London's Public Galleries Shift to Experience-Based Art Amid Rising Attendance

London's major art institutions are experiencing record attendance while shifting toward experiential exhibitions. The Hayward Gallery's Light Show features artificial light installations with high demand requiring advance booking. At the Barbican's Curve Gallery, Random International's Rain Room attracted 77,000 visitors, extending hours for queues reaching eight hours. Tate Modern reported 5.3 million visitors in 2012, a 9.5% increase from the previous year, while Tate Britain saw a 4.3% rise. Performance art has gained institutional recognition through Tate Modern's Tanks spaces, which focus on live and moving-image works. Tino Sehgal's Turbine Hall commission exemplified this trend's success. Public galleries increasingly program immersive, sensory installations to engage broader audiences beyond traditional art specialists. This shift reflects institutional efforts to justify public funding through demonstrated popularity. Critics question whether this focus on experiential art marginalizes smaller initiatives and commercial galleries, potentially making art more hierarchical and less diverse. The article originally appeared in ArtReview's April 2013 issue.