By: Maria Williams
Conversations centered around technology, specifically AI, have permeated our lives, finding their way into virtually all industries. Among the fields striving to implement more high-tech solutions in the future, culture emerges as one with boundless potential for honoring creativity by democratizing the landscape. Asta Ivanauskienė, an avid art enthusiast passionate about modernizing and streamlining the sector, aims to disrupt the current cultural realm with Ars Futuri, a Lithuania-based ArtTech startup ready to empower creators, collectors, and investors with the launch of an AI-powered app.
After excelling in diverse industries, from international relations and diplomacy to marketing and event management, Asta rediscovered her deepest passion—culture. While being a producer for contemporary art events and exhibitions, she witnessed a striking void in the industry—the lack of transparency in evaluating art pieces. As Asta emphasizes, current methods rely on nothing but the price tag attached to the canvas, which turns accurate appraisal into a daunting task.
That missing part affects all people engaged in culture, often obstructing financial satisfaction and trust. For collectors, the lack of clear pathways to determining the price carries a risk of overpaying when buying from institutions or during auctions. Artists grapple with different challenges; while it is the creator who sets the initial value, many painters or sculpturists seek help from PR experts, galleries, or agents. This need to use the services of 3rd party providers significantly reduces the final income artists could generate if there were systems that objectively evaluate their work.
Throughout the years, Asta witnessed the glaring differences between artwork pricing, curious about how one artwork could be worth extraordinary amounts of money and another one – visually and material-wise similar to the first – could be priced at close to nothing. By addressing these issues in the Ars Futuri app, Asta hopes to alleviate the challenges art sellers encounter.
The conceptualization of this cutting-edge platform occurred in 2022 during Asta’s tenure at the museum, when she started raising questions percolating around the art industry. “I realized it wasn’t just the consumers and art dealers who needed help, but the whole industry,” she adds.
Combining AI and machine learning with Asta’s life-long cultural infatuation, she has curated a comprehensive tool designed to become the new go-to for collectors, artists, and more. For those who indulge in artwork recreationally, the app will open the doors to feeding curiosity. “Now, if I go to a museum or an exhibition, I can scan any piece of art and find out the objective estimated price with a rundown of all factors that contributed to the value,” Asta explains.
Though culture roots back to the depths of human emotions, in today’s world, financial stability is essential. By leveraging the app, artists will be able to define their status, possibilities, and value, and collectors will know what ROI to expect from a hefty purchase.
Annifer, UAB the parent company of Ars Futuri is currently in the process of developing the platform’s prototype. That venture is fueled by a grant received from the Lithuanian government, a milestone showcasing the public’s concern about the culture sector. Looking into the future, Asta hopes to form meaningful partnerships and attract investors within the art sphere, striving to unite all culture enthusiasts to set the stage for a better tomorrow.
“Visual art, literature, performance, and more all deserve to be nurtured,” she shares. “If there are no democratized systems that autonomously determine art’s value, creators are more likely to feel underappreciated, and collectors are bound to generate less ROI. Art is everywhere. But without effective solutions, it won’t be able to thrive. That’s what Ars Futuri is all about—leveraging technology to fuel human creativity.”
Published by: Martin De Juan
