NFTs, video art, immersive experiences… With 2022 just around the corner, from the HORNO Art Gallery Online we bring you the main artistic trends that we believe will set the tone for next year 2022. We must bear in mind that the movements and trends in the world of art are constantly changing, are renewed and reinvented over time, always looking for that novel and singular point that manages to satisfy consumers with increasingly particular tastes and preferences, so sometimes it is difficult to predict them, although in this case we are clear where they will go.
The inclusion of NFTs (non-expendable tokens), indestructible and infalsifiable digital assets, has undoubtedly meant a turning point within the current art market. As the NFTs are unique, they have become highly prized digital collectors, opening up much more of the market niche. This is one of the artistic trends that already emerged last year, but that in 2021 has marked a before and an after and that seems to continue to grow by 2022.
That the most expensive artwork of the entire year 2021 was Everydays: The First 5000 Days, NFT depicting a digital collage made by crypto architect Beeple, which the Christie auction house sold for $69 million, demonstrates the impact these digital assets have generated. However, it should be stressed that NFTs are also severely criticized for their environmental impacts, especially in terms of energy cost and carbon footprint.
An artistic trend that has been partially “favored” thanks to the situation derived from the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic is Video Art. Video installations resurfaced during the pandemic mainly thanks to their formats, which allow them to be presented both in virtual and physical form. The collection of this type of art is also in continuous growth and Venice seems to be shaping up as one of the main centres of video art for 2022, considering that a large number of the national pavilions planned for the Venice Biennale 2022 (International Exhibition that will return from April to November next year) will feature artists specializing in video installations. Also, Art Rotterdam, , the international art fair to be held from 10 to 13 February, will also feature many projects and exhibitions focused on video art.
Another trend that continues to rise is the Immersive Art, in which the spectator becomes a participant of the work through multisensory experiences. It is a discipline that was born in the digital age and responds to the need to generate two-way conversations with audiences. Within this trend stand out the figures of the multidisciplinary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and the activist and visual artist Ai Weiwei. In addition, in March 2022 the MAD Digital Cultural Development Centre (Madrid Artes Digitales) will be inaugurated in Madrid, an immersive museum based on the work of Gustav Klimt.
Interest in contemporary African Art and Black Figurative Art has also grown. The exhibitions that deal with these topics often seek to highlight African culture and heritage and to make visible artists who come from cultural poles far from Western influence. Among the most important active contemporary artists seeking to strengthen African identity are Boris Anje, an African portraitist who we can frame within the Pop style, Julie Mehretu, an abstract painter from Ethiopia who produces large-scale works, or Angèle Eoundi, a Cameroonian photographer who dedicates her art to fighting stereotypes.
Despite the good times experienced by NFT, video art and immersive art, figurative art seems to continue to dominate the attention of the public over the next few years, as shown by exhibitions such as the one that the Museo Thyssen will dedicate to the North American painter Alex Katz from June 2022.
Before concluding, it is also worth mentioning the importance today of Digital Art, represented by artists such as the Russian Vadim Soloviov (expert in the use of 3D Motion Graphic Design), or Street Art, dedicated to urban artistic expressions, where names such as Eduardo Kobra, Banksy and Alec Monopoly stand out.
Art for the Hungry.
Text: Iustinian Bolohan.
Image: Everydays: The First 5000 Days by Beeple.
HōRNō _ Online Art Gallery
Arte para Hambrientos.
Texto: Iustinian Bolohan.
Imagen: Everydays: The First 5000 Days de Beeple.
HōRNō _ Galería de Arte Online.
