It is clear that posts "for artists" are less attractive than commentary on the current agenda, but I will still try to write and find an audience for them, and you, if you want a continuation, leave a like.
There will also be a piece on criteria in art, but not right now. First, we will talk about different aspects of an artist's life. To start, a few posts about markets.
There is no single art market. Even if we limit ourselves to contemporary art, there are six markets.
The main ones:
Accompanying ones:5. The artistic labor market6. The free time market
And since, starting from the 1970s, charity in art has grown to a large scale and become a sphere of competition, it also began to function according to market laws. So let us put it in a separate line:7. The charity market.
THE MARKET OF ARTIFACTS is essentially a market of art souvenirs. You come to Venice and buy a watercolor depicting the Grand Canal, the Accademia Bridge, or St. Mark's Square. Most often, you do not know the artist's name; you just want to have a memory of the trip. The price of works in this market is tied to the artist's expenses for its creation and sale: materials, time, commercial space. These works are not resold. Meaning, this cannot be an investment. Until recently, this market consisted exclusively of emerging artists or craftsmen without ambitions. But today, major players also play in this through the system of museum shops—unlimited (or large) editions of famous artists.
THE SALON is the largest market. The market for decorating spaces: home, hotel, office. Everyone already understands everything about it. Well, except maybe for the pricing. Yes, the artist's name matters here, but still, on average, the price dances around the cost of the spaces themselves. However much a square meter of housing costs in a given city, that is how much an artist's work costs in a gallery at the start of their career. The word "quality," which art historians dislike so much, is popular here. Quality painting. At the beginning of Perestroika, people came to Moscow to buy "quality painting" not because (as we thought) it was unique or better than the painting of German artists, but because a square meter of housing in Moscow cost five times less than in Berlin, and it was simply profitable. One way or another, this market feeds artists during the most difficult period of their careers, when they are no longer "young artists" supported by foundations, but not yet famous masters bought by museums and major collectors.
THE IDENTITY MARKET involves a subject (for example, a city, a country) that possesses a cultural face. To be an integral part of this face (read: context) means to be present in the identity market. For instance, we do an exhibition called "Artists of St. Petersburg" in Milan, and we understand that without this specific artist, it is impossible. He is an integral part. This can apply not only to territories. For example, "street artists" are also a context. Feminists. Naive artists. It is just that the city and country are the most obvious ones, and they are the easiest to get into. This is the most alive and most interesting market. This is where collectors are found. Each of them creates a concept for a collection and looks for artists who fit into it. Prices here are higher than in the salon market and depend not on real estate, but on the political and media situation. For Russian art, the best time was Perestroika. Russia was fashionable, and the interest was immense. For Ukrainian art, such a moment will arrive literally tomorrow.
THE MARKET OF MASTERPIECES—well, everything seems clear here too. If an artist becomes "cultural heritage" during their lifetime, then their works become cultural fetishes and ascend "to the heavens." People compete for them, prices are formed at auctions, and the works themselves are financial assets. They are invested in no longer as "startups" but as blue chips. This market is similar to the stock market.
THE ARTISTIC LABOR MARKET is a huge market of commissions. This includes illustrations, theater, design, and church murals. Here, just like in other professions, there are salaries, rates, and bonuses for expertise level. The most desirable thing in this market is public art competitions—offering both money and fame. In general, always participate in competitions for public projects.
THE FREE TIME MARKET is the organization of exhibitions and events. In this market, one fights not for the buyer, but for the viewer. This can also be "monetized." Not just through the sale of tickets and guided tours; a major event can claim advertising budgets, drops of art souvenirs, etc. And marketers will explain how to convert viewers into buyers.
THE CHARITY MARKET—well, this is, of course, a "bloody business," but for a beginner, participating in it is a must. There is a lot of money here: grants, residencies, non-commercial projects. Here, by the way, a focus on diverse identity markets will help, since this money is conditional on fitting into a certain context: age, gender, life circumstances, type of art.
Of course, everything is interconnected with everything else. But it is still important to understand and not mix up the markets. An artist can be present in different markets, but these require multidirectional efforts and different criteria for price formation.
P.S. Image from the new project of the + - group.
