The advent of the Internet and the phenomenon referred to as ‘globalisation’ has reduced barriers of time and space, allowing a variety of cultures and communities to be instantaneously connected at any point in time. The ease and convenience of communication via the Internet has had profound affects on the art industry, allowing artists and viewers to interact both locally and globally, as evident through the website ‘RedBubble’. The influence of the Internet in the contemporary art world has additionally enabled an ease of exchange and interaction between the artist giving rise to innovative collaborations, in alternate viewing spaces.
The question of artist recognition in the virtual art world continues to be a prevalent dilemma due to the enormity of the World Wide Web. Traditional galleries, as a method of displaying and viewing art, largely resulted in instant recognition and status for the artist due to the connotations of the venue. Galleries, in general, denote prestige due to long established exclusivity reinforced by regarded art communities such as the Bourgeoisie. There appears to be a greater element of chance involved in online art, thus word of mouth and targeted marketing are now crucial features of the virtual contemporary art world. Therefore the site on which artwork is displayed and promoted is a critical factor in their overall success of the artist.
RedBubble, is regarded and one of the largest and most successful sites of its kind. The developers of the site are devoted to the alignment of interest with artists, only making money when the artist profits, as the site contains no advertisements. The development of RedBubble and other virtual art communities reflect the philosophy that art should not be sensored by regarded art institutions, artists should have the right to display their art and the public should enjoy the right to view this art. The current ‘ipod generation’ thrives via the convenience of technology, revealed in the quote from Will Ramsay, ‘Online art works because you don’t need to venture into a gallery. People dislike walking into a silent, wooden floored gallery where you feel self-conscious’.
The article in the Independent, ‘Do we need art galleries anymore?’ references Damien Hirst’s recent application the Internet, setting the bench mark for the commoditisation art. Citing such a renowned post modern artist reinforces the prominence and effectiveness of the Internet as a medium in the arts industries. This also makes evident the extensive market and demand for sites such as RedBubble. The Internet is not only being harnessed by underground artists as an inexpensive means of global accessibility and publicity for their art, however regarded art institutions and galleries such as the Louvre are utilizing the capabilities and popularity of the Internet in the arts industries.
Deakin (2008) poses the question; ‘if an artist doesn’t feature on a website, do they exist?’, conversely the ultimate question for RedBubble is; ‘if an artist exists on a website does this necessarily result in recognition and successful sales?’. Due to the extensive artistic content available on the web, ultimately quantity has greater prevalence than quality. More than 110, 000 artists post works on RedBubble, engaging the audience in a somewhat random process of sifting through numerous works and artists. In order to counteract this the creators of RedBubble designed an effective navigation system, including a home page with featured artists and works, a favourites list, recently viewed and popular links. When viewing specific artists and their works tags and a list of groups to which the artist belongs allows the user to be guided through the site more systematically.
RedBubble and other virtual art communities, allow for greater intimacy and connection with the artist, disabling snobbery and exclusivity synonymous with the traditional art world. Virtual art galleries enable greater accessibility and consequently awareness of art as a prevalent component of society, stimulating a global cultural mindset. While virtual galleries do possess limitations, ultimately the Internet should be viewed as a positive addition and movement for contemporary art.
