A Gallery’s Shift to Art Online: Opinions, Risks, and the Inevitable Future
British Museum in London’s virtual museum tour
The pandemic, which struck the globe early last year has resulted in over 2.6 million deaths, the shutdown of hundreds of thousands of small businesses, and over 100 million jobs lost worldwide (ILO, 2021).
It is no surprise then, that companies that relied solely on in-person transactions have been struggling. If these organizations did not already have a solid online platform to promote and share their products and services, they would have had to either implement one or accept their losses and wait until in-person gatherings are permitted.
So what does this mean for art galleries?
Art galleries have had to make an online shift, urged by the pandemic. And they have faced obstacles in this process.
For one, this shift does not seem to be favored by many art collectors. When collectors were surveyed by the London research firm ArtTactic for the Hiscox Online Art Trade Report, about half reported that they preferred attending galleries in person rather than viewing art online (Abby Schultz, Penta 2020).
It was not disclosed whether or not these collectors have paused or are still purchasing art online, regardless of their preference.
“People still want the physical side of the art market because it’s fun to actually see, smell and touch the art, and to feel the energy in a room of people looking at art” (Robert Read, head of fine art at Hiscox as cited in Abby Schultz, Penta).
While this tangible desire to be able to see, smell and touch the products one might buy makes sense, (both inside and out of the art industry) the unfortunate circumstances have left many galleries to set up or enhance their websites, social media, and other online platforms.
These quick online transitions have led many small businesses to rush into their online transitions, and have posed risk for cyber scammers.
According to Security Magazine, the height of the pandemic had spiked up cyberattack cases by 31%, and in the past year, UK businesses lost more than $6.2 million.
The start of the pandemic has allowed “many opportunities for malicious hackers to interrupt individuals and businesses as we have been thrown out of our usual routines and away from reliable systems” (Knowles 2020 as cited in Security Magazine, 2020).
Although at the time, maintaining sales to keep afloat outweighed administering a strong cybersecurity routine, it is important now for these small businesses–galleries included, to employ adequate reporting as well as training for employees to know exactly what suspicious activity to look out for.
Whether it is preferred by art collectors or not, the future of online galleries and other art platforms looks promising.
“Before Covid-19, the digital space was almost always treated as an afterthought for expanding an audience beyond the reach of physical spaces.” says digital strategist JiaJia Fei, The Guardian, 2020.
With many working towards the adaptation of in-person to online systems, museums and galleries all over the world have decided to jump on board in order to create a more captivating online experience.
Now, some of the most widely known museums such as the British Museum in London, National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and more have implemented some form of a virtual exhibit.
These types of exhibits range from displaying all of the artworks online in a gallery view, to a totally 3D immersive experience where one feels as if he or she is walking through a gallery. These 3D virtual concepts could include audio in the form of music and or narrations to create a fuller, more mesmeric involvement. Some are even adopting technology to create advancements in the fields of virtual reality and augmented reality.
The future of the digitally displayed art world seems to be inevitable, as advanced by the pandemic. If done thoughtfully and without the risk of online hackers, online platform expansion could not only connect wider, more global audiences but also prove to be a solid and substantial option to have alongside physical galleries, or instead of them altogether.
Meditations on Rumi 3D exhibition, Think Round Fine Arts
Chocolate in the Garden / Plum Tree Skies 3D exhibition, Think Round Fine Arts
Think Round Fine Arts Online is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit gallery based out of San Francisco. It is one of the many organizations that have made the shift to arts online, as an immersive virtual 3D gallery. To explore our exhibitions, blogs, or purchase original artwork, visit: https://www.thinkround.org/exhibitions
About Brenna Parker
Digital Marketer for Think Round Fine Arts Online, a San Francisco-based nonprofit.