The Gallery Experience in a Digital World – Do we still need physical spaces?
- Rebecca Lethbridge
- Nov 12
- 5 min read
For years many people have visited galleries and exhibitions to view artwork, but has an increase in technology changed the way people view art? With more and more galleries hosting online exhibitions and an increase in digital art is there still a need for in person exhibitions or are we simply redefining what it means to “be there”?
A new way to look at art:
Over the last 10 years, and especially since COVID, our relationship with art has changed. People no longer need to buy tickets or travel to museums to see amazing artwork. Instead, a couple of taps on our phone or laptop can take us to any well-known gallery or small independent gallery around the world.
With a rise in virtual exhibitions, virtual reality remote tours of galleries, and Instagram feeds, art has become more accessible, removing geographic and economic barriers, allowing people from around the world to attend a digital opening from their home or zoom into a Van Gogh brushstroke on their screen. However, as the art experience becomes more convenient people start to question what happens to the feeling of actually being face to face with the artwork itself.
A rise in digital galleries:
During COVID galleries were forced to go digital, with 61% of all global art fairs cancelled, and as a result many galleries have stayed that way[i].
Digital galleries not only change how individuals see art but also how it’s made, shared, advertised and valued. Artists, including myself, are now able to curate their own online spaces and websites using platforms like Instagram, Cargo and Wix to show and sell their art.
During lockdown these digital spaces became crucial and acted as a lifeline for artists to advertise their work to potential buyers. Many museums created virtual tours, artists launched online exhibitions, and collectors were more likely to buy digital works. The art world, once defined by geography and exclusivity, suddenly felt open to everyone.
For many people, that’s the most exciting part. By creating digital art, it can be shared, remixed and experienced by anyone with Wi-Fi, allowing a global audience to now have access to creative worlds that used to only be seen in museums and galleries. However, for those who aren’t able to access Wi-Fi or internet they may feel excluded from the online art world.
Social media has become a great way for artists to gain recognition without needing to exhibit in a physical gallery.
Can a screen replace a room?
Many people believe that art becomes lost when it’s only viewed online, and that seeing a painting or a photograph in person can be a full-body experience. It allows us as an audience to see its size, texture, and even walking around it.
By viewing art in person, it allows the viewer to see how light changes across its surface and hear the quiet conversation of others reacting around us. Something that is difficult or impossible to achieve with online art.
Artworks online often compete with the endless distractions that technology brings. Whilst digital access makes art more reachable, people can ‘like’ an artwork in less than a second and continue to scroll on, making online artwork more disposable.
The power of physical spaces:
Visiting galleries and museums in person depends on using a lot of focus and time. Physical spaces frame art in ways that the online art world can’t. The white walls, the lighting, even the silence, all shape how the work is experienced, which can’t be replicated on a screen. Galleries aren’t just containers for art; they’re part of the art itself. Physical spaces also provide a social energy, whether that’s a smile between strangers, conversations at exhibition openings, shared reactions of a painting, or the spontaneous conversation about a sculpture, all of these form a key part of art culture which can’t be shared in an online environment[ii].
Moreover, many collectors often prefer to view art in person before purchasing, especially at a high price value.
As digital spaces develop and expand, it is important to remember that galleries are far from not being valuable. If anything, they’re turning into places to slow down and be present in a busy, noisy world.
A hybrid future:
The future of the art isn’t just physical or just digital; it’s a mixture of both physical and digital. Multiple galleries are becoming forward-thinking galleries and starting to incorporate a hybrid gallery experience, by holding exhibitions both in person and online, or by providing 3D tours of physical exhibitions. Moreover, many artists are creating work that can exist simultaneously online and in physical spaces. The fusion of physical and digital viewing doesn’t replace in-person viewing, it extends it. It allows individuals in other countries to explore art shows and exhibitions in London online, and then potentially experience it later in person with a new perspective.
Furthermore, the online art world allows galleries to create digital previews and online artist talks. Galleries have also introduced QR codes, immersive rooms, and projection-based installations to create ‘phygital’ (physical and digital) experiences.
When used carefully, digital art is a way of making works of art more accessible without reducing the importance of physical works of art. This is why the future of galleries may not be about picking between digital and physical but instead it’s about integrating them.
Redefining ‘presence’:
It is important to not consider whether we need physical galleries but instead how we define presence in art today. Whilst it is possible to feel ‘presence’ through a phone or laptop screen, it is a different type of connection, compared to physical spaces, which is often caused by pixels, algorithms, and distance. It is important to remember that physical spaces demonstrate that not everything meaningful can be swiped or streamed. Unlike online spaces, which often rush us to scroll past, physical spaces ask for attention, time, emotion.
Overall, the best art experiences often come from navigating both the infinite reach of the digital art world and the grounding energy of the physical. It is clear that we still need physical galleries but maybe the reasons why are changing.
References:
[i] Rowe, N. (2025, September 27). Will the increase of online exhibitions kill the physical gallery? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/oct/14/online-exhibitions-art-galleries
[ii] Sutithi. (2024, November 12). Why physical art exhibitions are still turning heads in a world of clicks: find out now. Teravarna. Retrieved October 30, 2025, from https://www.teravarna.com/post/why-physical-art-exhibitions-are-needed