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BRINGING ART HOME
The Star, In.Tech, Oct 1, 2002
ART used to be something mainly enjoyed by the upper and upper-middle
classes of society. In the past, it was rare to see a working man browsing
through works of art, let alone the destitute or relatively poor person
walking through the doors of an art gallery.
Firstly, the poor or working class didn’t have the time. Secondly, art
has always been perceived as something that only the “cultured” and
“intellectual” could appreciate.
Snobbish perceptions? Perhaps. But can you imagine a chimney-sweep
during Queen Victoria’s reign standing inside an art gallery?
The world has gone through so many changes since Victorian times.
In case you haven’t noticed, the art world is starting to “chill out.”
There is no longer a need to be in your double-breasted suit or gown just
to be allowed entry into an art gallery.
With that more relaxed attitude comes a higher importance placed on
educating the world and reaching out to the masses … yes, even the working
man and those with slimmer bank accounts can now step into a gallery
without fear of persecution.
But changing attitudes is not the only thing that has brought art into
the lives of the public. There is also the Internet.
With the advent of the Internet, artists have found that their works
need no longer be displayed in art galleries alone. They can bring their
art into every person’s home.
All that’s needed is a PC and Internet access.
Anybody with an Internet connection can view, experience and appreciate
works of art. True, to better appreciate a piece of art, you need to be
standing in front of it. But, imagine how many more people are gaining
exposure to art through the Internet.
While the current spate of local art online is purely in the 2D form
(scanned photos), there is nothing stopping our artists and art galleries
from having webcams in their galleries and streaming videos that feature
walk-through tours of art exhibitions that zoom in on selected pieces of
art.
You no longer have to leave your house to go to an art gallery. Art
comes into your home through the Internet.
In.Tech spoke to people in the art industry about local art
hopping onto the Internet train.
New playing field
Zanita Anuar, curator of the National Art Gallery (NAG), estimates that
about 40% of local artists have presented themselves on the Internet.
This not only includes those who have personal websites, but also those
who are featured in promotional webpages. The number includes artists who
are working abroad.
“The artists get excited about technology. It is good that a lot of
them don’t want to be left behind,” says Zanita.
“It is a surprise to me that a lot of them are going online. The
technophobia is there, though. By and large Malaysian artists still hold
on to their basic ideas in art. Not many of them want to go into non-respresentational
art.
“It has to do with appreciation. They use the Internet to promote what
they are doing but not to really explore it to the best advantage
sometimes in terms of their artistic abilities, and that saddens me. If
you are into communication and you don’t know how to use the tools you
will really lose out.”
The National Art Gallery launched its website (www.artgallery.org.my)
in the year 2000. According to Zanita, the purpose of the site is to make
the NAG more accessible to the public.
People are more excited and open to art if they have some
“pre-information,” she says.
She likens the advent of the Internet to that of TV and video. “The
Internet is another medium. It is now the artists who need to know how to
engage with it for maximum effect and that takes some adapting. This is
the new playing field.
“Overall, the art world gets more interesting through the Internet,
with virtual exhibitions.”
Virtual gallery
Having a virtual gallery is the dream of Shahimah Idris of Art Case
Galleries.
She would love to have an online gallery where visitors can actually go
through the gallery virtually as they would in person, and click on the
artworks to zoom in on any chosen work, and even perhaps have a voiceover
explaining the piece of art.
What’s stopping her? Simply put: The price of the software, and the
server space needed.
Even if she did have a virtual gallery, users who don’t have the
necessary software installed on their PCs would still be unable to
experience the multimedia benefits.
Those are the stumbling blocks that keep Shahimah from pursuing her
ideal gallery.
Nonetheless, the director of sales and marketing takes her marketing
job seriously. Not only does her gallery have a website (www.artcase.com.my),
but Shahimah is the one responsible for the regular updates as well.
She makes it a point to feature different art online than what is found
at her gallery. This way more pieces of art gain exposure either through
the gallery or through the website.
The website features the works of the gallery’s artists, as well as
information on upcoming shows and news.
The whole idea is to make visitors aware of Art Case and its location.
“We actually keep the gallery open every day but with the Internet you
have access all day long, 24 hours a day. There are no limitations on
that,” says Shahimah.
“One of the most important things is that yes, we want to sell artwork.
But the more important thing is to get the people to come to our gallery.
I want people to be able to appreciate artwork but most importantly to
make contact with me and my husband (artist and managing director of Art
Case Raja Azhar Idris).”
In achieving those aims, Shahimah and Art Case have indeed been
successful. She has received a lot of enquiries because of the website,
and she has also sold six pieces of art based on contact initially made
online.
“I still believe that when you see something on the computer screen it
is nothing like what you see in real life. It is not a true indication of
what the artwork is like,” says Shahimah.
She explains that although she may scan a photo of the artwork,
manipulate it as best she can to capture the colour of the real piece of
art … the final product in digital format can never portray the actual
work of art.
