Karen Levy
Art and Tech Entrepreneur (AiKa), Collector (dslcollection)
My perceptions of the challenges facing a collection today
As one of the Founders of dslcollection and after a career in the art world (Phillips, Sotheby’s) my first challenge that we are facing is the common perception of a private collection, and how it can proactively address the social and environmental threats to our individual and collective wellbeing, outside the realm of collecting art. In order to embrace this challenge, it requires true vision and a strong commitment to serious public engagement. Contrary to conventional wisdom, public engagement goes far beyond increasing audience and generating revenue. I believe that a private collection, through the very human story of its founders, makes it more accessible and empathic than public institutions. It can be a key intellectual resource during times of profound socio-environmental change. To achieve this goal, a collection has to be built in a total different way. The focus should not only be about having the mission of ‘’just amassing something but also about being for somebody’’.
It t is crucial to put the collection in the context of its time
More than ever, the problems and uncertainties people face are unprecedented, yet the possibilities and opportunities for change and renewal have also never been greater. The word for "crisis" in the Chinese language is “wei ji”, where "wei" means danger and "ji" refers to opportunity. To face this situation we need to adopt a new mindset based on agility and to connect the dots differently. I am not saying that a private collection could resolve any of our global problems, but it is in a position to at least help to invent a new, desirable future for itself and its communities.
In considering what a collection might actually do to become an agent of change, there are several defining characteristics that make private collections better suited for taking action Art collections should be the perfect bridge between the so-called two sub-cultures of sciences and humanities. The magazine Quartz has defined what they call “the core obsessions that drive their newsroom”, i.e. defining topics of seismic importance:
- Global economic disruptions
- The aging effect
- The future of mobility
- The new luxury
- Being human
- The new propaganda
- Machines with brains
- Because of China
- Big tech
A collection should constantly be infused by all these topics and mirror them through the art works that are collected, and the channels of discussion that it could open on social networks.
Going public
dslcollection also decided that the collection should be a nomadic collection and has refused to be fixed in one spot and instead, opts for extending the notions of art spaces using the globalized arena of the digital world. Born into a screen-based world, today’s new generation move in and out of the physical and virtual worlds at ease, believing that each world is “real” to them. From 2005 we went from a website to a 2D and 3D museum, and in 2012 a museum on Second Life and now augmented reality and virtual reality.
https://www.bmw-art-guide.com/categories/collections/chasing-the-future
Presently, we are making a 3D narrative video game, The Forgetter, that engages average game players to a futuristic setting where art is challenged and redefined. We are not as motivated to create perfect games, but niche, novel ones games.
https://www.forgetter.net/the-concept
Another project is the DSL VR Art Village. DSL VR Art Village will utilize cutting-edge virtual reality technology and be developed on VRChat, a social virtual reality platform that primarily can be experienced with VR headsets and PC computers It is designed as a cosmopolitan global village in cyberspace. Here, visitors will encounter the artworks of the dslcollection in a series of virtual buildings/galleries designed with distinctive styles. Viewers will also enjoy fun and game-like experiences as they walk through the village.
Furthermore, I co-created AiKa the first Art and Tech consulting platform to integrate art and new technologies into culture strategies for institutions, brands and wider audience. For two years we had completed a round of art and tech partners to find the best 360 ° solutions for public/private institutions and corporates; it’s important to develop experiences with art and other industries. With my business partner we share an experience in China, so our mission is to develop very unique synergies to connect East and West.
A brand identity
We believe that the digital world is also about creating “a cultural institution without walls”, a sustainable brand identity, and also helping artists to create their own brand. The necessity to apply a branding strategy to private collections and cultural institutions highlight perfectly the disruption effect that is overtaking the art industry today. Branding is a significant step forward to stand out, to make a difference, and to speak with a unique voice that gives one’s personality and set of values. The branding of a collection can become one of its major assets and a way for artists to increase the value of their work once the works enter a renowned collection. A sustainable brand identity can only be achieved if the collection has a “soul” of its own…a distinctive and timeless identity/brand image. To become a permanent, respected and perhaps even iconic cultural institution, it is imperative to play a role and make a difference in the life of its audience.
The art market
The structure of the art market and especially the balance between dealers and auction houses has changed dramatically in the last 25 years and it continues to change every season, as does the competition between the auction houses themselves, and their proliferation. Encouraged by auction houses, the commercialization of contemporary art is another topic that people complain about. Until about 1985, contemporary art had a very low resale potential. If a collector bought the latest work of a living artist, he could not expect to get much of his money back from its resale—like a new car. Now, many buyers buy contemporary art with the expectation that they can make money by “flipping” it—if they have “invested” in the right artist. This is a big change in the balance and the attitude of the market. Is it “wrong” and does it need “fixing”?
Can a small group of influential people leading the major museums, galleries, auction houses, and art publications continue to define which artists will become celebrated? Avoid the tyranny of consensus. Art should dismantle consensus, not construct it. Unfortunately today value arises from consensus and art is preposterously overvalued (at least monetarily).
To summarize my thoughts
The question facing private collections is this: Can they finally subordinate themselves to concerns that are larger than their own? If they do, they will become more “reality-based”, and by this I mean becoming more involved in the wider world, embracing a sense of urgency, and seeing things as they really are in terms of the challenges to our society.
