Art is meant to be seen: How a London gallery is disrupting and innovating in times of quarantine
Ayo Adeyinka Ⓒ TAFETA.
While most art galleries are closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Ayo Adeyinka and his team are concocting a new formula to engage with art collectors and aficionados. The owner of TAFETA, a London-based gallery focused on 20th century and Contemporary African Art, is offering prospective collectors the possibility to live with an artwork of their choice for a period of six weeks, cost-free. After this period, collectors have the option to either return the artwork or pay for it within a six month period.
The initiative, named Six for Six, is a creative response to the global pandemic and is open to everyone. The aim is for art to help ease the stress caused by the pandemic and bring some joy in people’s lives and homes.
We interviewed Ayo about the project as well as his views on the art market’s digital shift and the potential impact of the pandemic on price transparency.
Ekpiri #57a by Niyi Olagunju. Ⓒ TAFETA.
How did you come up with the formula Six for Six and what inspired you to try this model?
It was rarer but not unusual for us to send an artwork to some collectors and let them be with it, think about it and decide if they wanted to acquire the piece later. So the concept of sending artworks to collectors homes for them to live with it for a few days before they commit to a purchase is something that we’ve done before, though in slightly less formal ways.
Once Covid-19 happened and we were all home, stuck in our respective isolated chambers, we started thinking of what I could do. We always believed that people should be with art, live with art and engage with it, because it brings joy and elevates.
So we revisited this idea about sending pieces and put some structures around it. Decisions on the timeline, branding, logistics and insurance had to be discussed and made. We spent a lot of time figuring out how we would ship the works, what works we would use, setting up a collection online that people can see, browse through and decide what they want to loan. And insurance of course, which we cover offsite. Having discussions with our insurance brokers and coming up with numbers that everybody was happy with was important as well.
What was the logic behind selecting six week and six months periods?
We wanted to select a decent amount of time for someone to enjoy the artwork but not feel committed to it. So six weeks seemed ideal to keep the work at home and get acquainted with it. As for the payment period of six month, the reasoning behind it is that people are not likely to make big, discretionary spendings during uncertain economic times, which is the case right now with the pandemic. So giving them six months to pay for the artwork seemed like a logical move and good incentive.
Aroko #20 by Babajide Olatunji, 2019 Ⓒ TAFETA.
Did you test this formula with current collectors before expanding it to prospective ones?
Not particularly. The initiative started as a result of the lockdown restrictions, we didn’t have time to do a proof of concept. We started at the end of April, and we sent out ten artworks throughout the month of May. The initiative has been well received and we’re going to see how people react to that along with the data on the conversion rate to sales; so the proof of concept is basically now.
What’s the general response you’ve been having so far? Did you see a new pool of people interested in exploring Contemporary African Art?
It’s been good and we have certainly a new pool of people interested. We’ve seen people that we’ve known before but that had never bought from us taking up the initiative. We sent out ten pieces in less than a month and made sales even though the customers haven’t used up the six weeks periods. So in these cases, people decided they’ll go ahead and buy the piece anyway. The driver might therefore be in the six months paying period, more than the live-in period. Those artists they were quite fascinated by already, and the flexible paying period probably tipped them over the edge.
Having the option to keep an artwork for six weeks, commitment and cost-free, must certainly be an encouraging psychological incentive as well?
I believe so. We are making it very clear that there are absolutely no obligations for two reasons: First, we want to promote a relaxed approach, a “what have you got to lose” kind of scenario; second, it's not the time for a hard sale, for anything, not just art. We’re very measured about the way we communicate this. There are truly no obligations.
Machine Man 3 by Arinze Stanley, 2019 Ⓒ TAFETA.
When we first hear about the initiative, the first reaction is to think about the cost of insurance and the risk of damage to that. In this case, the gallery is taking all the risks. Do you think the risk is worth taking?
We didn’t want to pass the burden of the insurance to the prospective collectors and that’s why we decided to make sure that the artworks were fully insured offsite. We expect the care, but the burden is with us.
In my opinion, the real duty of care is to the artists, it is their work that is at risk. However, the artists whose works are in the collection are fully briefed and they have discretion to participate or not.
On our end, we have extensive insurance coverage both in transit and offsite, so in each person’s residence. We put a cap on the financial value of the pieces we send out as well, just so we don't get in trouble. On the question of risk, of course we had to take some risk but it’s fully mitigated. The insurance covers the pieces to a certain value offsite. We have a maximum amount of pieces that we can have loaned out at any particular point of time. And there's insurance coverage for that total amount as well. So the risk is there but it is measured and mitigated.
Are there criteria prospective collectors need to meet?
Not really. Of course, we’ll need a proof of identity such as a passport or a driver license for insurance purposes.
Even though we take it for granted, people in the art world and the collectors are a special bunch. If someone finds out about the Six for Six initiative, takes the time to surf on our website (and remember, we’re not amazon here, we don’t have a massive advertising budget!) engages and takes a piece home, we assume that they will look after that piece.
