In the not so distant past, linkages between fine art and consumer culture opened new fields for artists to mine, and some delightfully novel art came forth. But today, the ties between the goods industry and the art world are so blatantly commercial that one wonders who is appropriating whom. In this complex interweave of high art, consumer culture, fashion, and commerce, is art the central / dominant player or is it the lure of brand ownership that motivates the public (with art playing second fiddle as a brand enhancing tool) to lavish attention on the object? Is art gaining or losing in this collaboration with the commodity market?

“There was a time when artists inhabited an altogether loftier plane than the purveyors of luxury goods. There were occasional crossovers, such as Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian-inspired dress and Château Mouton Rothschild's artist-designed wine labels. But rarely did the twain meet.” (Nick Foulkes - Newsweek.)

Currently in affluent societies, luxury brands have become some of the most powerful impresarios of contemporary art on the international stage. Donald Kuspit argues that today, there are no longer art movements, but rather art markets. He believes that “making art has become a way of making money and becoming popular” and now the list of artists and products goes far beyond the Campbell soup cans and Brillo boxes of Andy Warhol and the vacuum cleaner and rabbit image constructed by Jeff Koons. Presently we are witnessing artistic partnerships that are aimed at establishing a new kind of luxury branding. A contemporary art infused luxury is not just the latest consumer seduction ploy, it is also a new world of commercial opportunity for the artists, quite separate from the pure art world.

In many ways contemporary art mimics top-end fashion in its quest for immediacy and popular appeal because for the over ambitious it is just not enough to simply be an artist and show exhibits. Artists are now tapping into all areas, and Asian American Takashi Murakami has done it best, as a pop artist who has managed to take low and high culture and blend them to his own branding and liking. Murakami seems to be one of the most versatile, if not business savvy artists of his day. Aside from partnering with Music moguls like Kanye West, Murakami has also secured deals with high-end French design house Louis Vuitton. Working with the creative designer for Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Murakami designed a number of luxury items for the brand, and even gave a face-lift to a few Vuitton locations, in true Murakami fashion. Aside from designing leather goods for the French fashion house, Murakami has undertaken the task of transforming Louis Vuitton stores into art galleries. The work that goes into the design of the stores is absolutely incredible, with no attention to detail spared.

“Art and luxury have always moved together,” says Bruno Pavlovsky, head of Chanel's fashion unit. “Both focus on the same demand for cultural relevance and both represent a permanent quest for quality, exception, creation and innovation. It is normal that a luxury brand should look for a new vocabulary and aim to innovate it by enriching itself through exchange with other creative universes.” In Newsweek, Alexandra Seno writes “Chanel's works of art go beyond the perfect suit. In late February, the company unveiled 'Mobile Art' in Hong Kong, an ambitious travelling exhibit of commissioned works by 20 top contemporary artists, housed in a breathtaking white structure designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. Eager locals and visitors snapped up the timed tickets throughout the six-week run, treating the sometimes challenging show with the kind of reverence typically reserved for major openings at MoMA or the Louvre.

To be sure, many luxury companies have long served as patrons of public art programmes in the United States and Europe. But as new markets grow in importance, these brands are not only sponsoring other people's shows but actively creating their own, sometimes introducing conceptual works that many museums would consider too daring.

The idea is that by linking its name to a cutting-edge collection or innovative new work, a luxury brand gains visibility and status. But what of the art in question is its value and effect enhanced or diluted — or is this the new face of art under the auspices of new patrons, the brand industry.

Here in Pakistan where we emulate western trends with considerable alacrity, this influence has yet to emerge. It is basically a developing phenomenon among affluent economies and may well not be realised here to advantage because of relatively low art awareness levels as well as religious, economic and social constraints which impede art. But it has tipped the scales in favour of commoditisation of art. The proliferation of haute couture and retail designer wear, high end décor, furniture and lifestyle stores /outlets, with an increasing reliance on aesthetically attractive, opulent and grandiose productions is blurring the boundaries between art, designer lifestyle and commerce. Art too is being seen and acquired as an aesthetic object / commodity not as a thought provoking painting, sculpture or print. Its acquisition benefits the artist financially, but the essential dialogue between art and onlooker / buyer remains stunted. In a nascent art community like ours where audiences are constantly being coaxed to engage with art as a contemplative medium the entire exercise is jeopardised when the art work is increasingly being purchased as a decorative fixture or investment. And what of the artists who cater to market demands? In the absence of a discerning public that truly values talent, and in need of economic sustenance they often become victims of conflicted loyalties. Resorting to formula works, repetition and stilted workmanship they churn out works under the guise of art.