With the prevalence of social media, people are more concerned with snapping the perfect shot rather than stepping back and taking in the art in front of them.
Treading through the Lifeforms exhibition at 180 The Strand, it dawned on me the presence of technology in our daily lives. Inspired by human movement, the gallery had walking entities of sand and fire bouncing across the screen and interactive robot installations.
At an exhibition, you’re bound to take out your phone to snap some photos. Whether to keep a memory of the artwork, or to add something edgy for your Instagram feed, that’s none of my business. This exhibition, however, kept visitors like me well entertained.
But Sophia, who invited me to the venue, was not phased. “That exhibition had lots of stuff that was impressive on its own, but the curation together was a bit monotonous.” As someone who keeps up with the art scene in London, I respected Sophia’s comment.
When we lose interest in something, smartphones come in clutch, occupying our thumbs and minds. In a UK study, 47% of people agreed that ‘‘deep thinking’ is a thing of the past”, social media keeping our minds stimulated with surface-level content.
Gallery curations nowadays “seem to consider visitors having very limited attention spans.” Sophia points out.
Looking at other examples, Yayoi Kusama came to mind. The Japanese artist is known for her large-scale installations that paint exhibitions worldwide, with ideas derived from a history of mental disorders. Nowadays, her sculptures act as a backdrop to selfies.
The Instagram hashtag #yayoikusama has accumulated over a million posts, including snapshots of her installations and the occasional candid photos behind polka dotted pumpkins.
“People would just go and take a picture in the infinity mirror rooms because it looks so optically impressive,” Sophia explained. “they don’t do any wider research into her as an artist.”
Time Out reveals Tate Modern extended Kusama’s exhibition showing to June 2023, due to the high demand. With millions rushing to see her work in the flesh, her shows are far from the average exhibition experience.
Sophia recounted the last time she saw Kusama’s work. “You’re just queueing one at a time for a photo moment,” She huffed. “You get shoved in and out of the exhibition. You’re not experiencing it in a richer way!”
On the other hand, social media is perhaps the best outlet for promoting the work of artists. Sophia is a brand marketing manager at Avalon, a company managing creatives around the world. She oversees the advertising for creative media, from theatre shows to new TV series.
“[The content] has to be visually appealing and engaging, making people want to know more.” Sophia elaborates. “Sharing stuff on Instagram is all part of that ecosystem that helps museums sell tickets.” Despite her involvement with Instagram, Sophia does a social media cleanse to avoid the horrors of doomscrolling.
“It’s depressing, [when people] need to get a picture of themselves to validate some kind of experience.” Sophia says. “If I’m taking a video, it’s because I like to look back [at memories]. Not use it to update my dating profile or something!” she chuckles.