Stop 5

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Instagram has become such an effective way for artists to have their work seen that many artists put more weight on capturing an image of their art for Instagram and allowing their work to circulate through that digital platform than to have people walk by the piece and see it in person. In fact, street artists sometimes erase their own work after photographing it in order to create something new on the same space. The final product thus becomes an image meant to be consumed via this social media platform rather than on the street, begging the question of what the significance of creating this image on the street is in the first place. Perhaps there is a level of artistic validation awarded to creating the art on the street which audiences ultimately regard as essential for the image to have value. Thus, media history has shaped street art as the production of digital content just for Instagram has to many artists become more significant than for the art to be encountered by a real audience in the street, positioning walls that street art is created on as simply a backdrop for creating digital content. Propelling this change is a higher level of accessibility of an image on Instagram and to an increased audience than art on the street. Instagram functions as a global curator by transcending geographical borders, thus functioning as both a container and a platform to propel street artists work into the culture. This last stop is the Instagram account of one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists who uses Instagram to promote his work, art galleries and website. As we are at the end of our tour, feel free to browse his account!