The art market is rife with structural problems concerning transparency and inclusion. Breaking in is notoriously difficult and “making it,” even more so. Without access to economic, social, and elite forms of institutionalized cultural capital, aspiring artists and gallerists often linger in the shadows, thereby reinforcing existing social inequalities.
In recent years, these problems have been amplified by digitalization efforts and COVID-19. But the issues that play out offline have only moved online, and those with name recognition are doing well, while those without don’t sell.
To address these realities, we have researched and designed a new social app for the art market that attempts to level the playing field. By accounting for the influence of capital on social relationships, we have developed a machine-learning approach to empower people for their online effort, irrespective of their offline social standing.