As we enter the era of 21st-century culture, visual art records, which perform a cyclical function of documenting the artistic activities of artists and works and, in turn, becoming resources or artistic subjects for further artistic activities, are i...
As we enter the era of 21st-century culture, visual art records, which perform a cyclical function of documenting the artistic activities of artists and works and, in turn, becoming resources or artistic subjects for further artistic activities, are increasingly recognized for their value and necessity. In this context, the value and necessity of visual art online archives, which collect, manage, preserve, and provide visual art records online based on digitization, have garnered heightened attention, leading to the emergence of institutions that construct and operate such archives.
However, a close examination of the currently operating domestic visual art online archives reveals various issues that degrade their professionalism and reliability. As digital technology advances, access to visual art records is demanded online, and the public nature of visual art archives and the potential for value creation through the resourcefulness of visual art records are intensifying the need for online visual art archives. To further develop and invigorate visual art online archives, it is necessary to clearly identify and comprehensively analyze the issues arising in their construction and operation.
This study provides a comprehensive review of the tasks and problems that visual art online archives must solve by analyzing their current status and preceding studies. The major issues identified include copyright policy, ① ② evaluation standards, ③ metadata, ④ search services, and ⑤ authenticity and NFTs. Among the five issues identified, this study conducted a case study based on the framework of issue-specific analysis, focusing on issues that could be confirmed and analyzed in currently operating instances: ① copyright policy, ② evaluation standards, ③ metadata, ④ search services. The subjects of the case study were Rhizome ArtBase, Asia Art Archive (AAA), and THE Art Archives, Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA AA), each selected for their valid value as analysis targets. Comprehensive analysis was carried out on each institution according to the analytical framework. Firstly, visual art online archives need to establish clear missions and objectives, and allocate expert personnel for each task. Also, designing a specific collection system and building a three-dimensional online service for non-experts is required. Secondly, in terms of evaluation standards, ensuring professionalism in the evaluation process and developing concrete evaluation criteria and step-by-step evaluation procedures that align with the institution's purpose and mission are necessary. Thirdly, in terms of copyright policy, it's important to prepare specific provisions for online provision in the copyright permission letter, provide an easy-to-understand copyright policy through the website, and utilize CCL. Fourthly, exploring the possibility of using LOD is necessary regarding metadata. Lastly, in terms of search services, various search filters should be provided to enable effective search and a search service that provides the context of visual art records should be constructed.
By comprehensively analyzing previous studies, this paper identifies key issues currently under discussion regarding visual art online archives and proposes measures for their construction and operation based on these issues. As research on visual art online archives continues, it is anticipated that this study will serve as a useful reference material for the development direction and tasks of visual art online archives.