SCHOONY

NFTs in the art market. In the first quarter of this year, NFTs have been a hot topic - emerging from the cryptocurrency ecosystem into...

2020 was full of challenges, which we all faced head on. The high hopes of January were quickly brushed aside by the realities of March,...

The art market is notoriously resilient, often expanding in the face of significant economic and social challenges. However, 2020 provided a particular set of obstacles...

The effect that the coronavirus has had on physical gallery spaces and exhibitions cannot be underestimated, according to a report published by Art Basel and...

DA Presents: Inspired is a new article series where we ask talented individuals from various industries to explain the effect that art has had on...

As in many creative endeavours, it takes a true lover of art to spot an emerging talent. Eventually, the market lets prospective buyers know who...

These are difficult and challenging times, with many people around the world seeing significant changes to their circumstances. There is no doubt that the current health crisis will disrupt lives, jobs, quality of life and the economy for many years to come. It is difficult to underplay the changes that are imminent. Whilst we remain rightly focused on our health and that of those we love and care for - we wanted to look forward in order to understand what effect coronavirus may have on our industry.

In these uncertain and challenging circumstances we’re extremely grateful for everybody who is continuing to take care of us. Frontline health workers, public sector employees, teachers and a whole host of other people are doing amazing work. We have decided to partner with Age UK to support those who are the most at risk from coronavirus, namely older individuals. "They need our help now more than ever and more money is needed to provide crucial services. We are donating all profits from the sale of works on our Spotlight Store to Age UK for the next month. Let’s be there for them, they have been there for us."

I turned to the most objective data available: auction prices. As publicly-reported sales between knowledgeable and willing buyers and sellers, they are not unlike stock trades. I then developed the equivalent of a Dow Jones Industrial Average for art. As the Dow includes blue chip companies, this art index needed equivalently blue chip artists. To represent Modern art, I chose Picasso; for Contemporary, Warhol. For 21st C. artists, I needed to create a basket including Banksy, Yayoi Kusama, KAWS, and Damien Hirst.

British artist Schoony is emerging as one of the leading talents in contemporary sculpture. New York’s acclaimed Guy Hepner gallery has supported the Londoner, with his work appearing in publications such as The Times, The Independent and ArtNet News. Born in North London in 1974, he spent much of his life working within the film industry; turning his hand to special effects and makeup on some of cinema’s biggest blockbusters. These include movies such as Troy, Harry Potter, Gladiator and Kick-Ass 2. Schoony’s close connection to the silver screen has earned him some high profile fans; Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie count themselves as lovers of his work, as does Benedict Cumberbatch.

The contemporary art market is soaring, with some of the world’s best investments to be found on the walls of prominent collectors. Given the economic turbulence of the last twenty years, art has remained a stable market - seeing gains where others have dipped. Unlike typical financial investments, art also has intrinsic aesthetic value; allowing the collector to own something that they enjoy without forgoing the fiscal benefit. Despite the fact that potential buyers encounter art almost every day, the first step into curating a collection can be daunting; with countless mediums, styles and artists to choose from, how does one know where to start? The second barrier to entry is cost, with first-time buyers reluctant to invest large sums in a market that they have no experience of.

Between the 7th-10th March, Distassi Art put on a transatlantic collaboration with Contra Galleries in Chelsea, New York City. Presented by Whitehot Magazine, the event saw Distassi bring pieces by Schoony and Hambleton over to the US; which were exhibited alongside works by Al Diaz, Delta 2 and Keith Haring. It was an impressive showing, with legendary street art in every corner of the gallery.

Contemporary art sales are signalling a new period of prosperity. With figures escalating, the market is generally accepted to have one of the most rewarding benefits from an investment standpoint.

2018 was a bumper year for the contemporary art market, showing significant growth quarter on quarter from May 2017. Most significantly, it marked the first fiscal year in which the market's main indicators were all positive: the global auction turnover grew by around 20%, the rate of unsold art remained steady at 39%, the volume of total transactions grew by 17% and the price index of contemporary art grew by 18%.

Hertfordshire-based artist Tristan Schoonraad aka Schoony is a multifaceted urban artist, his work consists of both life-casted prosthetics and special effects which encompass topics as diverse as war, mortality and contemporary society. Schoony's film career has spanned over twenty-five years. Since the age of fifteen, he has worked on over a hundred films, with blockbuster titles including Harry Potter, Troy and Gladiator.