The raw materials-canvas, paint, brushes, the artist's talent and hard workare not costly. Existing art and business studies investigate how this kind of input may at times result in contemporary masterpieces valued in the millions. This article introduces a new way of looking at how this works and expresses it in the clear and comprehensive new terminology of the art machine. Essential to this concept are, first and foremost, the correct components (the cogs in the machine) and then, vitally, the capacity of the artist and other involved agents to operate the machine for optimum results. This study describes progressively the processes by which lesser value becomes higher value, i.e., ideally, by which the unknown art student's paintings attain museum status. Machines come with a warranty. The art machine, however, does not guarantee success. Much depends on the artist's initial input and the various agents' operating skills. Fluid factorsfinancial, social, political, geographicalas well as unpredictables such as taste-variations, chance and faults and frictions within the machine, affect its efficiency. Lacking the aura of worthiness that age gives Old Masters, contemporary artists must somehow validate their work to reassure potential consumers of their credibility in the present and their sustainability for the future. Symbolic and financial validation for those few contemporary artists who manage to achieve success relies on the efficient workings of what is pioneered in this paper as the art machine. Here, the mechanical nature of the established art market is presented as a network of dependencies between discerning artists, art professionals and art supporters, who ideally should work in unison to generate symbolic and financial value for art. It is a co-branding initiative that is indispensable for success. Deconstructing this complex system of affiliation assesses how each participant aims to benefit from the market and also contribute to the creation of value and reputation within the wider spectrum of the contemporary art scene. This collaborative

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of the field of visual arts marketing in the development of wider branding theory and practice. Drawing on examples from visual artists and the art mechanism that connects them, the paper reveals how artists and art professionals foster various types of capital (social, cultural, symbolic) as a way of developing a brand name, ensuring longevity in the field, and gaining financial value on the market. Design/methodology/approach – As a conceptual paper, the authors draw on a range of published works as well as examples from the world of visual arts in order to provide fresh theoretical insight into how branding in the arts may be applied to other industries. Findings – The key findings are the importance of the consideration of the development and nurturing of social and cultural capital in developing brand identity. Additionally, visual art brands are required to be innovative and dynamic, and lessons learned regarding these processes have relevance for mainstream brands. The paper also found that creativity is often collective and that looking to methods for developing work in the visual arts can be utilised by brand managers more broadly in the age of social media and user generated content. Originality/value – This paper follows on the developing body of work, which indicates what mainstream business can learn from looking at the visual arts. The paper highlights the collective nature of creativity in building the art brand as well as the importance of non-economic measures of value in the realm of branding.

The physical and material aspects of space, such as geographical distance or boundaries, have social and symbolic consequences that impact how people influence and are influenced by institutions. Social actors can however contest how space is conceived, perceived and lived, thus making space a crucial lever in the disruption and defense of institutions. However, we lack understanding of the spatial aspects of such institutional struggles. In exploring how space is leveraged in institutional work, our study foregrounds the socio-political nature of space, building on and expanding the theorization of Lefebvre. We draw on an in-depth longitudinal analysis of the material, social and symbolic aspects of the spatial dimensions of disruptive and defensive institutional work over the past twenty years in Venezuela's art world. Following the Bolivarian Revolution in the late 1990s, the incoming government transformed the organization of the national cultural landscape, resulting in a prolonged period of institutional disruption and defense. We demonstrate that actors use the material, social, and symbolic dimensions of space to challenge and maintain their key values and practices, and that those three dimensions are intertwined.

From Modernism to Populism - Art as a discursive mirror of the Nation Brand AbstractPurpose-This purpose of this paper is to examine the role played by the visual arts in expressing and shaping the nation brand. In doing so, it establishes the centrality of visual discourse in nation branding; illustrating that discursive strategies can directly alter the nation brand's perception.Design/ methodology/ approach-This single case study drawing on depth interviews, field observation and secondary/historical material, applies mediated discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis to capture a transitional period in the cultural policies and nation branding rhetoric across a timeframe of 60 years.Findings-This study establishes the visual arts as a significant carrier of meaning reflecting changes in national discourse. This analysis illustrates that publicly supported visual arts can articulate policy aspirations and provide insight into the power of competing national discourse which co-exists, thereby shaping the internal and external nation brand.Practical implications-The paper establishes visual arts as central to expressing national identity and policy and a tool for examination of national identify and policy. More broadly, the paper establishes public support for the (visual) arts as central to organic and inorganic nation branding projects providing insight for those engaged in such campaigns to prioritize arts funding.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how participating in a branded Biennale (Venice) may legitimate and promote selected artists from the emerging markets of Venezuela and Thailand alongside art market leaders.Design/methodology/approachResearch was conducted at the 53rd International Art Biennale in Venice, Italy, in June 2009. Underpinned by a constructivist approach, qualitative data were collected via participant observation, illustrative photography and semi‐structured interviews (average interview time 55 minutes) with curators and participating artists from two emerging markets: Venezuela and Thailand.FindingsThis research indicates that merely attending the Venice Biennale does not mean automatic branding for success: each artist's signature style must stand out within its cultural context for the branding effect to succeed. The conclusion compares and contrasts the effective relationship between identification and success for the two emerging economies within the world‐leader arts event in Venice.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on arts management and events management, focusing on the until now unexplored area of contemporary arts marketing for the emerging economies of Venezuela and Thailand. The paper may aid emerging market art professionals in their strategy and planning to better benefit from the Venice Biennale's branding opportunity, as well as guiding scholarly research to a better understanding of the area.