Entry 3

The Role an Relevance of Art Criticism Today

In the age of social media where knowledge is taken in at a faster pace and nearly everything is accessible at the click of a button, it’s difficult to disregard the plethora of artists posting their work online with constant mention of ‘the algorithm doing it’s thing again.’

Recently there was an uprise in the local art scene with exhibitions popping up left and right, but how many people actually take interest in this?  – outside of my point of view. I find art to be an acquired taste for certain people. Some people look for the next exhibition to visit and take a deep-dive into the artists of today and tomorrow, others simply wouldn’t mind seeing works of art and go about their day in a different field of work, and some simply disregard the arts, at least in Malta, which is where my array of knowledge in relation to the social appreciation of art is at the moment, taking into consideration foreign sources.

Considering all of this, I find the relevance of art to be subjective to a certain group of people, the artists, the appreciators, the gallerists and more – I’d like to think that art and the message that is conveyed through these works is impactful, and to some degree it is but it can also be a mere spectacle poking at change but not truly doing anything to change a particular view or situation. This doesn’t go without mentioning art criticism. The uprise in the local art scene meant a rise in art critics or perhaps authors with a particular appreciation towards art.

Criticism of all sorts is relevant even when it is not catered to a set group of people with relative backgrounds however the impact of art criticism is visible.Most people would not know of exhibitions if there was no write up prior to it mentioned on the back of a newspaper or an art-related podcast/interview broadcasted on the local news channels.