In today’s social media, there are more and more sharing displays that use art exhibitions or art galleries as check-in locations. The gorgeous background that looks tall, plus the handsome boys, beauties or cute babies in various shapes, others flock to them, so this place or this exhibition has become an “Internet celebrity”. Such an “Internet celebrity” exhibition has aroused the disgust and even concern of many people in the industry. They regard the “Internet Celebrity” Pavilion and the “Internet Celebrity” exhibition as beasts. In my opinion, why can’t art exhibitions and pavilions be “net celebrities”? On the contrary, they have to boldly and rack their brains to become “Internet celebrities”.
The reason why the idea of ”net red” dropping in price is probably due to the prejudice against this concept. In the early years, “Internet celebrities” referred to people who were highly sought after in the online world. These people became popular online through various channels. Some are accidents, some stem from their own talents, but more are based on funny shows, packaging operations, and showing off their wealth. All kinds of online chaos have made “net red” roughly equal to “fake celebrities”, “rich N generation” and “plastic face”, and have also become synonymous with grandstanding. The word is slightly derogatory, and of course it is sometimes sour. However, the author feels that the concept of “Internet celebrity” needs to be reshaped. It is no longer limited to referring to people, but should have a broader definition and a more neutral or even praised usage. If there must be an explanation, then the author thinks that “Internet celebrity” means “becoming popular on the Internet”. It is the same as the words that used to be popular, popular, hot, popular, etc. It is a different expression in different times. Therefore, “Internet celebrity” is not the original sin of art venues or exhibitions.
Before discussing whether art exhibitions and art galleries should be “net celebrities”, we must first clarify what their roles are. In 1990, the famous museum scholar Will proposed that when human society develops into the 21st century, museums have three main functions: to preserve, to study and to communicate. Communication is an important part for museums and galleries to transform their collections and research results into public resources through exhibitions. Even some art exhibitions that do not rely on the collections of art venues, or to sort out the current art trends, or to display art trends, or to lead the creation of art in a forward-looking manner, have somewhat undertaken the task of spreading the seeds of beauty to the public. “Elitism” has always been a subject of criticism in art museums. If there is no audience, the exhibition hall will be empty, which is tantamount to singing “karaoke”.
Many overseas experiences have long told us that being an “Internet celebrity” doesn’t cost much—going to a local famous art gallery, museum, or going to a popular master’s exhibition is always an important reserved program when we travel abroad. In addition, Internet celebrity has brought greater imagination to the development of art venues. The New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, USA, abandoned the traditional design of the steps of museums and art galleries, and welcomed visitors from all over the world like ordinary stores. People only need to take one step to enter the palace of art. MOMA also moved the gift shop to a prominent location to attract people to check in. Another example is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. After its opening in 1997, it has attracted people from all over the world with its eerie modernity, its surging curvilinear appearance, its metallic light and shadow effects, and its subtle interaction with the environment and urban character. of people come to visit Bilbao, which not only enhances the cultural taste of the city, but also revitalizes the local economy.
The small number of visitors is an important point that hinders the development of museums and galleries in my country at present. Becoming an “Internet celebrity” is a good way to attract audiences to enter museums, appreciate art, and fall in love with exhibitions. Although the threshold for appreciating art has been lowered since Impressionism, it still takes a certain amount of accumulation for ordinary people to understand exhibitions and understand artworks. This requires art venues to guide and cultivate the public’s aesthetic level step by step, so as to achieve the improvement of national artistic literacy. But if you can’t even bring up your interest in seeing the exhibition, how can you talk about the rest? On the other hand, although museums and galleries are non-profit organizations, they also need to focus on economic benefits. Non-profit does not mean non-profit, but its output cannot be used for private interests and become private assets. In recent years, the rapid expansion of art exhibition halls in my country is generally faced with the problem of shortage of working capital, and art venues in other countries also have similar shortcomings. As a non-profit organization, although ticket revenue cannot be a reliable source of income for museums and art galleries, if high-quality exhibitions are introduced, this part of the income cannot be underestimated. “Internet celebrities” are bound to increase this part of the income, and can drive the popularity of art derivatives and venue supporting facilities such as restaurants and cafes, and greatly improve economic benefits. It can be said that the Internet celebrity effect and traffic economy are issues that museums and art galleries must face in the “Internet +” society.
Therefore, we do not have to worry about the exhibition or pavilion becoming a “net celebrity”. What should be disgusting is that punchers use this to hype their behavior. In order to show their appearance, status, and sense of superiority, they make the pavilion or exhibition a background board and become a tool to advertise their own “literature and art”; what needs to be vigilant is that the pavilion or exhibition is intentional Catering to this kind of behavior, reducing taste to taste, and using “Internet celebrity” as a gimmick can only be popular for a while. Popular Internet celebrity and educational academic are not a pair of contradictions. Use professional positioning as the soul, academic height as flesh and blood, wrap the skin of “Internet celebrity”, and broaden the audience of art with an affinity attitude. The exhibition will be both hot and deep, applauded and popular. “Internet celebrity”, professional and academic organic unity, the pavilion can not only meet the recreational needs of the public but also reflect the pursuit of its own functions. When the audience of art can be extended in breadth and the influence of art can be broken through in depth, it will go further.
Art venues and art exhibitions may wish to boldly be “Internet celebrities” and give themselves a chance.
Author: Huang Yiqian (PhD of Art, Associate Professor of Shanghai University)
Planning: Fan Xin
Editor: Xu Luming
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