Is multimedia art a worthwhile investment? Kim Camacho, Priti Devi and Bernadette Rankine share their opinions on the great debate.
Tatler Asia
Above Kim Camacho

Yes

Multimedia art is here to stay whether we like it or not. Prestigious universities are offering it as a major, international biennales are full of it, museums are constantly exhibiting it and many important contemporary artists of today are producing it.

As art collectors, my husband Lito and I are very open to multimedia art. It provides an exciting and fresh dimension to our collection, keeping it current and dynamic. We find that older people are fascinated by it and younger people totally connect to it! It is the result of the natural evolution of art as it mirrors society. In fact, artists throughout history have always been engaged with the technological developments of their time. Today, we see contemporary artists using multimedia approaches to push the boundaries of traditional art in order to express themselves in this high-tech age. Art history would be incomplete without encompassing multimedia art. Thus, I strongly believe it’s worth collecting.

Retired businesswoman Kim Camacho started collecting multimedia art over a decade ago, adding to her family’s extensive collection of 19th-century, modern and contemporary art

Tatler Asia
Above Priti Devi

No

I’m more of a traditionalist art collector. To me, multimedia art works best in a site-specific context or in museums and galleries. Its sounds and visuals are intended to immerse the viewer, which can be a distraction in a home, where you’d have friends and guests over for personal interaction. 

Moreover, technological advancement allows multimedia artists to create works that can interact with the audience or mimic their reactions using digital, video and sound elements. Thus, these forms of art are really a medium to be “watched”. But if placed at home, how often would you sit in front of it to watch it? 

Also, I appreciate fundamental artistic skills such as drawing, mixing and layering of paint, composition and form. Multimedia works can be digitally generated on a computer and digital tools can do almost anything artistically. That’s why I doubt my next art investment will be one as opposed to perhaps, a Dylan Lewis bronze sculpture!

Hailing from an Indian royal family, Priti Devi runs the Decorator’s Notebook, an online store for lifestyle items, and is an adviser for California-based non-profit Art Works for Change

Tatler Asia
Above Bernadette Rankine

Yes

Why should new art forms be different from any other medium of art? Multimedia has stood the test of time. The past half-century has seen the likes of Nam June Paik (Korean American artist known as the father of video art) in the 1960s and teamLab (Tokyo-based collaborative digital artists) today. 

In terms of conservation, technology has its limitations, but where investment is concerned, multimedia art offers priceless experiences that expand the realm of perception. Writer Orhan Pamuk extends realities when word is made concrete in The Museum of Innocence. The museum was built in tandem with his book, and both works are reflexive yet distinct creations. At home, there’s Singaporean Robert Zhao whose Nature Shop, part of the SG50 Singapore Inside Out showcase, featured everything from images to plastic chickens for chicken rice shop displays and Risis petrified gold orchids—all unnatural and created not for sale but to reflect the evolution of our Garden City in one very immersive experience.

Interactive experiences are becoming the norm. So why not interact through and with art? Interactive artist Dominic Harris uses materials such as lighting, interaction design and electronics in his works where you could be transformed into an "Ice Angel", or to bring nature and technology into your realm as with Jungled.

Most of these artists work with a team of assistants but this is nothing new and neither is it cutting corners nor radical. Like many artists today, Leonardo da Vinci had his workshop back then and Jeff Koons has assistants working under his supervision. I wouldn't bat an eyelid at buying such work and investing not only in the experience but in the integrity of the artist.

A familiar face in the art circle, Bernadette, the director for Southeast Asia at Bonhams, frequently traverses the globe to appreciate art in its myriad forms. She would readily invest in multimedia art but while Korean artist Nam June Paik is out of her price range, there are other multimedia artists that she happily lives with

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