Transformations  in
Business & Economics

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ART PLATFORM IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETING: A BIENNIAL CASE
Ugne Pavlovaite, Ingrida Griesiene

ABSTRACT. The article conceptualises art platform development, introduces a review of the contemporary art biennial, and analyses the conception of contemporary art biennial as an art platform. The work analyses relationship marketing instruments that allows identifying a contemporary art biennial, i.e., a public sector institution, as an art platform.
The qualitative data analysis includes international public sector institutions that carry out dissemination of contemporary art in Lithuania and Ireland: Ireland's biennial of contemporary art EVA International and Kaunas' contemporary art biennial Kaunas Biennial. The case studies reflect the 2017-2018 strategic changes of public sector culture and art institutions, i.e., contemporary art biennials. It can be concluded that public sector cultural and art institutions, i.e., contemporary art biennials, apply strategic aspects characteristic of platforms when the benefit of new and maintained relationships is emphasised within the existing relationship network and creating artistic value, and are thus identified with art platforms. The qualitative data analysis has allowed adding to the model of the public sector institution cultural and art institution, i.e., contemporary art biennial, that highlights the importance of relationship marketing in the formed relationship exchange network - an art platform. 

KEYWORDS:  platform, art, relationship marketing, biennial.

JEL classification:  J24, M12, O15.