In that sense, we assume that the initiative will attract people and collectors that assign value to art, or are used to keeping art and looking after it. We trust that whoever takes an artwork, likes art enough to value it. And if you value something, you look after it.
De money (Obuasi Chief) by George Osodi 2009 Ⓒ TAFETA.
I saw that it was your first year at TEFAF Maastricht. What do you think about the art fair and its management of the COVID-19 crisis?
I thought that TEFAF was an insanely beautiful fair. I really liked the place and the organisation. It was our first year and we showed as part of Showcase. I’m very thankful to have been able to spend some time there and do business.
I’m also thankful that the TEFAF team was very communicative about the Covid-19 situation. When we arrived at TEFAF, there weren't any cases of Covid-19 in Maastricht.
The fair organisation showed a high level of caution, and closed when they had enough information and confirmed cases. I think they did the best they could with the information they had.
Speaking of art fairs, what are your thoughts on the proliferation of online viewing rooms that we first saw with Art Basel Hong Kong and then with Frieze New York?
I can’t speak as an insider, but as another standard browser. From a business perspective, it’s not the same for me, as a dealer, so I don’t expect it to be the same for collectors. When I install an exhibition at the gallery, there’s an excitement just doing the installation alone and seeing everything come together. I don't get the same pause with a viewing room. Collectors might like the piece, and they might know the artist, but it’s not the same as a physical exhibition, and we are not at state technology wise to replace that. I think art should be viewed in person. There’s the element of art that elevates it beyond most commodities and cannot be quantified or treated like a pure transactional item. You also cannot replace the art fair’s full immersive experience, like walking around TEFAF, discovering new art, meeting people and smelling the density of flowers.
But it doesn’t mean that any advancement on the online space should be discarded after covid. I think we should keep that. What I want if there’s any kind of recovery at all, is a thriving environment both in the physical space and the online space.
At TAFETA, we plan to keep the Six For Six as an ongoing initiative. So if you have any kind of success with your online presence, then of course I think you should keep that. But the physical galleries will still be needed in some form or the other. Art should be viewed in person.
With the proliferation of online viewing rooms, galleries are also more prone to disclose their prices. There’s talk that this digital shift will increase market transparency. What are your thoughts on that?
It’s always so interesting how people are fascinated by market transparency. I always ask myself why? If I knew there was a George Condo selling for $7M at one of the big galleries. How does that information help me? It’s not my market.
When you deal and buy in a certain market or specific artists, you will become familiar with the price levels and will know what to expect when transacting in that space.
Tribal Marks Series IV #21 by Babajide Olatunji, 2020. Ⓒ TAFETA.
Some argue that price transparency could help lower the psychological barriers to entry for new buyers by promoting price fairness and building trust, which will ultimately help grow the market. What are your thoughts on that?
From an accessibility standpoint, galleries like mine should be doing themselves a favour and disclose their prices. There are many reasons galleries don’t. Personally, I tend to leave prices off certain items because I want people to engage with me by at least asking me for the price. Otherwise, you see the price, you don't like the price and you just move on and we never get to talk about the piece, and I don’t get to tell you about the artist or about the other piece I might have of the artist. I try to leave some prices there to give a general feel and hold some prices back. It’s the same logic during art fairs, we don’t put prices on the wall because, again, because we want people to ask questions about the pieces and engage with us. That being said, I have no problem listing the prices of the artworks online.
People will always question the fairness of the price. You expect that when you go to a gallery there will be a markup. You expect you’re not paying what the dealer paid for it, if it's a secondary market. You know that it might not stay static for the next few years.
I think that at the end of the day, you buy what you like and buy at the price you’re comfortable with and the rest wouldn’t really matter.
But to reiterate, I have no problem listing my prices and I’m for price transparency. We have no reason not to . However, we do have to make the market accessible and more diverse in different ways, especially to millennials. We must do our very best to demystify and reduce the barriers, which is another reason why online viewing rooms or any kind of online presence is useful.
Online sales are not new, but I see other interesting initiatives such as getting cameras in the artist studios, or talking directly to the artist, which in my opinion, will help bring down barriers and attract new collectors, so I think we should all do a bit more of that.
What does the art market look like after the pandemic?
I’m still asking that question to people that have been in the game longer than me. And to be honest, nobody knows. Things are going to be different, and things are already different. We don’t know what post-covid means in terms of timeline, which makes it even more difficult to assess what post-covid means in terms of environment. It would be pure speculation. For the moment, we should focus on staying healthy and strive as much as possible to stay as a going concern.
What advice would you give to aspiring art dealers?
You have to be passionate about what you want to deal in. I started as a collector, so I had time to hone my knowledge and taste in art. If you like something enough and are passionate enough about selling it. Of course, you need to treat a gallery like any other business and get the fundamentals right.
The passion will drive your selection of artists, the passion will drive the risks that you’ll take. The passion will move your business forward.
To learn more and participate in the initiative Six for Six, visit: https://www.tafeta.com/sixforsix
Follow TAFETA gallery on instagram: @art_tafeta
Ahlem Baccouche,
Head of Art Business & Markets, MADE IN BED