The Shift from Secrecy to Oversharing — and What It’s Costing Art

As artists trade mystery for visibility, are we losing the emotional power that once defined great art?

The Quiet Past

Historically, artists often created behind closed doors, unveiling their masterpieces only when they felt complete. They shared coffees with a select few at cafés and discussed ideas in private. This approach preserved a mystery and allowed audiences to engage with the art without preconceived notions.

Think of Wole Soyinka, who made his own ink, which he named “Soyink”, and poured his emotions into poems while alone in his prison cell (as he once mentioned in a BBC interview with Zeinab Badawi), or Frida Kahlo, who shared her deeply personal paintings only with trusted confidants. The mystique surrounding their process amplified the impact of their final works.

The Always-On Present

Fast forward to today. Social media demands constant updates. Every sketch, draft, and iteration is broadcast in real-time. While this transparency fosters connection, it raises a serious question: Are we sacrificing the mysticism of art by revealing too much too soon?

The Neuroscience of Overexposure: Why Less Can Be More

Neuroscience research suggests that repeated exposure to the same stimuli dulls emotional responses, a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation. When audiences watch a piece evolve through Instagram stories, TikTok videos, or YouTube vlogs, the final reveal often feels anticlimactic. The brain has already processed it in fragments, leaving little room for awe.

A University of Leeds study found that while familiarity can breed appreciation, overexposure without meaningful context can reduce engagement. In other words, seeing every brushstroke doesn’t necessarily make the final painting more compelling. It might just make it feel predictable.

The Power of Mystery: Lessons from African Artists

Some of the most impactful contemporary artists understand the delicate balance between sharing and withholding. Consider these examples:

1. El Anatsui – The Silent Alchemist

The Ghanaian sculptor, famous for his shimmering art made from bottle caps, rarely discusses his creative process in detail. His installations appear almost mystically assembled, leaving viewers to wonder, “How did he do that?” This deliberate secrecy amplifies the grandeur of his final pieces.

2. Francis Kéré – The Quiet Visionary

The Burkinabè architect, celebrated for his community-driven, sustainable designs, rarely publicizes the making behind his architectural masterpieces. His buildings, from schools in Gando to pavilions in Venice, often emerge in the public eye fully realized, carrying deep cultural symbolism. Kéré focuses on impact rather than exposure, preserving the sense of wonder his work inspires.

3. Dobet Gnahoré – The Disciplined Songbird

The Ivorian Grammy-winning musician masterfully controls her creative narrative. While she engages fans with performances, she carefully guards her songwriting and recording process. This disciplined approach makes each new release feel like an event, preserving the sacred relationship between the artist and the audience.

These artists prove that strategic silence can be as powerful as visibility.

The Algorithm Trap: When Sharing Undermines Creativity

Social media rewards consistency, daily posts, stories, carousels, reels, and updates keep artists visible. This is beautiful because artists don’t need agents to be seen. They can promote their own work and receive the recognition they deserve. Also, audiences get to see them at work and connect with their humanity.

But the pressure to perform can:

• Distract from deep work (endless documenting vs. actual creating)
• Flatten emotional impact (if the audience has already seen the “making of,” why care about the final piece?)
• Turn art into content (prioritizing shareability over substance)

French painter Pierre Soulages, known for his obsession with black light, once said:

“A painting is not a message. It’s an event.”

When every step is public, does the event lose its power?

Striking the Right Balance: How to Share Without Diminishing Your Art

Here are four ways artists can maintain mystery while still showing up:

1. Tease, Don’t Reveal: Share hints of your process, a colour palette, and a texture close-up, but leave room for imagination.
2. Protect Your Deep Work Phases: Not every piece needs a behind-the-scenes. Let some creations breathe in private.
3. Save the Big Reveal for IRL: If you’re preparing for an exhibition, consider keeping key works under wraps until the opening.
4. Use Storytelling, Not Just Showing: Instead of posting raw progress clips, frame your updates with a narrative. (Example: “This piece was inspired by a message I saw on a trotro, and here’s why that moment stuck with me…”)

Final Thought: Is the Art World Listening Too Much?

There’s undeniable value in demystifying art, especially for emerging creators who benefit from seeing others’ processes. But when every stroke, draft, and idea is public, do we risk turning art into background noise?

Recently, there has been so much art on the internet, especially those created with the help of AI, that it’s becoming difficult to recognize what’s real: the kind that stems from emotion, heart, and deep human creativity. It’s visual pollution.

Perhaps the most compelling art still needs silence, secrecy, and the thrill of the unknown. The kind that people will have to uncover stories about long after the artist is dead and gone. And the stories told will elevate the work higher than it ever stood alone.

What do you think?

• Do you prefer seeing the full creative journey, or does it spoil the final experience?
• Have you ever held back parts of your process to preserve impact?