Is social media killing art or bringing it to the people?
Intelligence Squared’s cultural debate will look at the pros and cons of social media and its place in the evolution of the way people look at art
March is art month in Hong Kong, and to coincide with the opening of Art Basel, Intelligence Squared’s annual cultural debate will be held on March 23. The subject: Social Media is Killing Art.
It’s a dramatic statement, but is it true? While many decry social media for the general dumbing down of culture, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the art world, whether artists or gallerists, who can’t see an upside to social media.
Stephanie Kelly is director of the Affordable Art Fair, which holds 230 fairs in 14 cities, including Hong Kong. She is adamant that rather than killing art, social media is democratising it.
“Look at the evolution of art, from caves to the church to rich merchants to museums where the public get access to it. And slowly, more and more people are getting access to art with more museums. It’s the next step in the democratisation of art,” Kelly says.
Although she doesn’t believe that social media will ever replace being able to see art “in the flesh”, she does see it as a valuable way of engaging with a new audience.