Instagram, Art and artists.
Artists are taking control, telling their story and finding people who want to hear it.
Olivia Fleming from Vogue published a great article and interviewed me for it. I really liked our conversation so I wanted to share it in its integrity.
Olivia Fleming (Vogue): Artists like Donald Robertson, Richard Haines, Ashley Longshore and Baron von Fancy have made names for themselves as artists via social media, sometimes selling artwork upwards of $20,000 straight off Instagram (from requests the comments section).
What do you think of under-the-radar artists making a name for themselves via social media, rather than going through more traditional channels?
There has always been a problem for 99% of artists in the world — “how do I get myself known?”.
Kenneth Schlenker (Gertrude): Instagram offers a compelling answer, if you have striking visual imagery and know a few tricks you can gain a very large audience very fast. Before, you could only achieve this kind of reach at a big museum show after years climbing up the art world ladder one step at a time.
Is Instagram, or social media in general, the future of selling blue chip art?
It is the future of art discovery for sure. Before, an artist was discovered because someone went into an artist studio and liked his work so he told his friends, who told their friends, one of whom was a gallerist and put up a show for him; then a critic wrote about it and he got his start. Social media replicates the same mechanism but much faster. Today if you want an edge on which artists will be big you have a shot by following art world heavy-hitters on Instagram who post about artists they like.
Do you think Instagram democratizes art, which has long been seen as elitist, in a positive way?
It does. Like many technology disruptions, it levels the playing field. However this does not mean that anyone with great imagery will be an instant success on Instagram, and then will do great commercially. There are many hurdles along the way. I think what is happening to art is comparable to what happened to music, where cards have been reshuffled. Musicians don’t need the elite to distribute their work anymore (anyone can put an mp3 up on Soundcloud or Youtube and reach millions), but they need someone to do production and social media better than anyone. Another “elite” is forming of people who are the best at this.
Does the art world take made-by-Instagram artists less seriously than those who sell and show their work in galleries?
It used to be impossible for an artist to reach a massive audience directly, you had to first get support of the art world elite (critics, dealers and big collectors) who eventually helped you get in big museum shows.
So when artists tried to get around this elite and get directly to the masses — that’s what street art did, and then social media — the art world elite frowned.
Today things are different and smart people in the art world embrace social media for what it is: an extraordinary way to discover, promote and critique art.
Look at the instagram accounts of Klaus Biesenbach (PS1 director — @klausbiesenbach) or Simon de Pury (auctioneer — @simondepury).
What are the greatest and worst things Instagram can do for an upcoming artist?
It gives artists the ability to control the way their story is told, and find people who want to hear it. It’s not just visual, it’s the image + caption that makes the whole story. Beyond their artwork, artists can talk about their inspiration, influence, things they come across, things they hate, things they love.
I think it’s why artists like @jr are so successful on Instagram, it’s not just the artwork, it’s that you’re with him on those rooftops pasting them.
Are the benefits and/or pitfalls of Instagram different for an already established, well-respected artist?
I don’t think so.
What is the worst thing you think Instagram does for an upcoming artist?
You can quickly tell if an artist has no story to tell, and therefore is of no interest.
Do you think these pitfalls are different for an already established, well-respected artist?
I don’t think so.
Do you think selling off Instagram de-values art work in any way? Why?
An artist has to think strategically about what and who he sells to, which is typically to role of a gallery. For example, a gallery will try to sell work to “important” collectors because they will help promote the artist to the right people. That is why a gallery will sometimes refuse to sell work to an “unimportant” collector, because they would rather see a particular work in the hands of an important collector. I think the rules of selling works need to be re-imagined for Instagram. Maybe if two people want to same original artwork, the artist should give it to the person with the most Instagram followers?
Is it positive or detrimental to an artist’s career that collectors can now contact them directly via social media, instead of having to go through a gallery or dealer?
Same answer as above.
Do you see it as being good or bad for business in the wider art world?
I think this will reshuffle the cards and dealers who make the most of it will be the ones who know how to use social media to their advantage. A lot of dealers will die from this.
Would you ever encourage a client to buy a piece of work straight from the artist via Instagram?
If they can get away with it, absolutely!
Would you ever encourage a client to buy a piece of work straight from an artist via Instagram?
At Gertrude, we have already sold work as a result of posting it on Facebook and Instagram. I also know many art advisors who use social media to push specific artwork, and I know this has resulted in deals.
*The image above is a screenshot from artist Wade Guyton’s instagram feed (@burningbridges38). He printed multiple editions of one of his unique pieces in an attempt to torpido a Christie’s sale where it was being sold for a $3.5m estimate.
If you want you can follow me on Instagram (@kennouth).
