Digital Art Going Mainstream: Discussion with Damon Crowhurst from Blackdove.
We explore the mainstream adoption of digital art with Damon Crowhurst from Blackdove, a digital art and canvas provider. Blackdove is this week's technology partner at Art Meta in Switzerland and earlier this year was Technology Partner for Art Dubai.
We highlight digital art's transition from a luxury confined to upscale homes to a ubiquitous presence in residential, corporate, and public spaces. Delving into the tools and platforms driving this shift, the challenges hindering further growth, and the evolving market dynamics, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and future potential of digital art in both residential and commercial settings.
What aspects of digital art are going mainstream?
The trend that we have seen over the past 18 months is a move from digital art in luxury homes to digital art in all homes. At the same time, we are seeing a significant move of digital art into the corporate sector—for example, large digital canvases in corporate lobbies or digital art being included on all screens across a property like Fontainebleau in Las Vegas. The next step that we anticipate is that we will start to see digital art reaching hotel rooms as well as high-end restaurants, healthcare facilities, and luxury facilities such as spas.
Are the tools available for these mainstream elements to gain traction?
Certainly, there are platforms like Blackdove that make this possible. The biggest challenge right now is to ensure awareness of these readily available solutions that can solve this challenge. This requires investing in marketing that targets interior designers, architects, and AV consultants, as well as the end-user clients in specific verticals themselves. A lot of our time is invested in these key influencers, educating and helping them to understand the opportunity and how to bring digital canvases into their design considerations for physical spaces.
What is missing for further adoption?
Some would argue that the hype around NFTs and then their rapid rise and demise set the digital art sector back as a whole. I see it differently. The hype has created a far broader awareness across society as a whole, and certainly while wealthier clients and collectors are now more discerning, the B2B opportunity has accelerated enormously as property managers, facility managers, and marketing departments have started to explore this niche as a result of their eyes being opened to digital art.
For businesses and collectors who want to learn more about digital frames, what can be done now from a style or interior standpoint?
Key right now is ensuring one addresses it holistically. A screen on a wall does not make good digital art. Digital canvases that are designed into physical spaces early and are tailored to specific environments through the use of custom frames, for example, combined with high-quality moving art, will deliver successfully against the client’s objectives.
What technologies are there that make this exciting?
We are seeing an exciting pace of change in display technology that will, in turn, drive further adoption of digital art. On a grand scale, we have companies like Ventana, who have an incredible digital tile that looks just like a marble tile that an interior designer might specify, that can be put together like Lego pieces to create massive digital canvases for extraordinary experience spaces. Then we have giants like Samsung and LG who are customizing their range of professional displays with features specifically suited for the art space. Features such as optimizing the physical aesthetics, removing the logos, and bringing out custom bezels for their screens all help to make it more appealing.
Could you provide one to two examples of interesting installations you have done for clients?
This image is an example of a private client in Miami. This client was a true pioneer who installed a square LED canvas more than two years ago. He is a passionate collector of some of the world’s top digital artists.
For businesses and collectors, what are the demographics in terms of geographies, average spend, types of frames preferred, styles in demand, and digital art that is valued currently?
Certainly, the market in the USA is significantly more sophisticated in this regard than the European market. I expect Europe to start to catch up over the coming years as events like Art Meta launch alongside Art Basel this month, and no doubt we can expect to see more and more digital art as part of Frieze in London this coming October.
From a client perspective, we are seeing digital art becoming more accessible to the mass market. You can purchase an 86” portrait digital canvas with a curated piece of art for less than $7,000 these days. In terms of the value of digital art, like all sectors, there is an upper echelon of artists that will likely never be available as a subscription service. However, they are starting to use platforms like Blackdove to deliver their works easily across the world, ensuring digital rights management and authenticity.
As the Blackdove network of globally connected digital art collectors approaches 5,000 digital canvases, I think we will start to see more galleries and top artists really start to embrace this new opportunity. The potential here for everyone to benefit from readily available high-quality digital art is massive. All of us at Blackdove are excited to be leading the charge on this journey.
