駐紐約藝術家Jeremy Couillard原本是一名高中西班牙文教師，但在課堂之外，他投入大量時間創作複雜精細的漫畫和墨水畫。後來，他進入哥倫比亞大學攻讀藝術碩士，專心學習繪畫。但他很快感到厭倦：「我發現自己花在螢幕前的時間比在現實中的時間還多，因此科技話題越來越吸引我。甚至在畫畫時，我也大多是盯著電腦螢幕。」

因此，Couillard自學了程式設計，並開始嘗試動畫和3D遊戲創作工具虛幻引擎（Unreal Engine）。如今，他以創作敘事荒誕且帶有超現實主義風格的遊戲而聞名，比如《Escape from Lavender Island》（2023）。這款遊戲也在他目前於麻省理工學院李斯特視覺藝術中心（MIT List Visual Arts Center）舉辦的個展中佔據核心位置。觀眾可以坐在豆袋沙發上，化身遊戲主角Zede Aksis。這個綠色的雙足生物在監獄牢房中醒來，發現自己的反烏托邦城市夢境變成了現實。玩家的任務是逃離這個霓虹閃爍的恐怖都市。在逃亡中，他們追隨愛慕的物件，為舞蹈駐足，甚至可以戴上向路人噴射藥物的面具。Couillard談到這款帶有達達主義色彩的遊戲時說：「它關乎在城市中作為人類的生存體驗。遊戲很荒謬，但也的確非常悲涼。我想通過這款遊戲捕捉生存在當今社會的狀態。」

此次展覽還展示了一部隱隱透著詭秘氣息的視頻裝置，鏡頭掃過「Lavender Island」（薰衣草島）上奇異社區，伴隨著城市居民的旁白。不遠處，數碼繪製的木質花朵沿著地面綻放，牆上是幾幅色彩斑斕的畫作，猶如從遊戲中直接擷取的畫面。牆上還掛著一件滑稽的超大號螢光黃衛衣，上面印著「Depression」（抑鬱）。

展覽詼諧地批判了科技在社會中造成的疏離與隔閡。Couillard表示：「這種現象令人沮喪，但也讓人啼笑皆非，因為我們正在構建一個幾乎無人嚮往的科技世界，卻仍然義無反顧地向前推進。這個遊戲叫做《Escape from Lavender Island》（逃離薰衣草島），但在某種意義上，我們無法逃離現代生活。無論是福是禍，我們註定相伴。但我相信這終究是件好事，只要我們學會和彼此相處。」

The preference for in-person experiences revealed in the smaller survey extends to a more cautious embrace of online transactions among Art Basel VIPs. Only 10% of their spending was conducted online without first viewing in person. This hesitance contrasts with broader market dynamics, where the value of online sales doubled at its peak in 2020, accounting for 25% of total art market sales, dropping back to around 18% of all sales in 2023. The VIP’s lower reliance on online channels may reflect its older demographic: half of the sample are aged over 60. Similarly, auctions do not have the same traction with the VIPs – making up just 12% of their spending in 2023 and 2024.

‘A lot of high-end collectors will be arriving for the experience. If you’re spending USD 3 million on an artwork, you want the whole experience of viewing in person, champagne, parties. These price points obviously don’t represent the average buyer and so the channels may differ,’ says Jeffrey Yin, the chief executive of the online marketplace Artsy, which found in its Art Collectors Insight report that 82% of young collectors had purchased art online.

An area where IRL experiences do not appear to trump digital opportunities is the notable decline in Art Basel VIPs’ interest in attending art events, which include gallery exhibitions and museum openings, as well as art fairs. Here, attendance from the group has dropped approximately 40% to 51 events on average  in 2024 from a high of 89 in 2019. Crucially, the significant drop in attendance occurred during the pandemic but has remained consistent for the past three years.

‘New collectors entering our VIP list don’t necessarily have the same habits as those who have been collecting 20 years. There’s now a plethora of information especially via digital platforms available on shows, artists, and works, so the need to be “in the room” at every event has shifted into a more selective attendance when one is trying to learn and experience the art world,’ Kim says.

Unsurprisingly, there are similarities between the survey and broader market trends, including a leaning away from the purchase of higher-priced works, with sales of works priced at less than USD 10,000 growing from 37% in 2023 to 42% in 2024.

There are also areas where a direct comparison of statistics from the larger survey of HNWI participants and the smaller VIP list could be a welcome addition to future years of the research. For example, HNWIs who spent over USD 10 million on art and antiques allocated a larger proportion (52%) to female artists in 2024. Identifying whether there is a comparable trend across different price points among the more fair-friendly VIP collectors could aid understanding on how demographics, selling channels, and generational preferences are influencing decisions.

Recognizing the VIP group’s adventurous but careful and selective approach is likely to be the key to nurturing its growth; a growth needed as fairs across the globe compete to boost attendance in an increasingly competitive market.

 ‘Seasoned collectors don’t particularly like the “frenzy” of a fair,’ says Melanie Gerlis, art market journalist and author of The Art Fair Story. ‘If they’re in the mood for it, then they’ll pop in, but it has become more of a choice.’