What's Wrong With Art? According to ChatGPT

Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic loves art and visits hundreds of exhibitions a year. Every now and then he comes across something in the art world that either does or doesn’t meet his approval.
So What’s Wrong With Art? According to ChatGPT

What’s Wrong With Art? According to ChatGPT

This week I’ve decided that, rather than me railing against the art world, I’ll let an artificial intelligence bot – ChatGPT – tell me what’s wrong with art. Here’s a list of answers it gave, and they are all broadly sensible – though I’m not worried about it replacing me just yet. Though I’m sure it will improve over time, and maybe then I should be worried.

Question 1: What’s wrong with contemporary art?

Answer 1

There is no inherent problem with contemporary art. The definition of art is subjective, and some people may not appreciate or understand certain styles or forms of contemporary art. However, many people find contemporary art to be valuable, thought-provoking, and important for exploring new ideas and perspectives. Ultimately, what is considered to be “good” or “bad” art is a matter of personal opinion.

Answer 2:

As a language model AI I don’t have personal opinions but here is a general view:

Lack of originality: Many contemporary artists are accused of producing work that lacks originality and is simply a copy of previous styles or movements.
Commercialization: Contemporary art has become more focused on the market and financial gain, leading to a loss of creativity and experimentation.
Inaccessibility: Contemporary art can often be confusing, abstract and difficult to understand, which makes it inaccessible to many people.
Unjustified high prices: Contemporary art prices have skyrocketed in recent years, leading to criticism that some works are overpriced and not worth their asking price.
Value: The value of contemporary art is subjective and open to interpretation, leading to disagreements about its merit and worth.

However, it’s worth noting that not everyone agrees with these criticisms and that contemporary art is widely appreciated and valued by many people.

Question 2: How could contemporary art be improved?

Contemporary art can be improved by:

Encouraging diversity and inclusiveness in representation and perspectives.
Fostering experimentation and innovation in techniques and materials.
Providing more opportunities for underrepresented artists.
Establishing more collaboration between artists, curators, and the public.
Promoting critical engagement and dialogue through exhibitions and discussions.

Question 3: What are the biggest barriers making art inaccessible?

Financial barriers: cost of materials, tuition, and lack of funding for artists and institutions.
Physical barriers: lack of accessible facilities and transportation.
Social barriers: lack of diversity, discrimination and prejudice based on race, gender, sexuality, etc.
Education barriers: lack of art education and lack of art exposure.
Technological barriers: limited access to technology for digital art creation and display.

What’s Wrong with Art According to ChatGPT

For more in this series, see my thoughts on pay what you like, outdoor art, inappropriate selfies, it’s air conditioned, why everyone is wrong about NFTs, poor press releases, experience as art, commercial as a dirty word, new galleries opening in London, video art at home, the Hockney roundel, art finds a way, art being free, Online exhibitions, Turner Prize 2019, artist’s request for feedback, the reaction to the shredded Banksy, #FriezeWeek, Blockchain hype, Finding art, Private views, Art itself, Appointment only exhibitions, Artificial Intelligence replacing artists, Everyone’s a Critic, Photo London, The Turner Prize, Art for art’s sake, Conceptual art is complicated, Condo, How performance art is presented in museums, Frieze week floozies, too much respect for an artist’s legacy, opinions not being welcome, an exhibition across three countries, tackling race and gender in art, artist-curators, art fair hype, top 5s and top 10s, our political art is terrible, gap left by Brian Sewell, how art never learned from the Simpsons, why artspeak won’t die, so-called reviews, bad reviews are bad for business, the $179m dollar headline, art fairs appealing to the masses, false opening hours, size matters and what’s wrong with video art.