What does our daily life, changed by technology, look like now?
The answer is closer than you might think. With just a few taps on a smartphone, we can admire artworks from around the world. In the past, people had to travel far and wide to visit art museums, but now the experience of art begins on a small screen.
Technology has not only changed the way we live but has completely transformed how we enjoy and create art.
Let’s explore this wave of change through three key technologies.
A Gallery in Your Hand: Experiencing Art through Smartphones and OTT Platforms
In the past, viewing art required considering time and place. But now, with just a smartphone, you can encounter art anytime, anywhere.
On YouTube, you can easily access documentaries about famous painters’ lives and their works. OTT platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus continuously offer content introducing art from various eras.
For example, Netflix’s documentary This Is a Robbery deals with an actual art theft at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, delivering the value and meaning of art in an engaging way.
Such content allows even those uninterested in art to naturally come into contact with it, expanding the experience from mere viewing to storytelling and empathy.
Moreover, social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest provide real-time access to works by emerging artists worldwide. Digital technology is further closing the distance between art and the public.
From Brushes to Code: The World of Creation Rendered by Artificial Intelligence
Technology has changed not only how we view art but also how we create it.
Especially, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) has made new forms of art possible.
For example, AI tools like OpenAI’s DALL·E and Midjourney can generate original images with just a few typed words.
If you enter a phrase like “a cityscape flowing under moonlight,” an image visualizing that sentence is completed in seconds.
Now, even without artistic talent or professional knowledge, anyone can create art.
Some contemporary artists train AI on their own styles to create collaborative works, or exhibit AI-generated art. AI has become not only an artist’s partner but also an independent creative entity.
Spaces of Imagination: Another Exhibition Hall in the Metaverse
The space where art exists is also changing. In the metaverse, art unfolds beyond the constraints of reality.
In virtual spaces, sculptures float in midair, and avatars can enjoy artworks and converse with other visitors.
VR-based exhibitions rapidly expanded after COVID-19, with artists worldwide planning virtual exhibitions and interacting with audiences in real time.
Imaginative spaces once impossible in reality have now become a new stage for art.
Where Does Art’s Meaning Lie? — What Kind of Art Do We Enjoy in the Technological Era?
Technology lowers the barriers to art and opens the door to many more people.
Art is no longer the exclusive domain of a few. With the help of technology, we experience art more often, more easily, and more deeply.
An era when you don’t have to visit a museum to appreciate artworks, and a world where you don’t have to hold a brush to create your own piece.
Art is becoming “an everyday experience that anyone can enjoy, not just something for a select few.”
Finally, here is a question for readers of this article: In an era where technology allows everyone to become an artist, will the value of art increase or decrease?
