What makes an art showing 'real'? Artist puts his work into hyperrealistic renderings of wealthy homes

Paul Kneale usually shows his works in galleries, but this summer he tried something new to him: showcasing them in wealthy homes, surrounded by expensive furniture and design. The only thing is, the homes aren't real.

Before COVID-19, the importance of Instagram for artists was on Kneale's mind.

He was seeing major interest in accounts that showed art in collectors' homes rather than galleries, and at the same time, he was seeing 3D renderings of spaces that looked so real, he couldn't differentiate them from photos.

"So I started to think, why not use this 3D rendering to bypass the galleries, which were all closed, and go directly to depicting the work in a collection?" says Kneale. "I thought it was really important that some of the images I produced would circulate in these collector interior fetish-type Instagram accounts, that have very large followings and show beautiful and famous works beside expensive designer furniture. I wanted the image to be posted there and not revealed to be a 3D rendering."

So he photographed one of his older works (a six-foot-tall piece called Distortion Test Targets) and had a studio create a rendering for it. Then, he worked with his dealer to get the image a spot on the Larry's List account (Instagram bio: "Connecting Art Collectors, Design Addicts, Brokers and Everyone in between!").

"The image in the ... post has been liked thousands of times, which is far more people than would pass through most commercial galleries during an exhibition," he said. "That level of interest in virtual experiences of art is very much related to the times we live in. People love to spend a lot of time on their phones, looking at pictures of their friends, shopping, and watching TV and movies. I think it's interesting for art to try and interact with that reality in some way."

CBC Arts reached out to Larry's List for comment and did not hear back.

Kneale normally works with large, abstract paintings with bright colours. They require handling and hanging and moving into galleries.

"This time it is circulating and being viewed in a virtual space, and that is not just a representation of the work, but actually the work itself," said Kneale. 

And while the work is conceptual, Kneale said he thinks it does play some part in disrupting the way people look at and covet art online.

"When the work appears to be in a collection, it becomes even more desired," said Kneale. 

Kneale's Collector Interiors project is ongoing, and he hopes to do more renderings with his physical works in the future.

À lire en français sur le site de Radio-Canada.

This story is part of Digital Originals, an initiative of the Canada Council for the Arts. Artists were offered a $5,000 micro-grant to either adapt their existing work or create new work for the digital world during the COVID-19 pandemic. CBC Arts has partnered with Canada Council to feature a selection of these projects.You can see more of these projects here.