Art repro market to ADAPT to digital technology

2 September 2004

The burgeoning acceptance of high-end inkjet reproductions of works of art has created one of the fastest growing digital niche sectors. According to show organisers photographers and painters are increasingly using digital technology to produce archivable limited-edition reproductions of their works.

Professionals and amateurs alike are creating an expanding market for inkjet reproductions with some works by ‘name’ artists setting the pricing pace.

US analyst IT Strategies estimates the retail value for digital art was USD$249 million in 2003. Add to this the migration of professional photography to digital, and the sweetly-named “weekend artist market” and you have probably double that amount, growing at 17 per cent. The turning point in the USA was recognition by the Smithsonian Institution, in 1997, that digital art was a ‘valuable creative tool.’ Since then, leading galleries have exhibited and sold digital art to an ever-more receptive audience.

Organisers of ADAPT claim the market is about to explode in Australia and have been swamped by industry support since the show was first mooted. The trade show will run in conjunction with the Art & Framing Trade Fair at Fox Studios, Sydney, 21-23 July 2005.

“The art reproduction market is the next major sector to go digital - the short-
run/high quality nature of it makes it perfect for everyone from quick printers to pro-sumer enthusiasts,” said a spokesperson for the organisers. “ADAPT will feature workshops and high-profile speakers in the seminars.’

Among the groups the show is aimed at are:
  • Traditional oil and watercolour artists
    wanting to reproduce their artworks
  • Wedding and portrait photographers
    looking for digital, but artistic,
    reproduction methods

  • Fine art galleries

  • Museum curators and preservers

  • Quickprinters and large format print
    providers looking to extend their
    businesses

  • Art school teachers, students and
    private colleges

  • Fine art and collectable image dealers


    • Inquiries to Nicholas Tossman, exhibition director.
    exhibitions@ozemail.com.au