Chinese firms are using the Internet to bring arts closer to people. (Photo : Reuters)
Wallart, a new mobile application highlighting artworks by young and fresh local artists, was launched on Wednesday at the Beijing-located Today Art Museum, the Global Times reported.
For the past year, Internet art auctions have attracted a huge number of buyers and sellers, making this integration of art and technology a rising trend in the country. This fad has also prompted more and more companies to venture into this lucrative market.
For Wallart executive director Su Yan, China has a huge market potential for art. Though the number of people who buy artworks comprises just about 6 percent in China (in contrast with U.S.'s and Europe's 48 to 52 percent), the country is the world's second largest art trading market.
Su cited that in 2015, trading volume reached over 170 billion yuan. Most of this figure was accrued from offline sales through various channels such as auction houses.
The Wallart executive remarked that these conventional means are a great way to optimize a rare masterpieces' value. However, such channels offer little room for young and emerging talents, majority of which lack the resources to lure buyers or even appear at auction events.
With this in mind, the newly launched Wallart app mainly features art pieces with a relatively affordable price range, between 20,000 and 50,000 yuan. It targets a wider range of art collectors, especially those who are newcomers and beginners in this business.
Through the app, registered artists can upload their works and communicate with possible buyers via Wallart's instant messaging function. Buyers are also allowed to resell pieces they purchased through the app.
Su noted that in a trial run in September last year, the app has reached around 39,000 downloads and 18,000 user registrations.
The Global Times report moreover emphasized that online apps such as Wallart are a key step in bringing the works of artist who have just entered the market or those who have not yet established steady relations with art galleries to the attention of the public.
