Recent reports highlighting the ongoing decline in visitor numbers at Tate Modern prompted me to reflect on why audiences may be losing interest in visiting art galleries. Once drawing over 6 million visitors annually in 2019, the museum now receives around 4.5–4.6 million visitors per year — about a quarter fewer than before the pandemic. The numbers suggest that the challenge may not simply be tourism recovery, but a deeper shift in how people engage with art today.

Many alternatives to going to art galleries

Visiting art galleries used to be my favourite way to spend time productively while waiting in the city — between meetings or before the next place to go. These days, however, we are more likely to sit somewhere with our smartphones, filling those in-between moments differently: catching up on extra work, checking emails, chatting with friends, or simply scrolling through Instagram.

Not my tastes

When we wander through art galleries, we are passively exposed to selections carefully curated by experts. Yet, no matter how much thought or thematic depth lies behind these choices, audiences are not always convinced by the logic guiding what is displayed.

Compare this with Instagram’s algorithm, where artworks and visual content are continuously filtered and presented according to our personal tastes. The experience feels effortless — a collection seemingly designed just for us.

This shift mirrors how we now consume television dramas through platforms like Netflix. In the past, entire nations watched one or two popular shows at the same time, making it easy to share conversations the next day. Today, people watch different series on their own devices, at their own pace, and as a result, shared cultural moments — even simple conversations about TV dramas — are gradually disappearing.

So many geniuses in the world

Have you ever felt discouraged by the sheer number of talented creators on Instagram or YouTube, to the point of questioning whether you could ever become an artist yourself? Today, art galleries are no longer the only spaces where we encounter remarkable art and artists.

For those who have stood in front of contemporary works feeling puzzled — wondering how certain pieces came to be considered art — online platforms offer a different experience. The artists we discover there often feel more accessible, their skills more visible, and their creativity deeply inspiring.