The Crucial Role of Modern Art Collectors like Isaac Sultan Cohen

In our digital era, art is continuously reduced to a fleeting spectacle. Every scroll, click, and share brings endless new images curated in seconds by algorithms to our screens. Algorithms that dictate what art is based on their sole mission to maximize user attention and incite a reaction. These algorithms have now become our art collectors. So, what role do modern art collectors like Isaac Sultan Cohen have in our world?

This new world disconnects the artist from the art, and by proxy disjoints the purpose behind the art. It creates art that leaves the viewer empty, devoid of intentionality and expression. For example, songs have gone from an average length of just over four minutes in the early 2000s to under three minutes in 2024 to encourage their use on TikTok and other similar platforms.

The TikTokification of art has led contemporary artists to extremes. It’s the fear of being just one of the herd summed on top of the pressure to please the algorithm of ‘entertaining’ with cheap shock tactics. Because so much has already been done in the arts, one needs to push things into the absurd to gain a little attention. It mostly just alienates people.

This mass consumption has also created an uptick in exposure to the arts. Though slight there is a growing pushback among the conscious consumers and keen collectors, like Isaac Sultan Cohen who fight for the value of human touch. Those who are determined to preserve the authenticity of art with qualities that cannot be replicated by machines. They believe that by carefully supporting masterpieces and accepting that it has all been done before, in some way or form, but everyone brings their own perceptions and sensibilities to a work of art. We can resist the TikTokification of art.

For collectors like Isaac Sultan Cohen, every piece is not just an object but rather a record of the human experience. An experience that connects us to our past while setting an example for future generations. Consider the example of artist like Sebastião Salgado, who worked closely with locals to create Amazônia, an exhibition that celebrates the Indigenous peoples and varied landscapes of the Amazon rain forest. Salgado managed to create a space where art is more than just a digital image, it is a living dialogue between generations and cultures. Such collections become sanctuaries of authenticity, inviting viewers to slow down, reflect, and appreciate the complexities that only the human touch can ingrain in a work of art.

By supporting the human touch, collectors like Isaac Sultan Cohen are preserving tradition. Encouraging artists to embrace that art has always been an exchange of ideas, remakes, and imitations. While digital art can be powerful, its mass-produced nature lacks the depth and intentionality that can only be embedded by the human touch. In the end, the role of the collector has never been more crucial.