I had a quick look at these instagram links and except for the last two, they do not feel like 'Art', just like most novels are not considered literature. In the past years, I have visited a lot of art exhibitions (at museums and art galleries) and graduation shows of art schools here in the Netherlands. See: https://iwriteiam.nl/Exhibitions.html Even at those, I feel that a lot is crap, too conceptual. But there always some artists that stick out for some (often unexplained) reason. They have some new idea or make you view the world in a different way. They are not just repeating some gimmick or showing (exceptional) craftsmanship. Craftsmanship is not equal to art.

Sadly I don't think this perspective will ever be accepted on HN.

Commercial galleries and the art school pipeline are awful in so many ways, but one thing that many people fail to understand is that art in its best light is an ongoing conversation.

Yes you can be incredibly skilled and build an aesthetically beautiful hand made work of art without ever being part of the larger art world. And as a viewer, you can appreciate that art and buy it and cherish it. This is good, great in fact.

But to say that is all that art should be is sort of missing the forest for the trees or whatever. We have this thousands of years old conversation going about form, color, concept, story, material, humanity, etc and when its working correctly the art world cultivates and encourages that conversation.

We can absolutely have this conversation without financializing art to the extreme as has been done the past 10 years, but lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Let me add something to this. If you buy a painting (or some other work of art) because it is captivating you, and you put it into your house, to enjoy, than that is great. I myself have bought some works of art, that are not be considered as 'Art', but that captivated me. For me that is the only reason to buy some work of art, if it captivates me, not if is a good investment.