TIPS FOR ARTISTS VOL 20

In 2025, Visibility Was Not Enough: Artists Needed to Become Understandable

Editorial date: August 2025

Vetroviola Artwork

In 2025, the art market was not at a standstill. It had become more cautious, selective and fragmented.

The value of global art sales had declined, particularly in the highest price segments. At the same time, transaction volumes showed that interest in art had not disappeared. Buyers were simply becoming more careful, more informed and increasingly attentive to works within accessible and mid-range price levels.

For emerging and mid-career artists, this was not necessarily bad news.

It marked the end of a brief period in which it sometimes seemed sufficient to produce a recognisable image, gain attention on social media and wait for the market to respond.

The art market of 2025 demanded something more:

clarity, consistency, trust and accessibility.

The Real Art Market Trend of 2025: Collectors Had Become More Selective

Collectors were still interested in discovering new artists, but they were also asking more questions.

They wanted to understand:

• who the artist really was;

• what research supported the work;

• whether the practice demonstrated continuity;

• how prices were established;

• whether information was clear and reliable;

• where the artist’s work could be found;

• whether the artist was still active;

• who had selected, published or contextualised the project.

The problem was therefore no longer simply gaining visibility.

The real challenge was transforming visibility into verifiable credibility.

Visibility Is Not the Same as Reputation

An artwork can be seen by thousands of people and still leave no lasting trace.

A reel can reach a large audience and disappear from the digital flow within days. A social media profile can attract followers, likes and shares without becoming a useful professional resource for a curator, gallery, institution or collector.

Reputation begins when an artist’s work is:

• selected;

• contextualised;

• published;

• archived;

• connected to a recognisable body of research;

• presented through clear information;

• followed over time.

For this reason, in 2025, a curatorial publication could no longer be considered a decorative item to add to an artist’s biography.

It could become concrete evidence of an artistic journey.

What Should an Artist Have Done in the 2025 Art Market?

1. Present a Body of Research, Not a Random Collection of Images

One of the most common mistakes was sending many unrelated works in the hope that at least one of them might attract attention.

But an application is not an aesthetic lottery.

Curators, galleries and collectors need to recognise:

• the central theme;

• the artistic language;

• the questions behind the work;

• the development of the project;

• the relationship between individual artworks.

A coherent selection of eight images is often more effective than a portfolio containing forty disconnected works.

Practical advice: before submitting an application, try to describe your project in three sentences. If this is impossible, the selection or structure of the project may still need clarification.

2. Make Essential Information Easy to Find

A lack of transparency was one of the main obstacles affecting collectors’ confidence in 2025.

This did not necessarily mean publishing every price on social media. It meant avoiding the situation in which an interested buyer or curator had to undertake a small archaeological expedition simply to understand the basics.

Every artwork should include:

• artist’s name;

• title;

• year;

• medium;

• materials;

• dimensions;

• edition number, when relevant;

• availability;

• certificate of authenticity;

• sales information or a professional contact.

The absence of information rarely creates mystery.

More often, it creates uncertainty.

3. Create an Accessible Entry Point into Your Practice

A more cautious market did not mean that people had stopped buying art.

It meant that many collectors were increasingly attentive to smaller formats, editions, works on paper, photography, multiples, publications and carefully structured entry-level works.

For an artist, this did not mean lowering prices without strategy.

It meant creating a coherent structure that might include:

• major works;

• smaller works;

• limited-edition photography;

• drawings;

• studies;

• multiples;

• artist publications;

• limited-edition books.

A new collector should be able to begin a relationship with an artist’s work without being forced to start with the most expensive piece.

Accessibility is not devaluation. It is the design of an entry point.

4. Do Not Change Your Artistic Language to Follow Every Trend

When the market slows down, the temptation to imitate what appears to be successful becomes stronger.

A certain colour, a fashionable technique, an aesthetic seen at an art fair, a subject repeatedly promoted online or a format favoured by algorithms can suddenly appear irresistible.

But an artist who changes direction every six months becomes difficult to understand and even more difficult to trust.

In 2025, the cooling of speculative enthusiasm made continuity and development more important than the rapid production of work designed only to attract temporary attention.