“I can never show 3D effects like textures or if it’s glass or a piece
of embroidery. So I do believe people should come to the gallery (to view
the art in person).”
Shahimah also uses the website to provide information about the artists
behind the art. It is important, she says, that people get to know the
artist and realise that artists are people with emotions and experiences
that all contribute to their creativity and their art.
“When I sell a piece of artwork,” she says, “I sell the artist along
with the work.”
The site also makes it easy for her husband when he has to make
presentations. All he has to do is take his laptop with him, and surf to
the gallery’s website.
Through the website and through contacts, Shahimah has 300 e-mail
addresses on her mailing list. These she uses to send out regular
newsletters informing interested parties of upcoming shows.
Reinforcing image
Sri Lankan Shalini Ganendra has been living in Malaysia for the past
nine years. She runs The Private Gallery (www.theprivategallery.com),
in Petaling Jaya.
“I was very sceptical at first (about having a website) but what
happened was that a friend of mine suggested I had a website done. (The
website) provides exposure and it also reinforces the image for the
gallery,” says Shalini.
The gallery is about four years old and the website is only 2 1/2 years
old.
According to Shalini, the idea of the site actually reinforces the
already existing gallery image – which is basically the idea of living
with art.
She says that because the gallery was already running for a good few
years before the website was designed, “we knew what to put in, what to
project, what to emphasise.”
Her site gets about 50,000 hits in a year – a lot of the gallery’s
online visitors are local and foreign artists. There are enquiries from
buyers and also people who just want to get their work valued by a
professional.
“I think because most people do rely on the Internet it is useful for
coverage but I am not convinced that the Internet can make an artist,”
says Shalini.
“I think to really establish oneself as an artist and dealer you have
to have personal contact because the art game is so very much about
credibility. The Internet can help initiate and give a little insight into
a person and help, but by no means can it do it all. It is just a form of
media.”
While buying online without first viewing the artwork is not advisable,
the Internet does get a dialogue going.
Says Shalini, “There has to be a personal relationship before that
order is placed for the artwork.”
Promotional purposes
Chris Yap, of Art Salon in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, agrees. “Having a
website for art is not really for selling. We are not even thinking about
that!”
While a website is good for marketing and promotional purposes, there
is no way it can give viewers a real representation of that artwork. No
image online can do justice to a piece of art, says Yap. “Somehow you can
never get it 100% the same. The colours and the texture are lost in a
photograph or image.”
Having said that, Yap tells the tale of a woman in Britain who was
interested in the works of a particular artist, Fauzin Mustaffa. She was
familiar with the artist’s works and was sent the images of four pieces of
works. Without having seen the actual pieces, she bought all four of them.
All this was done through e-mail.
One in a thousand, says Yap. It would be ridiculous to expect art
lovers to buy art based on online images.
Art Salon is revamping and relaunching its website (www.artsalon.com.my)
this November.
Says Yap, “We thought it would be useful for our clients or people who
want to know what we have; more for informational and promotional
purposes. We use it as a tool for our clients when they don’t have time or
when they need to look at some images.
“I think whether artists know something about the Internet or not they
are aware that it is something helpful and useful and they know that it is
of some value.”
Whose rights
Everyone agrees that there are great benefits to putting art online.
But how about the issue of copyright? Aren’t artists and galleries fearful
of having their artwork downloaded and sold or even copied?
“I think artists have a choice. They have a lot of other avenues. And
if they are taking this way (by putting their works on the Internet) these
are the risks they have to take,” says the NAG’s Zanita.
The Private Gallery’s Shalini says that having your artwork copied or
your style copied is a risk all artists take whether the work is placed in
a gallery, or featured in a magazine or even featured on a website.
A point that Art Salon’s Yap agrees with. If people want to copy a work
of art, they can easily pick up an art magazine and copy that, he says.
“If they put their works online then they should be more aware of the
copyright issues,” says Zanita.
At a time when the world is experimenting with cloning and exploring
living on Mars, perhaps it is time for local and foreign artist to learn
more about technology and copyright issues. It is not just a matter of
using information effectively but empowering the artists.
Isn’t that what the Internet and the information age is all about?
Copyright Star Publications (M) Bhd
ALSO:
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Go online for retro decoration, September 6, 2005
Mobile apps developers show the way, August 25, 2005
Renting a book on the Net, August 9, 2005
The business of blogging, July 21, 2005
Still waiting for the smarthome, July 19, 2005
Appealing to old and young alike, June 23, 2005
Debunking the geek myth, June 16, 2005
What's cool, man?, June 16, 2005
Tech Doors Opening to the Blind, Oct 14 , 2004
Learning The PC Starts At 60, June 10, 2004
The HTML's On The Blackboard, May 25, 2004
New Technology, Old Methods,Dec 04, 2003
Soaring Into Digital Art, Apr 15, 2003
Santa Goes High-Tech, Dec 24, 2002
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