The Value of Modern Art

The value of art in the modern world is a discussion we seem to overlook when the art form is changing. In a post covid world, art fairs such as the Turbine art Fair (TAF) and FNB Art Joburg, slowly start to become the norm again. I began to question the value of art. 

I, the casual art fan, walked through these two great art exhibitions trying to find the value and meaning of each piece. However, it was challenging to make sense of those who lived and expressed themselves through art. Although, I was just someone who saw the piece for what it was and struggled to find the deeper meaning. So many people spoke about visual techniques such as the use of lines, strokes and colour but I saw stories of my past and connection to the people I knew in the art that piqued my interest. 

As I stood at the exhibition, I viewed individuals being fancy, drinking wine speaking about the investment they were going to make. I questioned if they were who they presented themselves to be because on the opposite end the artists – individuals who embodied their art in every way from their fashion sense to their hairstyle –  lived every moment through their own expression. However, between these two bodies of different individuals they allowed art to bridge the gaps between their differences. When they clearly lived different lives. So instead of unpacking the art I began to try to make sense of the people.

I watched a bit closer and listened a bit more intently to the conversation. I found they weren’t speaking about the art but rather sharing their experience through the art in front of them. The art bridged a gap between their two lifestyles and met in the middle with their love for art. The artist got to speak about their childhood and inspiration for creating the artwork and the buyer got to unpack what the piece meant to them and where their viewpoint came from. 

At that moment, I realised it wasn’t a front for either party, rather an unspoken community of individuals who had found a way to express themselves in more than just words but through their actions and understanding of one another’s story. 

The value of art is what you make of it. Someone told me “it is not art itself but the people who admired the art became the art.” This is why art forms and expressions will never die but will continuously evolve with the times and become something that the next generation makes their own.