Co-founders Mattia Arrigoni, Red Longo, Riccardo Scrocco and Giovanni Varlonga united their visions in 2023 by launching their company SPAZIO KOCH in Milan. This initiative demonstrates how contemporary artists can thrive in a time where AI and cuts in art funding challenge the survival of authentic creation.
Funding Cuts Bleed Dry Artist's Resources
Governments in an increasing number of countries have drastically cut their fundings to arts. Consequently, artists of all kinds struggle to start or to continue practicing their craft for a living. Several states in the US like Florida, California and Arizona have had to deal with a drop in financial support for art sectors, and also the United Kingdom, France and Scotland have followed in its footsteps.
AI as a Tool and Competitor in Creative Industries
Harvard Business Review explained how generative AI is threatening to disrupt the special status of creativity as a ‘‘uniquely human quality’’. Applications like Midjourney and ChatGPT have the capability to process and use large amounts of information for a broad range of purposes. Hence, creative jobs that require this feature - like creating imagery, coding and writing - are strongly affected by modern technology.
Furthermore, the possibilities to generate art with AI has caught the eye of international publicity over the last few years. In 2018 J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam and Microsoft managed to create the AI-generated painting ‘The Next Rembrandt’ by analyzing the Old Master’s body of work. Moreover, in 2022 Jason Allen’s AI generated ‘Théâtre D’opéra Spatial’ won the Colorado State Fair’s annual art competition.
SPAZIO KOCH Creates Possibilities in Times of Artistic Limitations
With friendship as the foundation for the partnership of the four co-founders, SPAZIO KOCH has since its launch worked together with notable brands in the international art scene by offering interdisciplinary creative services. Some examples of the organization’s large scope of expertise was demonstrated in production work for Versace, a 3D animation movie for RAI Cinema, and an editorial shoot for Cosmopolitan Italia.
The skills of each co-founder vary from fashion photography and graffiti to product design and event planning. This in turn creates a unique offer of possibilities for clients that look for signature artistic creations.
Moreover, the network of SPAZIO KOCH adds additional service options alongside the founder’s expertises.
‘‘Our studio can be seen as a cultural center for the artist community of SPAZIO KOCH’’ mentions co-founder Mattia Arrigoni.
‘‘When someone asks us to work for them, we have a selection of people we can point out that do for example CGI on a boutique service level, or someone else who does VR or AR.’’
Synergy is a Success Strategy
The benefit of splitting the costs of a studio in a metropolitan fashion capital is not the only one for the SPAZIO KOCH founders. Artists and creatives within the network share ideas, brainstorm possibilities and inspire each other by combining perspectives of different creative orientations.
‘‘Art is born from interaction, dialogue, and sharing emotions. Differences become opportunities and diversity becomes a source of innovation’’ is what co-founder Giovanni Varlonga points out when speaking about his experience of working with other artists at SPAZIO KOCH.
The Artistic Path of Collective Survival
A stream of unique design can flow beyond the reach of AI when artists combine their knowledge and skills. As the SPAZIO KOCH founders have proved: clasping the hands together as artists can have both a positive financial and meaningful impact on creative work fields.
There is a limit on how much we can presently impact the future of arts or predict the wisest way to invest money - or to make any. However, the extent to which artists can connect and collaborate with each other is endless - something that money can’t buy and that AI can’t touch.
Comments