Defining the Art Product: A Network Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: This paper explores the nature of art as a product through a network perspective, accounting for key contributing stakeholders in shaping its essence. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted a qualitative data collection and analysis design, and centred on a series of face to face interviews with established Australian visual artists. Findings: Results support the notion of an art product shaped by interconnections and interdependencies of actors in the art market. In particular, attention is paid to the roles of actors in conceptual, production and distribution networks. Research limitations/implications: Although there are idiosyncrasies that (in part) define the Australian art market context, the issues identified here are nonetheless useful in determining the nature of the interconnectedness of the art market in other similar Western contexts. Many Australian artists have achieved similar recognition and status to other established artists elsewhere. Future cross-cultural comparative research should be carried out in order to assess this relationship in the longer term. Practical implications: Our research provides artists and other art market stakeholders with a finer-grained understanding of the art product which will allow a more focussed approach to developing relevant strategies and tactics for the creation and marketing of art products. Originality/value: Although philosophical assessments of art as a product have been carried out elsewhere, there is a lack of evaluation from an artist perspective in respect to their experiences interacting with other art market stakeholders