Virtual Art Platforms Struggle with Exclusivity During Pandemic Lockdowns

The COVID-19 lockdown has forced galleries and art fairs to rapidly adopt digital platforms, creating contradictions between accessibility and traditional exclusivity. Hauser & Wirth launched its 'HWVR' virtual modeling platform with 'Beside Itself,' a VR exhibition previewing its upcoming Menorca art center on Isla del Rey. Frieze opened its 'Frieze Viewing Room' (May 8-15) to replace its canceled New York edition, maintaining VIP preview codes despite the virtual format. Hastings Contemporary in Sussex inaugurated a Quentin Blake exhibition using a Double Robotics telepresence robot for remote viewing. These initiatives reveal how physical exclusivity mechanisms—once enforced through VIP schedules at fairs like Art Cologne and Art Brussels—are being awkwardly translated to digital spaces. The virtual Frieze platform features 200 galleries, institutions, and nonprofits, functioning similarly to existing online platforms like Artsy. Hauser & Wirth's VR experience, while promoted as using proprietary technology, offers limited navigation and viewing capabilities compared to Matterport renderings. The Menorca project highlights both architectural ambitions and the island's appeal to potential visitors. Meanwhile, public institutions face financial pressures while attempting remote access solutions. These developments suggest future art consumption may increasingly combine physical artwork ownership with privileged access to exclusive viewing locations.