The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it the shuttering of galleries as we know them. But how does this affect integrity in a medium like visual art where the experience of seeing is integral to its interpretation and appreciation?
The experience of a gallery is arguably one of the most compelling ways in which art can be seen. With the transition to online galleries and guided tours of exhibits originally curated for a physical space, the experience of seeing and being seen changes. Richard L. Gregory, in his essay “Perspective,” suggests that “actual touch is important in setting the visual scale of objects.” (1) With virtual galleries, we are deprived of this physicality, this scale that is so integral to the reception, appreciation and understanding of a work of art. Take the work of Yayoi Kusama, for example. Her Infinity Mirror exhibits consist of mirrored rooms in which the viewer is intended to stand, walk through, and essentially be a part of. An experience like this is irreplicable online, and the work loses so much of its meaning and appeal. Likewise, a photo of a painting or installation does not evoke the same reaction as seeing it to scale, being there with it, and having it return your look, as Lacan would suggest. (2)
However, the way in which we interpret what we see, our perspective, is “culturally determined,” according to Gregory. (3) Many studies examine how our perspective is shaped by our society and life experiences. (4) People who work at heights can tell the size of objects from the top of skyscrapers, whereas the average person might think them to look small - people on the sidewalks look like ants, cars look like toys. (5) Similarly, the Renaissance brought about our contemporary, Western ideal of perspective. (6) We understand distance cues within paintings based on ideas of convergence: the objects we are looking at do not just get smaller in the background of an image, but they converge - there is depth on the flat surface. They are smaller because they are far away. People of non-Western cultures who do not see by these standards do not see this perspective. The convergence is not there because it is not socially coded: a flat surface is flat, and the objects are the size they are. This can be seen in pre-Renaissance art.
So how does this operate on a digital stage? Our brain uses perspective to see the images on the screen, but we are not yet at a point where size and scale can be truly appreciated. We are, essentially, in our own pre-Renaissance. Until a perspective is coded in our society which allows us to see art to scale online, we see it as small and sometimes insignificant. Measurements of paintings might be attached, but the numbers rarely give us the grasp and understanding of the size we would have in a physical space. With people or some other physical marker in the photo, we get some more perspective. But, we still lack depth. The texture is dulled, colours can be manipulated. Our perspective is muted with the digital mediator.
However, with the introduction of new technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), which are becoming more and more accessible, this might change in the near future. The virtual reality market is expected to grow by roughly 32% by 2024, (7) with these numbers having the potential of reaching even higher based on the prolonged lockdowns and the craving for new experiences that COVID has brought. (8) With these technologies, galleries and artists would have the option of creating 3D spaces that help to bridge some of the disparity in online perspective. People could walk through a gallery in the comfort of their own living room. Some leading technology specialists suggest that this could even spur the growth of the arts and tourism industry, with companies using these VR headsets as “previews” for in-person experiences. (9) Additionally, with fine art being consistently in demand for purchasing during the pandemic, (10) the VR experience may allow for an increased buyer base, which goes beyond that of local commercial galleries, allowing artists more sustainable income from wider sources.
One thing is certain: with new tech and the rise of online viewings, art galleries will not be able to return to their previous status quo. Perspective and the way art is viewed will be forever changed to allow for a diversity of digital and physical perspectives. While the gallery experience is still integral to that of art for a variety of cultural reasons such as socialization, immersivity and more, the accessibility and potential for a digital perspective is undeniable and should be leveraged by the arts community to make it more inclusive and accessible for art viewers, and ultimately, profitable and equitable for artists.
Endnotes
(1) Richard L. Gregory, "Perspective," in Reading Images, rev. ed., ed. Julia Thomas (New York, New York: PALGRAVE, 2001), 11.
(2) Julia Thomas, "Intoduction" in Reading Images, rev. ed., ed. Julia Thomas (New York, New York: PALGRAVE, 2001), 2.
(3) Julia Thomas, "Summaries and Notes" in Reading Images, rev. ed., ed. Julia Thomas (New York, New York: PALGRAVE, 2001), 208.
(4) Gregory, "Perspective," 11.
(5) Gregory, 11.
(6) Gregory, 14.
(7) Thomas Alsop, "Virtual reality (VR) - statistics & facts," Statista, August 2, 2021, https://www.statista.com/topics/2532/virtual-reality-vr (accessed August 20, 2021).
(8) Andrew Osterland, "Coronavirus could be catalyst to reinvigorate virtual reality headsets," CNBC, last modified May 4, 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/02/coronavirus-could-be-catalyst-to-reinvigorate-virtual-reality-headsets.html (accessed August 20, 2021).
(9) Osterland, "Coronavirus could be catalyst to reinvigorate virtual reality headsets."
(10) Stefan Dege, "COVID shakes up the art market," DW, December 30, 2020, https://www.dw.com/en/covid-shakes-up-the-art-market/a-55970895 (accessed August 20, 2021).