Online art for everybody’s sake How emerging visual artists market their personal brand on social media

In a time where social media platforms dominate communication and selfexpression, it is once more essential to stand out in the sea of entertainment. Hence companies and individuals alike started to engage in personal branding and relationship marketing, two of many marketing tools, to keep their heads above water. These trends have not surpassed the occupational sector of visual artists as their career progression is nowadays also reliant upon their social media marketing behaviour. It is important to note that online channels like Facebook or Instagram tore down former institutional walls between artists and society. These obstacles have been carefully constituted over centuries by established organisations like museums and visual art galleries. Those still regulate the tensions between supply and demand. However, the easy accessibility of artworks via phone or computer screens is not only profitable for already established artistic household names like Ai Wei Wei or Banksy but even more for emerging visual artists. By sharing their pieces directly with a dispersed audience, upcoming artists can circumvent the traditional gatekeeping role of the previously mentioned museums and art galleries. Distinct brand identities thereby support consistent and clear online communication, thus aiding at gaining a foothold not only in the social media sphere but also within the artistic world. The research’s findings especially show that any entrepreneurial task, like communication, sales, or network expansion, can efficiently be executed within an online framework. Although an emerging visual artist’s artistic integrity might constrain performance centred ambitions on social media, it simultaneously correctly endorses selfpromotion activities. In the course of the analysation it became evident that especially Instagram supports the communication of emerging visual artists' brand identities. The platform provides numerous affordances suitable for the profession. III The supporting data is collected through the qualitative method of expert interviews. Thereby first-hand insights into the social media marketing behaviour of emerging visual artists are gained. In the means of analysing the different social media approaches of emerging visual artists, the study contributes to the current academic research in the field of visual art.