The creation of Clare Mora, an experienced figure in the Aotearoa art world, The Art Precinct is primarily a website that guides the user through the process of art discovery.
Each journey through the stylish online experience is customised thanks to a series of prompts and reflections, based on the aesthetic tastes, habits and lifestyle. The result maps each person’s progress to one of six distinct art personas before they are presented a curated selection of works chosen to reflect their style as well as inspire and excite.
Alongside a more detailed, full-service bespoke art curation service also available, the overall insight-driven process is intended to designed to smooth the way to art that resonates, says Mora.
“I was really interested in how to translate the physical experience of being in front of a piece to being able to translate that onto an online experience,” explains the founder, who has a background in launching Kiwi creative brands on the world stage – including David Trubridge, Höglund Art Glass, and the US retail venture essenze.
“I started delving into how I could make that work, particularly for art, with more emotion.”
Drawn from a network of emerging and established New Zealand artists, the works presented are designed to feel cohesive and personal. Mora says approach flips the traditional art discovery experience from gallery-led, to customer-led.
The process has been developed without AI, instead honed by Mora’s curatorial expertise, digital innovation and the detailed insight of behavioural psychologist Dr Melinda Stanners.
To inform the process, Dr Stanners created a framework that links human emotional drivers with subconscious triggers. It means the user is guided by what resonates with them, even when they’re unsure of what they’re looking for.
“This approach taps into how we process emotional meaning,” says Mora. “When clients recognise a part of themselves in an artwork, it activates a sense of emotional affirmation. That connection fosters long-term satisfaction – not just in the art, but in how they relate to their space.”
The curated artworks presented are accompanied by further details and visual insight into artist’s world, as well as the ability to see them rendered in a room setting as well as the user’s own home or space using augmented reality.
In her experience assisting clients on finding art they loved, Mora says she regularly came upon two common refrains.
“So often people love a work, but hesitate because they can’t quite imagine how it will live with them,” she says. “This tool removes that barrier and gives them the clarity they need to feel confident about their selections.”
Furthermore, they don’t know where to begin, when looking for art they connect with.
“It’s goosebump material material, really, when you see their facial expression and the light goes on,” she says of connecting the right piece with its new owner. The Art Precinct makes that feeling easier to access, opening up the art world for many, including those that aren’t regular gallery visitors. She says often those people go on to become a collectors, sharing that love with others, particularly when a work connects on an emotional level.
“Suddenly they become the narrator of the pieces in front of them, they’re explaining what they see and why. Then suddenly I’ve got people who are actually doing the marketing for me, essentially, because they just love it so much.”
It’s this thinking that sees the aim of the new undertaking focused not only locally, but on exposing New Zealand artists to foreign markets. Already, The Art Precinct has delivered residential and commercial commissions across New Zealand and internationally – including projects in Queenstown, Waiheke Island, New York, and Los Angeles.
“Whether it’s a home, a workplace or a public space, art has the power to elevate and anchor us,” says Mora. “We’re here to help more people experience that feeling – and to ensure New Zealand creativity is part of that story, wherever it’s told.”
The Art Precinct is live now.
