"Why Not Me?": A Study on Success Factors for Emerging Artists

Abstract

The market for contemporary art has finally started to recover from the effects of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences. Nevertheless, and even when the art works from ultra-contemporary artists are reaching all-time highs in sale prices, emerging artists are still struggling to find their position in the art world and to find the way to sustain themselves economically though their art practice.
Due to the lack of explanation and data on what it is that makes emerging artists succeed in the primary art market in Copenhagen, this thesis aims to explain how actors involved in the art market contribute with their behaviours and actions. Semi-structured in-depth interviews are carried with gallerists or art dealers, emerging artists, and collectors to study what it is that makes them inclined to favour a specific artist. The data from these interviews is analysed and related to different theoretical frameworks that have been previously described and used to comprehend the diverse patterns of behaviour of these individuals. The theories used comprehend different sociological points of view such as Bourdieu’s theory on capital and fields, Actor-Network theory as well as narrative and gatekeeping approaches to explain construction of identities.
The results of the study indicate a relevance on the distinction aspect that is an apparent factor in all relationships analysed. Through the process of developing an identity using narratives and capital acquisition, the different actors in the art field position themselves in the networks that constitute it. What conditions the existence of these networks in the first place is the interest for works of art, as they have attached several sets of values that translate into capital for the actors. In fact, the accumulation of different capital will allow for them to position themselves in the art world and market and carry gatekeeping behaviours, which in turn will condition the success of emerging artists in the art world.