In order to look into the future we need only to look into the recent past. It is not only helpful to look at different trends as well, but I believe we will find that certain fashions have had varying degrees of mutual influence upon artistic endeavours. Current art trends are mirroring the apparent confusion found in the fashion industry. 60's hippie gear (itself a mixture of classical medieval and pop) can be seen with 80's punk; experiments with pop and new wave continue; and cartoon wear taken directly off the pages of anime imagery is finding an affinity with hip-hop and black gangster rap. Alongside this I see a fantastic mixture of some or all of cartoon, naive, pop art, abstract expressionism, and surrealism, which I believe has been coldly labelled neo-expressionism. This observation amazes me ... it is so similar to the abundant fashion and art at the end of the nineteenth century. What is more incredible is that out of that chaotic time came the first momentous in-roads into the drama of avante garde art, and the yet to be dominant power of the modern art movement. And I think history is about to repeat itself. Just look at the commercial world where "instant" recreation is fast becoming the most successful entity in that it pervades almost everything ... everywhere. Television has introduced a specific modern basic attitude towards art and living, but now it is fast being replaced (or I should say - consumed) by the very latest technological breakthrough ... the computer - hooked into the world wide web. Here is the new world ... and a fundamentally unexplored world too. Here art can be produced one end of the world ... and be seen at the other end in a matter of seconds. Everyone is invited to add their own personal art ... no matter where they have come from, or what lack of teaching they might have had. There is a kind of "free-for-all" attitude beginning to grow, and with it a beautiful artistic innocence is very slowly flowering from every culture, every community, every body. We are blessed in being right in the middle of another chaotic period which is a kind of vast cauldron - every kind of entertainment or activity is being poured into it. And very soon the mixture will be just perfect for the next avante garde generation of artists to join together - not in a Paris cafe but in a cyber cafe, and it will be from there that true, strong, innovative art will begin to seep into the worlds conciousness. But what sort of art will it be? For that answer I believe we have to look at what is happening now - on the internet. We need to look very carefully at those extremely fragile shoots ... such as the gaming environment, the online caricatures and their naive graffiti styles, plus those intimate personal blogs absolutely brimming with virgin creativity, and not forgetting the ever handy mobile phone with instant photographic and movie ability. It will be in these places that the next art movement will gently evolve. So, if you are looking for investing in art for the future, I believe you should start your investigation now into the many visual interpretations found on the net, and you will find ... eventually, that the internet will heavily influence the new covenants of tomorrows fine art. Its power and strength will establish a completely innovative art that will portray a tantilizing contradiction - a movement, anonymous and yet extremely personal.
