VIP Art Fair - Disaster Strikes!

A good idea that many of us were keen to see in action has fallen flat in its debut today.

The VIP (Viewing In Private) Art Fair is an exclusive international art fair conducted entirely online during the week of January 22-30, 2011. Today was day one. As the website states:

"An unprecedented event, VIP Art Fair gives contemporary art collectors access to artworks by critically acclaimed artists and the ability to connect one-on-one with internationally renowned dealers—from anywhere in the world and without leaving home."

The event has attracted significant media interest, including publications like BusinessWeek and the Economist. According to the Economist, 138 galleries from 30 countries had signed up to display and sell works to registered users and collectors.

While a very interesting concept to those of us who sell art online, the website had its share of troubles on day one.  Technical issues plagued the first day due to excessive website hits, with errors encountered every time a gallery or artwork is selected for view. The technical issues appear to have been resolved at the end of day one. When the event lasts only a week, and there is only one chance to impress your audience, a lost first day is a major annoyance for organizers and the public.

According to the website, the VIP Art Fair heralds a new online approach to marketing artwork:

"VIP Art Fair’s innovative technology presents artworks in relation to other works of art and in relative scale to the human figure. Inquisitive visitors can zoom in to examine details of a painting’s surface, get multiple views of a three-dimensional work, and watch videos of a multimedia piece. Galleries will provide comprehensive details on artworks and artists, including biographies, catalogue essays, artist films and interviews, and in-depth information that will empower collectors"

As someone who has developed an art-based website devoted to the public, execution is everything. Aura Collective does not yet display or sell wall art (paintings, murals, fabrics, etc) because showcasing the pieces online in an effective way is difficult and expensive. We were (and are) very keen to see the technology in action here.

As for the technical issues, you test, test, and test again before going live. It is surprising that excessive website hits would crash a website devoted to a global audience. Perhaps the organizers were pushed on their timelines and rushed the execution, only time will tell. It is easy to sympathize with the organizers (gallery owners apparently), who perhaps miscalculated the complexity of going live in such a public way.

Great idea, poor execution. One has to wonder how much was invested in this venture.

It is disappointing to see the site face troubles on the first day, because it gives ammunition to the cynics who say art cannot (or should not) be sold over the internet. It will be interesting to hear of the success or otherwise of the participating galleries. Fingers crossed the Fair achieves success across all metrics.

Despite the troubles of the VIP Art Fair, the concept is sensational even if the execution is underwhelming. I look forward to seeing this and other events bring art to the global masses via the online channel.

Is there such a thing as bad publicity? Maybe not.