The useful question was not:

“What is selling right now?”

It was:

“Which part of my research deserves to be developed over the next five years?”

5. Use Social Media as a Door, Not as a Home

Digital platforms remained essential in 2025.

They helped artists:

• reach new audiences;

• show their process;

• create relationships;

• promote exhibitions and publications;

• guide people towards a website or portfolio.

But an artist’s entire professional identity should not depend on Instagram.

Social media platforms distribute attention, but they do not guarantee permanence, context or control.

Artists need a more stable digital structure, including:

• a professional website or dedicated page;

• an updated biography;

• an artist statement;

• an organised portfolio;

• publications;

• interviews;

• exhibitions;

• professional contacts;

• verifiable links.

The algorithm distributes attention.

The archive creates memory.

Why Hybrid Publications Were Particularly Valuable in 2025

A publication existing both in print and online could respond to many of the art market’s changing needs.

Print offered:

• permanence;

• authority;

• quality of presentation;

• physical presence;

• a professional tool for meetings, studio visits, fairs and presentations.

Digital publishing offered:

• international access;

• immediate sharing;

• online indexing;

• direct links;

• updated content;

• the possibility of reaching new audiences.

Through QR codes and digital links, a visual magazine could connect printed pages to:

• artist profiles;

• interviews;

• complete projects;

• critical texts;

• personal websites;

• updated online content.

The publication was no longer confined to paper.

It became a system of connections.

A Magazine Should Not Simply Display an Artwork

It should help the viewer understand its context.

For this reason, NNC Visual Magazine gives significant space to images and reduces unnecessary editorial noise.

We do not want to compress dozens of artists into overcrowded pages, reducing artworks to decorative thumbnails.

We want readers to be able to:

• pause;

• observe;

• recognise a sequence;

• discover a project;

• continue exploring it online.

For almost ten years, NNC Gallery has developed tools for collectors, curators and art professionals looking for genuine new contemporary art beyond the usual and most predictable circuits.

The magazine is designed for both artists and those who want to discover what is developing before it becomes widely known.

The August 2025 Advice for Artists

Do not measure the value of your work only through the number of people who see it.

Ask yourself:

• who will be able to find it again in six months;

• who will be able to verify its history;

• where the information is collected;

• which publication documents it;

• which project connects the individual works;

• what kind of professional trace you are building.

In the 2025 art market, the most visible artist was not necessarily the most recognisable.

And the most recognisable artist was not automatically the most credible.

The real challenge was to transform:

images into research,presence into reputation,publication into memory.

NNC Gallery Open Calls

NNC Gallery selects emerging and mid-career artists for its publications, annual Challenges and long-term curatorial monitoring programmes.

Applications are evaluated according to:

• the quality and coherence of the artistic research;

• the strength of the project;

• continuity of production;

• clarity of presentation;

• potential for development.

Submit your project through our open calls.

We are not simply looking for effective images.

We are looking for artists with something to develop, document and leave behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the art market in crisis in 2025?

The market had become more cautious, particularly at the highest price levels. However, buyers continued to purchase art, with growing attention towards accessible and mid-priced works.

Were collectors still interested in emerging artists?

Yes. Collectors continued to look for new voices and new artistic research, but they had become more selective and more attentive to credibility, transparency and continuity.

What prevented collectors from buying art online?

Unclear prices, incomplete information, uncertain availability, insufficient documentation and difficulty verifying the artist’s professional history were among the most common obstacles.

Should artists publish their prices?

Not necessarily on every platform. However, artists should make it easy for interested collectors or professionals to obtain reliable information about price, availability, dimensions, medium, edition and authenticity.

Was it better to sell directly or through a gallery?

There was no single correct solution. A hybrid strategy was often the most effective: direct presence, a professional website, curatorial publications and collaboration with galleries or platforms capable of building trust.

Why should an artist be included in a printed publication?

A printed publication creates a stable and professional record. When connected to QR codes, links and online pages, it can link the physical presence of the artwork to a wider digital archive.

Vittoria

NNC GALLERY

VWORLD