Chris Labrooy is a digital artist who has created work for brands such as Apple, Nike, Porsche, Fourth dimension Magazine and Louis Vuitton. We spoke to him near his career, and how the digital landscape has transformed the way we collaborate with art.

Nosotros live in a digital world. The rise of engineering in the 21st century has completely transformed the style in which we remember, create and eat. And the art world – far from beingness sheltered inside the walls of galleries and institutions – has been undergoing a metamorphosis of its ain.

Digital engineering science has non only expanded the potential for creating new forms of fine art – it has changed how the manufacture operates. From CGI software, to Instagram and virtual auctions, information technology has affected how fine art is created, promoted, bought and sold.

Digital cosmos

''I was in my early twenties when I started dabbling with digital art," Chris explains, "although I didn't get serious until my mid-twenties after leaving the RCA where I studied product design."

The practice of digital art is the creation of pieces which are computer generated, scanned, or drawn using a tablet or mouse. This includes digitally manipulated videos, photographs, and in recent years, it has often been interactive – allowing the audition to influence the images which are fabricated.

This increasing proximity between the art and the audience is an important part of what makes digital art stand out.

"In college, I was interested in making high-terminate pattern, art, furniture and products. Merely I started to realise that the image was but as important as the actual object – most people only get to feel these ultra-rare objects through an image online or in a volume or magazine. These thoughts pushed me to pursue paradigm-making using digital applied science."

Old meets new

His finished production takes the form of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), but although the result may feel distinct from traditional artistic mediums, the procedure remains largely the same.

'The physical world informs what I do in the digital space," says Chris. "My work is a digital simulation of reality. In society to make it disarming one must take a practiced sense of the materiality of things.

Usually […] I have an idea then grind away for many hours until it takes shape as something presentable. During the evolution process, I am constantly drawing and sketching in conjunction with building the ideas on the reckoner."

"What [first] appealed to me almost the digital side was the absenteeism of friction in the process." He continues, "I didn't have to rely on anyone to go stuff done which can get tiresome when making concrete things […] I think with digital art you can maybe explore and test more ideas without having to worry most budgets, prototypes, storage of prototypes etc."

And while traditional artists face the high cost of materials – such as pigment, canvas, clay or motion-picture show – digital artists accept dissimilar expenses. "1 key challenge is the learning curve with all the unlike tools bachelor today – my main outlays are for almanac software subscriptions and new computer purchases every couple of years.

But the biggest toll is one's own fourth dimension – in that respect there is no difference betwixt concrete vs digital. Advances in software and calculating ability has meant that y'all tin can reach far more with less money than you could 10 years agone, making it much easier for people to participate in the production of digital artwork, design and filmmaking."

A social medium

In the same way that technological advances have opened-up the possibilities for people to create digital fine art – social media and other online platforms have made enjoying, sharing and buying art, more than accessible.

The 2017 Hiscox Art Trade Report discovered that 91% of the galleries surveyed actively employ social media equally a promotional tool for their business, and the artists and fine art they showroom. With Instagram considered past 57% of this community as the most effective social media aqueduct for raising awareness, it'southward clear that the consumption of fine art is broadening outside of traditional mediums.

"It'south difficult to come across how one tin exist without a digital presence,' Chris tells us. 'That'south how important information technology is to my career. I don't think I have such a thing as an offline fan base of operations. Some of my nearly interesting projects take happened through Instagram […] It's very dissimilar to the traditional structure whereby a artistic agency reaches out to an artist to produce piece of work for a client."

With brands contacting artists direct via social media, and online mediums like Instagram and Behance providing platforms for artists to share their work, it'south no surprise that increasing numbers of galleries and sale houses are moving more of their business online.

Despite a slowing global art market, the sales of art online continued to grow in 2016, surpassing the previous year by 15%. Withal the figures show that buyers are yet hesitant to invest in higher value pieces on digital platforms.

With the increased visibility and accessibility of their work, could artists be at hazard of turning their production into a commodity?

'There is a danger that social media – and particularly Instagram – tin imprison your thinking. You can start to make piece of work based on what people might similar and I practise non necessarily want to do that – fifty-fifty though y'all want people to like your stuff. Information technology'due south important for me to be consistent with my work and not hop around with loads of random ideas.'

Unique pieces

The net has opened up many new avenues for the promotion and distribution of art. And with this new liberty comes the hazard of unlicensed apply and reproduction. Nosotros asked Chris if this was more than of a worry to him as a digital artist, than it would be if he produced concrete pieces.

"The only thing to be enlightened of in digital artwork is controlled access to high resolution main data. The work I share on websites and with magazines is compressed and at lower resolutions than the master artwork. They withal look adept in a mag but if you were to try and create a big art print information technology would await pretty bad compared with the Giclee art prints I can provide."

The Futurity

Information technology'southward tempting to imagine that, tied to engineering science as information technology is, the world of digital art operates every bit an android twin to the physical community. However this is not the case. Just equally digital art has affected the way audiences can feel fine art, information technology creates challenges and opportunities for how the fine art trade manufacture will develop.

"Digital art still feels quite new and in its infancy, and then with time it may require curators to participate. The digital art world seems fragmented and disjointed, in a mode making information technology the reverse of the physical bricks and mortar art globe."

The future, and so, could take digital art in a totally new direction.

"I am non sure what the future holds. I could see more live stream of artwork in the time to come through social media. The CGI engineering science I utilise on a daily basis is moving towards real-time simulation and feedback which I am sure volition alter how things are done in the future. At present, there can be a lot of waiting around every bit the computer processes and runs simulations, simply that wait time will eventually erode as technology improves."

Whatever the future holds for digital art – whether that means visiting exhibitions in galleries or museums, or scrolling through Instagram – we'll be watching how information technology develops with interest.

Have a look at more of Chris'southward iconic work via his Instagram, Behance profile, or his website.

Thank you to guest correspondent Hiscox for this article. Hiscox provides specialist insurance for your domicile and its contents.