or shape gives it character, with its identity only showing through when you physically see the piece. I believe this is important to the collector and how ever popular Instagram becomes, and it will grow and grow, the true relationship between the Gallery and the Collector will always be prevalent, with the app neutering this relationship.

Photo: Date: 4, 2015, By NINA SIEGALAUG, title: Instagram Takes on Growing Role in the Art Market, web: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/arts/international/instagram-takes-on-growing-role-in-the-art-market.html

Conclusion

The purposed question was, “Is Instagram the New Art Dealer?”

 I believe from the perspective of the artist, Instagram has revolutionised how they promote their work, and as given them power they never really had, enabling them to control their story gaining more exposure. The ease of access, anywhere, anytime, the opportunity to gain a large audience very quickly and the instant feedback encourages the artist to use this platform. It opens doors and builds the artist reputation; it shows art in “Real Time”, as it is created it is available to the audience.

The platform does not guarantee success, a great deal of time is necessary to keep the posts interesting and up to date, and the lack of words can be detrimental to some images. There is a great deal of art posted on the platform creating a challenging competition to be noticed.

The platform is an on line portfolio for the artist, allowing them to be the Creator, the Dealer and the Curator, with this in mind the artist will utilise Instagram more and more in the future, which in effect as forced the galleries to embrace the app otherwise risking being cut out of the market. Its use as advantages for the gallery, as it increases the footfall, reaching a much larger audience around the world and does overcome space issues when displaying artists work. It is a marketing business tool although it does take time and effort to keep it relevant and up to date. An added advantage Instagram as over the gallery is that they can be intimidating and cold, but I do believe there will always be  a desire for the audience to visit the gallery and see the art for real, as nothing can take the place of touching, feeling a piece of art. It is more emotional than viewing a picture online.

The collector is a key player in deciding the future of Instagram as an art dealer. The collector really wins from the relationship between the artist and the gallery. The platform allows instant access, 24/7, from anywhere, enabling art from known and unknown artists  to be checked out quickly and easily, although visits to the gallery is still necessary to see the “Real Thing” and to purchase the art, as Instagram presently does not sell online, although having being bought by Facebook, who knows what the future plans are!

The future of Instagram as an art dealer is interlinked between The Artist, The Gallery and The Collector, each embracing it does suggest it will be a major player, just remember how Social Media as developed in the last 10 years, as it is now a major component of modern lifestyle. It is highly likely the popularity and usefulness of Instagram will increase and with that its influence as an art dealer.

 Galleries be warned!

References

Craig,Z. (2015) The Best London Art Galleries To Follow On Instagram, Available at: http://londonist.com/2015/10/london-art-galleries-on-instagram (Accessed: 6th March 2016).
Grant. (2016) 10 Ways To Sell Your Art Online, Available at: http://www.moma.co.uk/10-ways-to-sell-art-online/ (Accessed: 6th March 2016).
Griffin, A. (2015) Instagram gets to 400 million users - but is still dwarfed by WhatsApp and Facebook, Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/instagrgram-gets-to-400-million-users-but-is-still-dwarfed-by-whatsapp-and-facebook... (Accessed: 7th March 2016).
Jeffreys,T. (2015) Can art exist on social media, Available at: http://www.appollo-magazine.com/can-art-exist-on-social-media/ (Accessed: 9th March 2016).
Kupp, M., Reckhenrich, J. and Anderson, J. (2011) Damien Hirst and the contempoary art market, Available at: http://www.esmt.org/damien-hirst-and-contemporary-art-market (Accessed: 5th March 2016).
Munro,C. (2015) Instagram Art SalesExposed - artnet News, Available at: http://www.news.artnet.com/art-world/pierce-brosnan-instagram-art-sales-party-322683 (Accessed: 6th March 2016).
Papenfuss,M. (2016) Tate Modern:London art museum to host first exhibition of Instagram posts, Available at: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tate-modern-london-art-museum-host-first-exhibition-instagram-posts-1538902 (Accessed: 6th March 2016).
Siegal,N. (2015) Instagram Takes on Growing Role in the Art Market, Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/arts/international/instagram-takes-on-growing-role-in-the-art-market.html?_r=0 (Accessed: 5th March 2016).
Soboleva,E. (2015) How Collectors Use Instagram to Buy Art, Available at: http://www.artsy.net/article/elena-soboleva-how-collectors-use-instagram-to-buy-art (Accessed: 4th March 2016).