Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation - Restricted Access (SIA Only)

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

Abstract

This dissertation examines how emerging artists under the age of 25 in London construct market-facing identities in 2025. In a cultural landscape shaped by economic precarity, digital platforms, and shifting art market dynamics, young artists must develop professional identities that strike a balance between authenticity and marketability. Drawing on qualitative methods, my studies will employ semi-structured interviews with unrepresented artists, complemented by an analysis of visual and digital materials. My research is guided by five theoretical frameworks: Bourdieu’s field theory, Giddens’s reflexive modernity, Becker’s art worlds, the experience economy, and the quantified self.

A practice-based approach situates the researcher, I, as both analyst and participant, using autoethnographic reflection to highlight how the refusal of social media can itself be an identity strategy. The study finds that identity work for emerging artists is shaped by structural precarity, the pressures of digital self-branding, tensions between authenticity and visibility, and reliance on peer/community networks. It argues that professional identity is not only a matter of embracing digital tools but also of negotiating their refusal. This dissertation is my contribution to the literature on artistic labour, cultural entrepreneurship, and identity, as I seek out and foreground the voices, identities, and strategies of the youngest generation of artists navigating London’s art market.

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