Why is it important to invest in public art? Art creates sensuous experiences and enriches common spaces. Art can contribute to creating new perspectives, innovation and encourage more people to participate in influencing their living environment. In short, art contributes to creating a more sustainable society. Here you can read more on why public art is important.
Art provides humanistic values in a society that is often dominated by quantifiable demands for efficiency. Art speaks directly to all aspects of us, even those that are not quantifiable and rational. Art is similar to love – it fulfils deep human needs that money, food and clothes cannot satisfy. We need art in our everyday lives; it opens up spaces within us where we dare to face life’s most difficult issues; ideas and emotions such as sorrow, anger, wonder, happiness and perhaps bottomless despair. In the everyday, art can provide us with existential experiences that go beyond the quotidian.
Art in our shared spaces can provide us with a direct and immediate encounter, anywhere and when we least expect it. Suddenly, we see something unexpected in our everyday lives, which can affect how we experience our environment and redirect our ideas. It may be something frightening or fantastic that we cannot put into words but, thanks to art, we can still understand. An important argument for public art is that it creates added value for society and contributes towards an increased quality of life.