Photographer and graphic designer Kjetil Simonsen produces artwork that might be best suited for a male audience. Whereas art exhibitions are visited more heavily by women, stereotypically speaking you might find mostly men at Simonsens exhibition. Simonsen makes and sells digital illustrations with retro cars and has recently put them on display in a car dealership.
Simonsen says that, as many artists, he does what he does primarily for artistic reasons. Although he makes some commercial success, his turnover and price isn’t high enough to solitarily make him a living. But artistic reasoning and commercial success is a topic much discussed in the world of art. Many despises artists who pursue commercial intentions because they don’t consider it art anymore. Would that disqualify Simonsen as an artist because he sells prints? While he sells his art, he still creates art motivated by his own artistic intentions, so it may not be that black-and-white. The symbolic value in his art might open for a commercial market as well. But considering that, one could wonder why people don’t line up to buy.
As his passion for cars and art is shown when he combines the two in everything he does, his localization choice might not be as strange as it first appears. The choice of place might be a very fitting one for his art as cars typically are a men-dominated interest – making the car dealership perhaps the most fitting place to display his work, as the beholder is surrounded by both cars and art of cars. It’s not your typical art gallery, but its where he might find his main customer group.
Simonsens buyers are typically both professional and non-professional car enthusiasts, but he has also sold prints to the GT Porche Magazine for use in articles.
But why Simonsens work? As his customers sometimes vary, why they purchase could also differentiate; but what they all seem to share is their world and passion for cars. As they all resonate within the same social culture one could ask what motivates them, as their culture revolves around something else than art. Do private collectors receive social recognition from peers? This is usual when the way they managed to buy it, or the price is important for the purchase itself, but Simonsens pricing might not be high enough to make that the case. One might assume that they buy it for some social points in their circle anyhow, but would the purchase be made if they disliked the art itself? Probably not, as his works are displayed in both garages, “mancaves”, bedrooms and living rooms. This hints that Simonsens works has a decorative function.
This case might put perspective on why artists succeed to different degrees. Simonsens art might revolve around in a specific art world for specific reasons, but he might not break a recognition barrier high enough to make a living out of it because of his niche market. But others with perseverance have done it before him.
Making sense of art and design industries 