//  Miami Art Basel salon fireside chat recap: trend observations, AI + social media impacting art, general outlook, & some art favorites of the year

An echo chamber dialogue

This year I went to my first Art Basel, and I hosted my first Miami Art Basel event which is crazy considering I held my first event ever less than six months ago. It was a salon called Art in Common, held in collaboration with Studio24 & ProcrastinationRadio*. The salon consisted of an open play session with my Who Art Thou card game questions and a fireside chat led by me and Julian, the founder of ProcrastinationRadio*, where we discussed the year in art, current trends and observations, and our outlook on the future of art.

This will be a recap of that fireside chat from my perspective, in the Art Observations format. It will be broken down into: general trends noticed, responses to how AI and social media impact art, outlooks and takeaways, and some of my favorite music and film of the year.

Trends Noticed

Global sounds, more genre fusion and blends. Witnessing the internet generation and its spectrum of influence expressed through their art, shaped by exposure to a wide and rich canvas of ideas, subcultures, art, objects, and aesthetics—all easily accessible across different devices, environments, and points in time. Contributing to unique interpretations, and coinciding with a time that is highly receptive to non-rigid, non-conformist ideas and art. As a result, we’re seeing more global sounds, cross-cultural collabs, genre bends, and even new ones: hybrids and infusions into all “traditional” forms. All of these influences from different corners of the internet are leading to interesting fusions, and even if not everything lands perfectly or is perfectly executed, the ideas and visions are inspiring and still evoke thought and emotion. Nostalgia undertones are still strong, whether it’s being cleverly infused and reimagined or just straight repackaged and repurposed, both visually and sonically. While we’re still seeing heavy nostalgia-induced styles, I think intentional fusions and redefining history are becoming more prevalent. Ultimately, I see the light and believe the blatant nostalgia bait that has defined much of art in the 2020s is finally dwindling and on its way out.

Vinyls and physical media in general are increasingly making a comeback. Obviously, in a hyper-digital age, we’re now scrambling for analog technology and I’ll always be an advocate for it. While hyper-digitalization can be one sickness, overconsumption is another. And while physical media is valuable, meaningful, and all of the things, we should still be mindful of overconsumption. It helps to strike a balance with modern tech: like utilizing your local library and only purchasing the physical copies of your favorites or the most impactful. Or having Apple Music and creating your own playlists, while only collecting records that are significant or favorite albums top to bottom. Ultimately, the intentionality required with physical media is what will prevail. I also noticed new and independent artists finding new ways to distribute different types of physical media. Yes, some of it is just greed, but some of it is sincere and passion-based.

Theater experiences will forever be special. Nearly sold-out, fully packed theaters, everyone there for the same reason, shared experiences, bubbling excitement. It really does give art another layer and dimension. And this year continued to display that, notably with Sinners, KPop Demon Hunters, and Weapons. Original stories are king and help usher in unexpected, spontaneous, novel ways of experiencing art. They add that feeling of creating culture in real time, contributing to the zeitgeist and being part of it. And yes, it’s fun to lean into the hype sometimes; some things are deserving of it, and it’s not “hype,” it’s just that good or at the very least moving for a significant amount of people. And I loved how KPop Demon Hunters, even though it was originally on streaming, was re-released in theaters with a sing-along version once the demand was there and it clearly resonated strongly with so many people. Because it had become so communal, it was nice to allow another way to experience it in person. I can get with that compromise — once the risk is minimized and the resonance is clear, go ahead and transfer it into real, communal experiences.

AI and Social Media Impacting Art

When it comes to social media marketing, the elusive algorithm, and the eternal promise of virality, engagement is the game and the bar/standard is low and becoming harder to see. Everything is an ad regardless of intention, and as a result people are becoming skeptical and cynical, making for an odd dynamic. And for artists who want to put their work out there, it’s easy to fall into the analysis paralysis of it all. One would hope maybe it would lead to output that is top-tier in quality, making sense beyond just turning profit. There’s only so much you can game the algorithm; like yes, “eternal opportunity” awaits, but it’s also designed to feel like that and is best compared to a type of gamble. A literal slot machine, both in its scrolling-feed mechanism and its reward possibilities. And it’s tricky because for a certain caliber of creation or quality, at some point the platforms really are exploitative. And sometimes it’s that internal feeling you get when you press post, receive no engagement, but spent 5+ hours on something you firmly believe is good quality and even “worthy.” I’ve been very mindful and strict about what’s worth my actual time and effort, and also about which platforms best serve and preserve the art after the initial post.

Discernment on the internet has always been important, but with AI’s mass adoption, discernment is now a requirement. Especially since most things we see on social media are seen passively or at a glance, making it easier to be deceived by content. As engagement-hacking and rapid content are rewarded by dominant platforms, AI-generated content is on the rise. While it’s important to discern, it shouldn’t become a vehicle to discredit ideas out of personal bias — discernment should be responsible. I’ve noticed a new trend of people calling things “AI” simply because they don’t like them, don’t understand them, or because the content takes a second to digest or visually make out. This waters down the actual notion of calling out true deception. Our attention is currency, and the AI speculation bubble depends on that. The success of mass integration and domination of AI is counting on us being too angry, too busy, too tired to think, to create, to invent, to imagine. Resist AI slop.

Outlook & Takeaways

A lot of the negative things regarding art are simply symptoms of a late-stage capitalist, techno-feudalist structure (ex: tickets, tours, funding, streaming, film production, the infiltration of ads). And the current phase of AI, with the current owners, will only reinforce these systems while molding them to complement a machine-driven, singularity-philosophy future.

These days I’m moved by things uniquely human, which I think is an approach artists can take: thinking about what only you can create in this point in time. Leaning into different forms of creativity, and incorporating creativity into life even when it doesn’t have to be an “active” medium of artistry or a masterpiece. Indulging in independent artists and movies, live local shows and screenings. Being extra mindful of the dollar spent on consumption and general consumption overall — as you are what you consume. While things are bleak, there’s still room for optimism or faith, and most importantly agency. You can hold the people in your community and lean on each other to get through and navigate the current landscape we’re in. And it never hurts to learn sustainable little skills that, at the very least, can ease anxieties.

Some favorites of the year

M U S I C

Black British Music by Jim Legxacy

LUX by Rosalía

Black Star by Amaarae

Let God Sort Em Out by Clipse

wHIMSY by Destin Conrad

Feline’s Return Act I & II by Natanya

Addison by Addison Rae

Malik by Venna

F I L M

Sinners directed and written by Ryan Coogler

Hamnet directed by Chloé Zhao and co-written by Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell

No Other Choice directed by Park Chan-wook, written by Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, & Don McKellar

It Was Just an Accident directed and written by Jafar Panahi

Sorry, Baby directed and written by Eva Victor

 F I L M    S C O R E S

Sinners by Ludwig Göransson

One Battle After Another by Jonny Greenwood

After the Hunt by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

The Smashing Machine by Nala Sinephro

T E L E V I S I O N

The Studio // a satirical comedy series created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, & Frida Perez.

Adults // an ensemble comedy series created by Ben Kronengold & Rebecca Shaw

Epilogue

This salon was so special to me, and this entire Art Basel and everything leading up to it, was an experience I will truly never forget. Everyone who attended was so thoughtful and warm, and I’m so grateful for the conversations and connections made. Everyone I encountered in Miami was also so sweet, welcoming, and encouraging. The Miami Art Basel energy was incredibly unique, vibrant, and mixxxyyy. Overstimulating at times, but ultimately electric. Miami will see me soon. Miami will see another salon soon. Art Basel will see me again. Till next time xx